Seventh International Congress in New Zealand

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 94, Issue 1, 15 January 1957, Page 2

Seventh International Congress in New Zealand

“Auspicious Grassland Occasion”

THE Seventh International Grassland Congress held at Massey Agricultural College, Palmerston North, from 6 to 15 November, 1956, was attended by about 300 participants representing 36 countries. It was the first time the congress had been held in the Southern Hemisphere and only the second congress to have been held outside Europe. The congress comprised 13 continuous sessions at each of which 4 papers were presented. Sir Bruce Levy, chairman of the New Zealand organising committee of the congress, was elected president of the congress on the motion of Dr. William Davies, leader of the United Kingdom delegation, seconded by Dr. R. E. Wagner, of the United States delegation. OPENING CEREMONIES

“ r T’HIS congress is greatly honoured A by the presence of his Excellency the Governor-General of New Zealand, Sir Willoughby Norrie, and Lady Norrie and is highly appreciative that his Excellency deemed this occasion of sufficient national and international importance to agree to give the official opening address,” said Sir Bruce Levy in asking Sir Willoughby to open the congress at a colourful ceremony at the Opera House, Palmerston North. Represented in the official party were the New Zealand Government, the Palmerston North City Council, the New Zealand Grassland Association, Massey Agricultural College, the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, the University of New Zealand, the Royal Agricultural Society of New Zealand, and Federated Farmers of New Zealand. “We are particularly - pleased that the Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. S. G.

Holland, who has such heavy responsibilities to bear, should have come here tonight in spite of the anxieties of the world situation,” said Sir Willoughby. “This confirms the great importance our Government places on the congress. We in New Zealand are delighted and very proud to have you here.” The large number of scientists from the many countries represented proved the tremendous interest taken in grasslands, and the holding of the congress in Palmerston North was a well-deserved compliment to the Manawatu and New Zealand as a whole. “You scientists are continually making discoveries and sharing your increased knowledge to the benefit of mankind. Here I would like to pay a tribute to the great service rendered to this country by Sir Bruce Levy, who has carried on and extended the work of Mr. A. H. Cockayne. It is

good to know that their work is known and appreciated throughout the world. “One of the many fine qualities possessed by the New Zealand farmer is that he has the good judgment and sense to listen to and to put to good use the findings of our scientists.” New Zealand’s natural advantages in soil and pastures were referred to by Sir Willoughby, who said he had been very much impressed by the work he had seen at research centres throughout New Zealand. The work on trace elements had shown how a few ounces of copper, molybdenum, or cobalt could in some areas transform bad land into good, and the striking evidence of the success of this development around Rotorua and in the far north made it hard to believe that only 7 years ago the many thousands of acres now in good pastures there were covered with stunted scrub. ' “We are fortunate here,” he said, “in enjoying a wonderful climate and a prolific rainfall. That certainly has helped us and continues to help us.

In this country we live by grass and if we can increase its growth on the farm we increase, our national prosperity. “I know that some of the grassland methods we use in New Zealand are not applicable to all countries, but the principles propounded by Mr. Cockayne and expanded by Sir Bruce Levy can, I suggest, be applied anywhere. I would imagine that the primary ones are, first, to build up the fertility, of the soil; secondly, to select and improve the pasture plants most useful in turning that fertility to good account; and then to have a policy of utilisation that will give the best returns.” The history of the use of natural grassland through the ages, said Sir Willoughby, was essentially one of exploitation, under which there was no science and little art, with the result that grassland was almost always

struggling, and often failing, to survive. Associated with the consequent deterioration was a steady increase in the world’s population of people and grazing animals. In more recent years there had been a realisation that grassland warranted some consideration if it were to survive and produce. Out of this had come the science of grassland farming, a science that was one of the youngest. “Swift said that whoever could make two blades of grass grow where only one grew before ‘would deserve better of mankind and do more essential service to his country than the whole race of politicians put together’. But I wonder what . Swift would have said of those people who can now produce several blades of grass instead of one, and, moreover, blades of much better quality.”, * Grassland science had made great strides in many parts of the world, but the desert and semi-desert areas, the extremely cold areas, and the vast areas of good but unimproved natural grassland still stood as a challenge to the scientist whose concern was their improvement. It had to be remembered, too, that science itself would not improve grassland. The results of the scientists’ work had to be carried to those practising the art. of grassland farming. Grassland progress throughout the world depended partly on the scientist and partly on the adviser, but very largely on the practitioner, concluded his Excellency, in wishing those from overseas a happy and pro-

fitable time in New Zealand and trusting that their deliberations would be crowned with success. Prime Minister's Welcome The importance the Government attached to the congress was expressed by the Prime Minister, Mr. Holland, who said. he wished to acknowledge the debt people of town and country owed to science for the expansion in primary production that had made possible the expansion of manufacturing industry in New Zealand. If people did not realise the value of grass there would be no progress, but because of the care taken of grassland New Zealand could look forward with confidence. Great progress had been made in the past century. Manufacturing had expanded and all the materials imported were paid for from the proceeds of exports which came almost entirely from the farmers. Last year production from grass-fed animals was worth £320 million. “If we stop growing grass on the land, the grass Will be growing in the streets, but there is no danger of that,” said Mr. Holland. Much of the land that had been out of bounds to wheeled implements, yet was rich in prospects, had been brought into use by . engineers who had designed special equipment to load and spread fertiliser from aircraft. In the last 55 years, said Mr. Holland, the area in pasture had increased by 7 per cent., but its carrying capacity had increased by 90 per cent, for dairy

cattle and 75 per cent, for sheep. In 1949-55 the cattle -population had increased by 1,000,000 and the sheep population by more than 7,000,000. Science had been a great influence in attainment of these increases, he said, but one should not forget the hard-working farmers and their wives of earlier times who had none of the modern equipment to help them and yet had done so much. New Zealand Grassland Association . A welcome on behalf of the New Zealand Grassland Association, which the Government had nominated as the host for the congress, was extended by Professor J. W. Calder, president of the association. A great honour had been conferred on New Zealand in 1952 when the Sixth Congress had selected this country as the venue of the 1956 congress, he said. The New Zealand association was formed in 1931 with, as its first president, Mr. A. H. Cockayne, who 40 years ago had pioneered the thinking and research work on grassland. Chairman's Address Sir Bruce Levy referred to the deep honour it was to him as chairman to represent the organising committee on

such an auspicious grassland occasion and to welcome so many of the world’s leading lights on grassland lore and fame. The New Zealand Government had liberally financed the congress, placed its specialist staffs and facilities at the disposal of the organising and working committees, and generously named the New Zealand Grassland Association as host body. Major sections of the farming industry had contributed liberal monetary grants as a token of what world grassland research has meant to the farming industry of New Zealand. “Aesthetically we could not

have done better than accept the magnificent setting and facilities of Massey Agricultural College granted by the University of New Zealand for our deliberations,” he said. International organisations frequently arose from the inspirations of one or a few, said Sir Bruce, in tracing the rise of the International Grassland Congress. Four men in Europe visited one another in rotation in different countries to discuss grassland problems and techniques in pasture experimentation. In 1927 two of these,. Dr. A. Elofson of Uppsala, . Sweden, and Professor A. Falke of

Leipzig, Germany, took the initiative and the First Grassland Congress was held that year at Leipzig. In 1934 at the Third Grassland Congress in Switzerland it was decided to widen the scope of the congress to an international basis, the Fourth Grassland Congress in Britain in 1937 being truly international in character.

It must be a source of great delight to Dr. Elofson and maybe to the late Professor Falke, said Sir Bruce, to see their initial efforts at grassland cooperation spread to this land at the uttermost outpost of the earth. “From U.S.A., the seat of the Sixth International Grassland Congress, greetings were sent to Dr. Elofson, and perhaps this congress will not forget its still living founder and Dr. F. T. Wahlen of Zurich, who, with his Swiss colleagues, did much to raise the European Grassland Congress to international status.

“We are gathered here at head of nation level, at head of State level, at University level, at the highest agricultural level, and at world scientific level to honour world grasslands themselves, and this is not too great an honour to bestow upon the grasslands of the world. They stand ’twixt a world of plenty and a world of famine; between a land surface of green oases and a land of desert; between surface soil stability and accelerated erosion,” said Sir Bruce.

It had taken two major wars to show man’s dependence on agriculture and to place the science and practice of food production on a plane equal in importance to mechanical industry, the professions, and other equally honourable and important walks of life. Food production came

nigh to being the limiting factor in human progress. It was a major duty of such an exalted gathering to see that the food supply of the world more than keeps pace with the human demand or on a plane equal and fair to all humanity. “Many of you have come a long way to attend this congress and to see our grasslands and scientific institutions related to research in grasslands and in the conversion of grass to animal products,” continued Sir Bruce. “It

may be unkind, perhaps unfair, to some of you from hard ecological climates and habitats to view the New Zealand pasture scene, but we would like to think there are at least some fundamental principles in the production and utilisation of grass that will be of very great interest if not of very great benefit to you.” The whole of our grassland fabric was based, said Sir Bruce, on the simple symbiotic phenomenon that stock needs grass and grass needs stock. In the absence or sparseness of each both the grass and the stock were poor, but in the abundance of both, grass and stock thrived. “I would not hestitate to say New Zealand provides a clearer picture of the interdependence of minerals, clovers, grasses, and stock than any other country of the world. If you get this symbiotic relationship well into your system I have no hesitation in saying you will have gained something to help pattern your own grassland economy on a sound ecological basis. You cannot take our climate with you, but you can take lessons that a favourable grassland climate reveals and how that symbiosis of climate, minerals, clovers, grasses, and stock works and co-operates. “In the best of our tussock grasslands you may see a vegetation delicately poised in equilibrium with its harder environment and you may see the disastrous. results of pressing that unstable association too far. You may see just how far these areas may be improved and rendered more stable and more attuned to the grazing animal, and in this also there may be

lessons of value to the harder habitat areas of the .world. “You will be interested to study the land form of New Zealand and no doubt there will be many prophecies of disaster. You will perhaps see evidences of former periods of accelerated erosion in our hill complex of ridges and gullies, and in the riverbuilt plains, with rivers that have in the past transported large quantities of soil and rock to build those river plains. It will be interesting to get your confirmation or doubts and misgivings that this surface veneer of turf and its roots will prove adequate to ward off a renewed cycle of accelerated erosion now that the forest is gone. You may even go back assured that just so long as the grass turf is architecturally constructed and efficiently graze-managed it will prove adequate to preserve the land surface for all time.”

There might be some techniques in the researches, some genes in the stud clovers, stud grasses, and even stud stock of this favoured land, said Sir Bruce, that might aid at least certain countries just a little hard in climate to give greater growth vigour and production than their European prototypes growing in a climate too hard to allow new genes to develop and express themselves. “I feel confident, however,” Sir Bruce concluded, “of a few things you will enjoy here. You will enjoy many of our transitions from forest, fern, and scrub to grass. You will wonder at and acclaim the masses of stock our improved grasslands can support. You will see our many further potentialities. You will feel the kindly warmth

of our sunshine and perhaps expertence the gentle rains that are the life stream of the turf. In addition you

may feel the warmth of our hospitality and the regard New Zealand has for all nations on the earth.”

Grassland Workers Honoured

“The Senate of the University of New Zealand wishes to honour world grasslands by conferring honour on one who has spent his lifetime in a wide international field,” said the chairman, Sir Bruce Levy, in introducing the Chancellor of the Senate (Sir David Smith) at the official opening of the congress during which Dr. William Davies, Director of the British Grasslands Research Institute, Hurley, Berkshire, was presented by the ViceChancellor, Dr. G. A. Currie, for the degree of Doctor of Science honoris causa. “We are proud to be able to extend an honour to a fellow-member of the British Commonwealth,” said Dr. Currie in his laureation address, “although at this international gathering we emphasise more the international character of science and take pride in the fact that the sciences underlying greater production in agriculture, to which all the members of the congress are dedicated, give service to all mankind.” From 1923 to 1928 Dr. Davies was at the Welsh Plant Breeding Station, Aberystwyth. From 1929 to 1931 he was at the Grasslands Research Station at Palmerston North. From 1931 to 1933 as Empire grassland investigator for the Empire Marketing Board he carried out extensive grassland investigations abroad. From 1933 to 1940 he was again at Aberystwyth. From 1940 to 1945 he was Assistant Director of the Grassland Improvement Station, England, and in 1946 took up his present position of Director at Hurley.

Dr. Davies, Sir Bruce Levy, and Mr. A. H. Cockayne had conferred on them at the same ceremony the highest honours of the Royal Agricultural Society of New Zealand, the bronze medallion and honorary life membership, presentation of the medals and scrolls being made by the GovernorGeneral, Sir Willoughby Norrie. Mr. L. J. Wild, Chancellor of the University and acting for the president of the society, referred to the three men as standing out above all others in service to agriculture. “Cockayne first ploughed the ground and worked the soil. Davies and Levy sowed the seed and watered the growing crop.” It was for his early researches and encouragement given to young workers that the society wished to honour Mr. Cockayne, the distinguished son of a distinguished father (the late Dr. Leonard Cockayne). Mr. Cockayne was among the first, if not the first, to recognise grass as a crop and was the. founder of grassland science in New Zealand. Sir Bruce . Levy was reared on a farm and had spent his whole life with farmers. He had almost bludgeoned the farming community, to its own great gain, into adopting his principles, said Mr. Wild. In acknowledging the honours, Mr. Cockayne said, “All three of us feel that it is honouring the grasslands of New Zealand—the pastures, the livestock, and the grassland farmers on whom New Zealand’s prosperity dependsand will also act as an incentive to young workers in the field.”

1960 Congress in United Kingdom

The invitation to hold the Eighth International Grassland Congress in 1960 in the United Kingdom was accepted at a business session of the Seventh Congress. Dr. William Davies, leader of the United Kingdom delegation, said that the United Kingdom Government was not only prepared to hold the congress, but would put all its resources at the disposal of the organisation. His invitation had the official backing of the British Grassland Association and the Society for Animal Production. The ViceChancellor of Reading University had offered all facilities and he was sure other universities throughout Britain would do the same. As Director of the Grassland Research Institute at Hurley he was sure of the co-operation of fellow-directors .of other research institutions. The belief that the United States would heartily support the nomination of the United Kingdom was expressed by Dr. W. M. Myers, leader of the United States delegation to the congress. It was 23 years since the congress had been held in Britain, whose grassland research workers were acknowledged leaders. Professor C. M. Donald (Australia) said Australian workers were looking forward to the next occasion when the congress could be held in the Southern Hemisphere, but he supported the nomination of Great Britain as the next venue.

A plea for tropical grassland to receive more consideration from the congress was made by Mr. M. S. Motta (Jamaica). “We in the tropics feel that we have somehow been left out,” he said. The grassland potentialities of the tropics were tremendous and his Government would be very glad to have the congress there in 1964. Tremendous soil erosion had upset the economy of the country, but there was an upsurge and drive in the tropics to introduce grass as a permanent crop and to integrate soil, animals, grass, and crops. A build-up of interest in grassland problems was wanted to bring the land back to production. That the Eighth Congress (in 1960) should consider holding the Ninth Congress 4 years later in South America was suggested by Professor J. Grossman (Brazil). South America was a huge continent fairly unknown to other peoples and Brazil was the largest nation there, with a wide variety of ecological conditions. Brazil had the potential to increase livestock production many times over. Visitors would not see as much or as good research work as in New Zealand, as pastoral development was very recent in Brazil, but the Brazilian Government and farmers’ organisations would consider it a special privilege to be hosts to the congress. In supporting the holding of the Ninth Congress in Latin America Mr. R. A. Peterson (representing the Interamerican Institute of Agricultural

Sciences) said that pastoral farming and animal production were key industries in Latin America, where the holding of the congress would furnish an impulse to grassland improvement. The encouragement that the holding of the Ninth Congress in India would give to the tackling of the huge grassland problems in that country was mentioned by the Indian delegate, Mr. P. M. Dabadghao, in presenting his

country for consideration by the next congress as the venue of the 1964 congress. Special Tropical Conferences Some definite action by the congress in regard to the problems of tropical countries was urged by Dr. J. P. Botha (South Africa). Scientists concerned with tropical and sub-tropical grasslands should be afforded some better opportunity of meeting to discuss their peculiar problems, he said. He was supported by Mr. K. B. Addison (Southern Rhodesia) and Dr. William Davies (U.K.) and a resolution asking the Food and Agriculture Organization of United Nations to investigate the possibility of holding biennial tropical and sub-tropical conferences was carried. Permanent Secretariat An interim committee comprising Dr. T. M. Stevenson (Canada), Dr. A. Jantti (Finland), and Dr. W. M. Myers (U.S.A.) was set up to investigate and report to the Eighth Congress on the desirability of establishing a permanent secretariat to give continuity to the activities of the organisation. Lists and Exchange of Plant Varieties A resolution was carried asking that FAO give special attention to compiling up-to-date lists of plant varieties, facilitate the international exchange of plant material, and establish centres where such material could be studied. It was moved by Professor C. M. Donald (Australia) and supported by Dr. R. O. Whyte (FAO).

"Proceedings of Congress"

THE programme of the congress • with titles of papers and names of speakers was published in the October "Journal". The "Proceedings" to be published will include discussions on papers and reports and other information relevant to the congress. Orders for copies of the "Proceedings" other than those issued to participants should be placed early with the Organising Secretary, Seventh International Grassland Congress, Box 1500, Wellington, New Zealand.

—G.J.N.