1921.] 



Field Rogueeng of English Peas. 



1167 



It should be noted that in furtherance of the policy of practical 

 teaching and the preparation of the trainees for the actualities 

 of life after leaving the Centre, many appliances used at the 

 Centre are hand-made. The trainees make their own poultry 

 houses and appliances of various description, and when they have 

 completed appliances for which there is no immediate use at the 

 Centre they find invariably that there is a ready market for them 

 outside. The duration cf the course of training is one year. 

 It might be mentioned that the very thriving pigs kept 

 at the Station are fed entirely on kitchen waste and small 

 potatoes : and they are yielding first-class pork to the trainees at 

 a cost that would make the average housewife very envious. 

 ****** 



The abnormal conditions of labour and marketing during 

 the war have had unfortunate results upon many crops in this 

 Field Ro uein couruT y^ but it seems likely that none has 



£ «. ? _ suffered as great a measure of deterioration 

 of English Peas. ^ « 



° as the English field pea. 



Prior to the War it enjoyed a greater reputation and com- 

 manded a higher price than any other variety. At the present 

 time, however, the position is reversed; large quantities of 

 Tasmanian, Japanese and Dutch peas are being imported and 

 find a ready sale owing to their superior appearance, while the 

 English stocks have become badly mixed, not only with purple- 

 flowered varieties but with several types of green pea. 



There is a three-fold reason for this deterioration. Firstly, 

 the scarcity of labour for the land resulted in defective cultiva- 

 tion; secondly, the shortage of food-supply made it possible to 

 find a ready market even for inferior qualities; and thirdly, the 

 practice adopted by too many farmers of sowing their own 

 home-saved, and degenerated stock for two or three seasons in 

 succession. 



The labour shortage, has now T lessened; purchasers are 

 refusing to buy inferior goods at high prices, and there are 

 still good supplies of properly " rogued " seed in the country. 

 The remedy is in the hands of the farmer and contractor, and 

 it is for them to say w r hether this branch of agriculture shall 

 regain its old position of ascendancy, or be ultimately driven 

 from the field by its foreign rivals. 



Special knowledge and experience are necessary for seed- 

 raising. The inexperienced grower would probably be best 

 advised to grow on contract, and follow closely the instructions 

 of the expert. The present position of the industry gives yet 



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