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remedied as rapidly as possible. The system of certification that has been adopted should enable this to come about within a very few years, with immense benefit to New Zealand grassland-farming. In addition, as New Zealand is likely within a few years to be the only country producing appreciable quantities of true perennial, an extensive and lucrative export trade should be built up. It is recognized that the certification of the best crops in New Zealand is merely the first step in perennial rye-grass improvement. The next step, and one that is now well on the way, is the production of nucleus crops to later come under certification of culled true perennial rye, in which all the least valuable types have been eliminated; and behind this work again are the genetical studies that will lead to the production of actually pure strains. The first stage is the elimination of bad rye and its replacement by good rye ; the next stage is the supplying of specially culled material for certification ; and the final stage is the certification of genetically pure material. The method that is being adopted is somewhat dissimilar to that being carried out at many breeding-stations, the position being, to use an automobile phrase, that we have sufficiently good models to put on the market, and while this is being done the research necessary for their perfection can be carried out. White clover has not, as yet, quite reached the same stage as rye-grass. A system of certification of white-clover crops that have been established for more than five years has been put into operation, it being viewed that such seed is more likely to be of a permanent type than seed from younger fields. Trials at the station have shown that this argument is moderately sound. It, however, has also been proved at the station that white-clover types exist in certain parts of New Zealand that are in themselves of outstanding merit, and when sown, irrespective of what white-clover seed may be in the ground, will become dominant. This is of first importance, and at the present time the various types are being defined as in the case of rye-grass, and the best crops in New Zealand are being located, so that a certification on all-fours with that of rye-grass can be put into operation. Behind this the culling method, followed by the genetical method to provide nucleus lines, as is being done with, rye, is in operation. Red clover, again, is being dealt with ; but here the position is different to either rye or white clover. All New Zealand red is of the Board red, non-persistent type, and to secure good grazing reds recourse will have to be made to certain important types which it is hoped to certify to. With regard to cocksfoot the position, again, is different from any of the others. It has been clearly shown that ordinary imported types are not to be compared with local ones, but whether or not ■outstanding crops can be defined, as has been the case in rye and white, has not yet been determined, largely owing to the fact that field methods for testing superiority or otherwise have not as yet been devised. The lessons from the grass and clover strain work of the station so far have been—(1) That there are many outstanding pastures of perennial rye-grass in New Zealand the use of the seed from which would revolutionize grassland-farming in many parts of New Zealand : (2) There are many outstanding pastures of white clover in New Zealand : (3) The quickest way to get supplies of grazing red clovers is to make use of imported strains which are at present available : (4) Local cocksfoot is vastly superior to imported, but whether outstanding pastures of cocksfoot exist that can be put under a certification scheme such as is being adopted for rye-grass is not known. The Feeding of Pastures. Much valuable work is being done on the feeding of pastures with artificial manures, and the really important result that has come out is that fertilizer response and its payableness is very frequently linked with the strain of grass or clover that is being top-dressed. Where the strain is bad, top-dressing may not be at all payable, but on the same ground where the strain is good, highly payable yields will result. This question of strain in manurial trials has necessitated the laying-down at Marton of special pastures where the strain of the grass as well as the type of fertilizer is known. In this connection of strain to manurial response the value of nitrogen where the rye present is of a perennial type has been most marked. Sodium, Chlorate. Extensive testing of sodium chlorate has been carried out by field officers of the Fields Division, and it has been shown that spraying with this material is a practical remedy against ragwort-invasion. It will probably have a very wide significance in grassland-management, and can be viewed as one of the outstanding features of grassland-development during the year, Crop-certification of Annual Crops. Potatoes.—The certification work with regard to potatoes has been outstanding. Certified seed has shown a 4 tons per acre greater cropping-power than uncertified seed, due primarily to a reduction in virus infection. In the potato-work exactly the same system is being adopted as with rye-grassv Tested crops that come up to a certain standard of excellence are being certified to, and selection work and virus-disease study are being prosecuted to enable better material to be produced to later come under certification. Cereals.—The cereal-work of the Station in so far as wheat is concerned is closely linked up with the Wheat Research Institute. The main object of cereal-certification, apart from trueness to type, should be based on the absence of seed-borne disease ; but with regard to these, with the exception of smuts, just how disease-free crops can be produced is not known, and much laboratory and greenhouse controlled work is necessary before any definite leads can be given.

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