Published on Tuesday, 9 August 2022 at 4:37:42 PM
Local Agricultural Leaders by Lorin Cox
During the 1920’s many agricultural trials were well underway with testing sites located throughout the Midwest and Wheatbelt. These images taken at Chapman Research Station just north of Nabawa show the crowd gathered presumably for the Chapman Farm Annual Field Day and test crops, one labelled “fungicide test rows”. On the 28 September 1926 the Geraldton Guardian reported that the Minister of Agriculture; Mr M. F. Troy was pleased with the turn-out at the Chapman Farm Field Day as it demonstrated a confidence from the industry in the work being carried out at the experimental farms. The same article detailed the following in regard to the Chapman Farm. “In addition to the field experiments there were five acres of test plots, which included hundreds of varieties of wheat, and several varieties of oats and lupins, all of which were planted and otherwise dealt with by hand…It was probably unknown to some people that the most favoured wheat in Western Australia, Nabawa, was bred and developed on that farm…In addition there were the variety trials with oats, smut resistance wheat, fungicide and cross breeding experiments.” The article went on to state that farmers were appreciative and were utilising findings to their advantage.
P 12122: Chapman Research Station, presumably taken during the Chapman Farm Field Day, approximately 1925, courtesy John Stokes.
P 12123: Test fields, Chapman Research Station, 448 Nabawa-Northampton Road, Nabawa, approximately 1925, courtesy John Stokes.
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