Though crested dogstail is of great value under certain conditions of farm management and on particular types of soil, it is one of the Cinderella grasses as far as research and improvement go.
The course of external prices has been one of the chief economic influences affecting our cotintry.
At this the first representative conference meeting of the New Zealand Grassland Association it is fitting that a good deal of attention should be directed in a general way to the major problems in the advancement of grass-farming whether our interests lie in the direction of research, of education, or of practice.
I think you realise that I will be able to give only the merest sketch of a subject of such dimensions as "Grassland Work Overseas". A good deal of it has already been touched upon by Dr Hilgendorf, who has dealt with some of the Overseas Work on Ryegrass selection, so I will just try and bring forward some of the points I think may bear on other phases of grassland work being carried on in New Zealand. After all, we have to recognise that grass is one of the most important factors in human existence, Somebody once said - "After air, light and water, the next most important thing is grass". We know it exists in all lands to some extent, but there is no country in the World so dependent on grass as New Zealand.
The, felling, burning and grassing of- some 11,OOO,OOO acres of bush-clad hill country in New Zealand has for a number of years provided grazing for a large population of sheep, more particularly in the North Island
In these remarks I propose to touch briefly on the present position in regard to grass and clover seed export generally and to comment on those factors which appear to me as influencing in no small degree the potentialities of the seed export trade of this Dominion
Only twenty minutes is allowed for this paper, I propose to confine my attention to the wholesale export trade only.
Everyone in this room knows the difficulties associated with fertiliser trials of all descriptions.
It is not my intention to present a lengthy paper on the aspect of grassland rarming which I have chosen.
Nearly every country has the chance to produce certain goods and services under more favnurable conditions than its rival countries enjoy.
Investigations on bush-sickness reported in Bull, 32 of the N,Z, Department of Scientific & Industrial Research showed that an ailment among sheep at Glenhope, Nelson, resembled closely typical "bush-sickness," The sheep were anaemic and chemical analysis of blood samples showed great deficiencies of total solids and of iron
Kew Zealand has a world wide reputation for being an ideal grass country on account of the benign conditions of its soil and climate.
The final test of the usefulness of the labours of grassland workers is not the knowledge which is acquired by those workers but the extent to which that knowledge is applied in practice.
Breeding, feeding and management are prime factors in animal husbandry and the same basic principles are rapidly assuming like significance in grassland development.
The object of this paper is to show on a financial basis the relation between poor pastures, good pastures, and mixed farming (including good pastures).
The purpose of this paper may be defined as an attempt at an economic consideration of the present and future course of sheep and cattle farming in the Dominion, in the light of the various factors influencing these sections of our farming industry, and. at the same time an examination of what course of grassland investigations is best designed to fit in with the sound development of these two branches of farming.
The development of grassland dairying in New Zealand has resulted from the potential ability of large tracts of country to carry pastures of a milk producing type throughout the whole year.
Mr. Hadfield has pointed out that with regard to New Zealand certified ryegrass we have reached a point after four years work when we as a body of agricultural advisers do not know whether to carry on and increase the production of that seed suck ‘a position, I claim, is intolerable as a climax to the development of in trade in certified seeds, The question is, how best can we extend our markets and open up new outlets for New Zealand certified seeds?
The object of this paper is not to present the results of original research work but to introduce for discussion a subject of no mean immediate importance and one which is not unlikely to command earnest consideration in the early future.
Perhaps one of the most important of recent developments in pasture improvement has been the realisation by scientific and educational workers cf the economic value of regional strains.
Before discussing the real subject matter of this paper I should like to draw your attention to one essential difference between the majority of our "annual" crops and pastures and the influence of this difference on the results of experiments which may be conducted on them.
The trial from which these results were obtained was sown in February 1930.
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