EXPERIMENTAL AREA FOR HILL COUNTRY SOUGHT FOR WANGANUI

Wanganui Chronicle, 1 July 1948, Page 2

EXPERIMENTAL AREA FOR HILL COUNTRY SOUGHT FOR WANGANUI

A suggestion from the Fordell branch that the executive should apply to the Department of Agriculture for the establishment of a hill-country experimental area in the Wanganui West Coast district was adopted at »yesterday’s meeting of the Wanganui Provincial Executive of Federated Farmers. The meeting also decided to seek the cooperation of the Wanganui City Council and other local bodies in the area.

Moving the remit, Mr. W. J. Tripe said that Mr. E. Bruce Levy, of the Grasslands Division of the Department of Agriculture had envisaged the day when the carrying capacity of the average hill-country land would be three ewes to the acre. Mr. Levy, he said, was a man of vision, a man of ideals and a man of force and immence practical knowledge. Part of the answer to his vision was in improved strains of pasture plants. The Grassland Division intended to conduct a number of experimental plants of land in the hill-country areas to test the pasture strains that had already been evolved and tested on the flat land. Areas were to be established in the Wairarapa, Hawke's Bay and Poverty Bay districts and he considered that an area should be established in the Wan-ganui-West Coast area. “Have you considered what another ewe to the acre would mean?" asked Mr. Tripe. Of the 1,700,000 acres ot land in the Wanganui-Waimarino area, 70 ner cent, was hill country land. In this area there were 2,250000 sheep, of which 1,600,000 were breeding ewes. Another ewe to the acre would mean another 1,000,000 ewes which would mean another 11,000,000 passing through Wanganui each year. “And a lot of that money would stay in Wanganui." said Mr. Tripe. The increased carrying capacity of the land would also assist in the problem of gorse clearing. “I think we are trying to put the cart before the horse In asking for aerial top-dressing and other forms of relief without first of all carrying out proper experiments.” said Mr. F. K. Pearce, who seconded the remit. The remit was carried unanimously. Mr. Tripe said the matter of establishing an experimental area for the Wanganui-West Coast area had been mentioned to Mr. Bruce Levy. He had replied that if the district was interested it should make representations to the secretary of. the Department of Agricllture.