H.—29.

Field-work in Strain. t ield-work in connection with strain and species is now in progress at the following places: Puwera, Dargaville, Ngakuru, Katere, Stratford, Manaia. Marton, Feilding, Oroua Downs, Irwell, Amberley, Dunsandel, Winchmore, Hororata, Waimate, Caterhope, Gore, Waikaka, Tapanui, Winton, and Wanaka. Trials are also being conducted at several overseas stations. Reports on these by the instruction staff of the Fields Division have been submitted regularly, and the outstanding feature is the marked superiority of the true perennial (Hawke's Bay rye-grass type) on all soiltypes against the false perennial South Island and imported rye-grass types. Akaroa and Plains cocksfoot in all eases are superior to Danish. Montgomery Red is reported on in certain instances to be lasting better than Broad Red, but these red-clover trials, also the white-clover trials, are inconclusive to date. The rye-grass trials laid down at Lincoln Agricultural College were ploughed up owing to poor take throughout due to late autumn drought. Suppression op Annuals in Hawke's Bay and Poverty Bay Pastures. Manurial experiments on fourteen places in Hawke's Bay and on six in Poverty Bay were laid down last autumn to see if autumn recovery of rye-grass could be made sufficiently rapid to control re-establishment of annuals, particularly goose-grass, burr clover, suckling clover, and clustered clover. The prolonged drought experienced by these two districts nullified any results as far as rye-grass stimulation was concerned, and the pastures remained sufficiently open to permit of free re-establishment of seed of annuals shed. It would appear the only hope of elimination of annuals by building up fertility will be during periods of normal rainfall so as to carry into a drought period a sward containing no annuals. Regrassing Secondary-growth Country, Whangamomona. This work has been continued, and marked progress has been shown. Swards of brown-top, Danthonia pilosa, and Lotus major, as the dominant species, are helping considerably to hold that country and to bring it back. Hard fern still proves aggressive, however, but is slowed up greatly in spread by competition of °the above grass and clover species. Spraying with arsenic pentoxide is effective in complete eradication and control, but the economics and practicability of control by this method are doubtful. A sufficiently large area has now been cleaned up by spraying and burning to work out with a fair degree of accuracy the amount of work entailed in keeping this area clean of hard fern by spraying. The seed mixtures recommended as a result of regrassing trials are now adopted by practically all the settlers in the district, and have become part of the stock-in-trade of the Fields Instruction Service. It now remains to be seen how big a part strain will play in the major species now used i.e., brown-top, Danthonia pilosa, Lotus major, white clover, rye-grass, &c. Hawke s Bay rye-grass has been used in the last two years' sowings, and this season trials of strains of white clover have been make on a fairly large scale. New Zealand Wild White, New Zealand ordinary White, and Kentish Wild White have been used. Selection work in brown-top, Lotus major, Danthonia pilosa, and possibly Yorkshire fog, may have a big influence on the successful regrassing of this type of country. Field Certieication Work in Grasses and Clovers. Field inspections of rye-grass crops—first harvest and permanent-pasture seed ex Hawke's Bay—under the certification scheme were made in Marlborough, Canterbury, Otago, and Southland; also small number of crops in the Sandon district. The Hawke's Bay and Poverty Bay crops were inspected by the Instructors in charge of this work in the respective districts. Ecological Work. Detailed analyses in connection with field trials to determine composition of sward and changes that occur under differential treatment were carried out in Hawke's Bay and Poverty Bay and at Marton. Some sward analytical work was also done at Marton on behalf of Crop Experimentalist. Work on pasture analvsis technique has been attempted, particularly in the case of the point quadrat method, for determining composition of pasture association. Lawns. Several experiments have been conducted in regard to control of weeds in lawns. The lawn-sward consists of the desirable fine-leaved grasses and a ground-floor assemblage of weeds. The ecological conditions set up m a lawn favour weeds rather than grass. As a result, a strong ground-floor competition of weeds arises and prevents effectively the tillering and spread of the grass. The object of these experiments is to destroy by weed poison .this ground-floor competition and then to give to the sward as near as possible optimum conditions for the two major lawn-grass—brown-top and Chewings fescue—to thrive. Considerable success m control of weeds has resulted by the use of arsenic pentoxide. An article setting out details of this treatment is in course of preparation for the Journal of Agriculture. Mr. William Davies, oil loan from Aberystwyth, proved a tower of strength in the initiation and carrying-on of the strain work of the Station. His extended term in New Zealand expired at the end of January, when he returned to Aberystwyth, with the good will of all associated with him. His place as a strain ecologist will be difficult to fill. During his stay m New Zealand no pure genetical work was attempted, due largelv to the more immediate practical needs of the strain-ecological side. FIELD EXPERIMENTS SECTION. A. W. Hudson, Crop Experimentalist. ,n,n The n T, ber 0f ex P eriments beilJ g cal ™d is 650. The number for the corresponding date in ? WaS 7 f' The reduotioll m number is chiefly due to the following : (a) A reduction in the number of observational pasture top-dressing experiments in Canterbury. These experiments have served their chief purpose, which was to carry out a manure-response survey, and. only a limited number will be continued with the chief object of observing the duration of lime effect. (b) A reduction in the number of experiments on annual crops in the South Island. The present financial position has caused a reduction in this work (c) the reduction in the number of grazing trials to determine the effect of applying nitrogen to dairying pastures Most of these have served their purpose, but a limited number are being continued to determine the effect of the more or less continued use of nitrogen.

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