IN AND ABOUT THE FARM.

Waipa Post, Volume VI, Issue 286, 3 February 1914, Page 4

IN AND ABOUT THE FARM.

FIELD EXPERIMENTS. WHAT IS BEING DONE IN THE SOUTH ISLAND. The work of the Fields Division of the Department of Agriculture in the South Island was interestingly reviewed a few days ago by Mr A. Macpherson, Fields Instructor, in a conversation with a Press reporter. Mr Macpherson explained that formerly it was the practice of the Division to agree to experiments which any farmer offered to make, but last year a different system was adopted. Before agreeing to such experiments, an officer of the Division reported on the suitability of the farmer who offered to conduct the experiments, also as to the suitability of his land for the purpose, and if the report was favourable, the experiments were authorised, the Division and the farmer co-operating. The work has grown to such an extent that it is beyond the capability of one officer to supervise all the experiments in the South Island, and there are now associated with Mr Macpherson in the work no fewer than 32 inspectors of noxious weeds and rabbits, who supervise the experiments in their respective districts, carrying out Mr Macpherson’s instructions and reporting to him.

On 232 farms, extending from Nelson in the north to the Bluff in the south, these co-operative experiments are being conducted. On these farms 3860 plots have been sown with wheat, oats, barley, grasses, clovers, lucerne, mangels, turnips, carrots, khol rabi parsnips, potatoes (manurial and spraying tests), silver beet, rape, Chou Mollier, Buda kale, Jersey kale, thousand-headed kale, Russian kale, maize, and other crops. The object sought to be attained by these experiments is the thorough investigation of the productivity of the various soils in each district, and in selecting the areas on which the experiments are carried out attention is paid to their accessibility to the farmers of the district. The knowledge gained is available to all farmers in the district, and much valuable information is consequently being placed at their disposal. In addition to testing different varieties, the Fields Division also conducts manurial tests for the information of farmers. Half-a-dozen fertilisers used in different proportions are employed in each district to determine the nature and quantity of enrichment required by the soil. Mr Macpherson does not encourage the use of artificial fertilisers, as he is convinced that poor land is more effectively improved by the addition of organic matter, effected by ploughing in suitable vegetation, and this method is largely employed in the co-operative experiments. This year fourteen new varieties of oats, nine of wheat, and twelve of barley are being experimented with. “1 was rather surprised to find very few growers with any prunes in their orchards. We import into this country a great quantity of this fruit every year, and with the hot dry seasons experienced in Central Otago prunes could be dried to perfection and a big business built up. “ I noticed, on visiting some of the orchards at Central Otago, that a great many of the growers had planted new and untried varieties of apples. Some of these they are already dissatisfied with, and many have been cut off and reworked with old standard kinds of good commercial value. My advice to both old and new men in the orchard business is to leave the new varieties alone, and to confine themselves strictly to those commercial kinds which have been proved beyond all doubt to be payable varieties to grow, and which are known in the markets of the world. If there is to be any experimenting with new kinds, let the Government, or those who can afford the time, do it. The varieties I recommend are, first of all, Jonathan. I believe there is more money in this apple than, in any other in the world. Next to Jonathan, if the land and climate are suitable, 1 strongly recommend Cox’s Orange Pippin. This is undoubtedly the finest-quality apple, and in the European market it often brings three times as much as any other kind. Other varieties 1 recommend are Cleopatra, Munro’s Favourite, Stunner Pippin, and Stayman’s Winesap; and for the Central Otago district I would specially add the Yellow j Newtown Pippin, which is doing better there than in other parts of New Zealand that I have visited. This variety 1 would not think of planting in Nelson, Hawke's Bay, or anywhere else in the North,”