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2. Cereal Crops. (a) Wheat Manuring.—ln the spring of 1937 several wheat crops exhibited the stunted and yellow condition which is usually associated with nitrogen starvation. On five of these, experiments were located to investigate the eflect of applying 1 cwt. sulphate of ammonia. The average increase in yield brought about by this treatment was 5| bushels per acre. Two experiments were laid down to ascertain the effect of increasing superphosphate applications from 1 cwt. to 2 cwt. on lined land, but in neither instance did the greater quantity give any significant increase in yield over 1 cwt. super. (b) Wheat Varieties.—Nineteen experiments with wheat varieties were carried out in collaboration with the Wheat Research Institute, but exceptionally dry conditions and other causes accounted for the abandonment of several before harvesting. The work was mainly concentrated on trying out in various districts some of the crossbred wheats evolved by the Wheat Research Institute. (c) Oat Varieties. —In experiments conducted in the South Island during the past season the variety known as " Resistance " continued to show its superiority in yield of grain and chaff over other varieties, which included Algerian, Abundance, Black Supreme, Markton, and Huskless. (■d) Barley Variety and Manuring Trials.—Comparisons between the different varieties of barley under experimental conditions had not received attention until last season. Twelve experiments with varieties of barley, some of them combining varieties with differential manuring, were carried out. No striking differences were secured between the varieties in yield, but the malting-quality of the grain from the plots has yet to be determined. The use of superphosphate produced some outstanding increases in yield and in one experiment in Central Otago 1 cwt. super almost doubled the yield of the crop. (e) Potato Manuring. —Ten experiments on potato manuring are being carried out in the South Island. These are designed to investigate the responses to phosphate, potash, and nitrogen, while some of them include treatments based on the new theory of potato manuring advanced by Truffaut in France. (/) Turnip Varieties : Manuring and Disease-control.—Six experiments on the manuring of turnips have been laid down in the South Island. Variety trials have been established to obtain some information on palatability, together with the physical and chemical properties of different varieties. Various strains of club-root-resistant varieties are being tried out on land likely to be infected with the disease. The investigation into the effect of borax on brown-heart of swedes is being continued, and efforts are being made to find a suitable method of applying borax with fertilizer and seed without causing germination injury. The appearance on the market of two proprietary remedies for club-root have necessitated trials being carried out with these materials. Where clubroot has been present neither of them have succeeded in controlling the disease, and as several tons of the so-called remedies have been sold to farmers in Otago and Southland it is probable that much disappointment will be experienced from the results secured. Farmers should be warned against using any specific for disease-control which has not been tried out experimentally. (g) Sugar-beet Experiments.—Further trials are being conducted in the South Island and in Hawke's Bay to investigate the yields of sugar beet and approximate costs of production under New Zealand conditions. 3. Miscellaneous. (a) Pampas-grass.—Continued observations have been made on many farmers' crops of pampasgrass, as well as on two experimental areas. Success with this species has been obtained on several farms in the North Island, whereas in the South Island only a few plants have generally survived after planting. Pampas-grass may prove particularly useful for wintering cattle on hill country on which the growing of normal supplementary crops is difficult, and several further experiments to investigate its possibilities in this direction are contemplated. (b) Ragwort-eradication.—Problems associated with the control of ragwort are still receiving much attention at Ruakura and in the surrounding district. Much information concerning the life-history of the plant is being gained, while the treatment of the weed by chemical methods is under investigation in a large number of experiments. (c) Pig-feeding Experiments.—During the past season valuable information regarding the feeding of pigs has been secured in the experiments at Ruakura Farm. Most of the results have been published in the New Zealand Journal of Agriculture and other periodicals. (d) Other Trials— Experiments with maize, soya beans, linseed flax, lucerne, and onions are among the many miscellaneous experiments being carried out. Seed Certification. The certification of seeds has continued to be a prominent activity of the Fields Division during the past twelve months. The ready reception in the seed trade and the farming community of any seeds carrying the hall-mark of the Government's seed-certification scheme is ample evidence of the value of such a scheme to those interested in the sale and use of high-quality seeds. The operations relative to seed-certification have proceeded along lines closely similar to those adopted in the previous year, it having been considered unnecessary to introduce any material alterations in the general procedure being adopted. Similarly, the scheme has not been extended to include any further crops, though the possibility of development in this direction is at present under consideration.

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