TOBACCO EXPERIMENT.

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXVI, Issue 20276, 10 April 1934, Page 6

TOBACCO EXPERIMENT.

Grown by Unemployed Boys. (Special to the “ Star.”) AUCKLAND, April 10. The boys in training at the Auckland Doys* Employment Committee’s farm at St. John’s have Just harvested their first crop of tobacco, which is now being packed ready for dispatch to the curing factory. The acre under cultivation yielded 700 pounds of leaf, which will make up into 14 bales. The 3000 plants on the area were grown under the direction of Mr. C. E. Lowe, tobacco instructor of the Department of Agriculture, and the whole work has been carried out by the boys. The ground at St. John’s is suitable for tobacco cultivation, and Mr. Lowe is of the opinion that the leaves compare favourably with other commercial crops grown in the province. During the past year the committee has carried out a more ambitious policy at the farm, and among recent successful crops was the area of maize grown under contract for the Auckland Agricultural and Pastoral Association to feed stock at the recent Royal Show. Experiments have been conducted with several varieties of soya beans to gather data regarding germinal growth and their suitability as a supplementary forage crop. In addition to this work crops of vegetables are producer throughout the year, and are used for the mid-day meals. Plans are now in hand for the clearing di a further ten acres of gorse to increase the area of the farm to about 35 acres. This work will be done by older boys than those generally employed at the farm.