asked the Minister for Agriculture if, in view of the greatly increased demand for soil testing by the agricultural community, he will again recognise and take advantage of the facilities for soil analysis available at the four sugar factories where it is possible to carry out 6,000 tests per week and where tare houses, chemists and research soil experts can be availed of for this purpose.
Ceisteanna — Questions. Oral Answers. - Soil Testing Facilities.
asked the Minister for Agriculture if his attention has been drawn to a Press report of a statement by Deputy James Dillon to the effect that when the inter-Party Government went into office the whole soil testing resources of the Twenty-Six Counties consisted of one man and a boy in a back room of Ballyhaise Agricultural College; whether he will state if numerous soil tests were being carried out by the Irish Sugar Company at that time and continued to be so until 1949; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Mr. Walsh
With your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions Nos. 50 and 51 together.
I have seen the report referred to by the Deputy. The fact is that the equipment required for the provision of a full soil-testing service had been ordered by my Department as far back as September, 1946. The supply position at that time of post-war shortages was difficult and delivery was greatly delayed. In the circumstances a certain amount of improvisation was necessary.
Comhlucht Siúicre Éireann informed my Department in July, 1948, that they had built up an organisation for handling the sampling and analysis of soils and offered to test soil samples on a fee basis. This offer, which was repeated in 1949, was declined, since it was felt that a central soil-testing organisation administered by my Department would be a more satisfactory arrangement.
As I indicated in my reply to a question by Deputy Palmer on 11th February, the facilities of my Department's soil laboratory are being extended to keep pace with the growing demand for soil testing.
If the soil-testing facilities at the four sugar factories are such as the Deputy suggests, I think it would be a good idea if they were utilised to a greater extent and if the soil samples, or some of them, at present being sent by the agricultural advisers of Comhlucht Siúicre Éireann to my Department's soil laboratory were sent instead to the laboratories at these factories.
Could the Minister state whether there was any soil-testing scheme in this country in 1946, 1947 and 1948?
Mr. Walsh
The sugar company built up an organisation in 1946 and as far as I am aware it was soil-testing.
Could the Minister say in what particular year the Fianna Fáil Government found out that soil analysis was of importance and that ground limestone was useful?
Mr. Walsh
As far back as 1942 the introduction of soil sampling took place in this country.
It took them ten years from 1932 to 1942 to find it out.
It took Deputy Dillon only ten minutes to tell the lie.
Can the Minister state if he is aware that the Fianna Fáil Government refused and withdrew the subsidy for ground limestone in 1949?
There is nothing about ground limestone in the question.
That is right.