LAND, STOCK & CROPS

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 50, Issue 124, 7 March 1930, Page 7

LAND, STOCK & CROPS

NOTES AND COMMENTS. (By “The Tramp.”) The method of harvesting Tuscan wheat in one operation under New Zealand conditions is up accomplished fact achieved through the use of the ingenious, time-saving, labour-saving, money-saving apparatus known as the header harvester. This machine has made its appearance on a large number of farms in the County, and owners and users are enthusiastic* regarding their qualities. A County farmer, Mi* A. Amgs, of Wakanui, purchased a header harvester two seasons ago, and 48 hours after the cessation of a three weeks spell of rain ho used it to cut 31 acies of Tuscan. The sample was excellent and the threshing clean, but the question of the ability of the gram to retain its condition without heating in tTie bags was the biggest problem. After four months the whole of Ins wheat was delivered, and although each bag was carefully tested, the bags of headed wheat could not be detected from the wheat threshed m the ordinary way, and the whole line was passed as f.a.q.. milling. That experiment proved that it was possible to head New Zealand Tuscan even under adverse weather conditions. In much the same way, the pea -harvester is coming into its own. Heading, it has been proved by test, does not affect the moisture content adversely. Already this season over 2000 acres of wheat and oats have been harvested by means of the header machines. The reduction in the cost of harvesting with the header system over the ordinary system have been worked out by a vealiable authority, as follow; Cost of harvesting one acre (31| bushels crop), as given m the Wheat Grower,” December last; Reaping.os 6d, stocking 3s, time 2s 6d stacking 9s 6d, threshing (6d a bushel) los 9d ; total 36s 3d, equal to Is lid a bushel. ' Cost of “heading” into the hag, one acre (30 bushels crop), with header machine;—Tractor fuel, using two gallons an hour and heading two acres an hour, per acre Is 3d, oil and grease for tractor and header 6d, wages of three men and keep 3s 9d, maiutencine© and repairs Is ] total 6s 6d, equal to 2ld a bushel. . These figures omit and interest but this coukl hardly lie more than, 6i-d a bushel.

Referring to the wool sale fiasco in Wellington, a writer says:— The disorganisation of trade due to a sale not taking place will be very considerable. Assuming that the offering had been cleared at an average of £l4 a bale, the wool cheques sent out oil “prompt” date, March 6, would have totalled over '£208,600. Now, not only will this very considerable sum be not circulated early next month, but many businesses connected with the handling of wool will be affected. Not the least serious result in this respect will be the effect on shipping. Ship owners will have arranged their loading itineraries for shins to lift the wool, and it will probably mean that a number of ships, to keep their timetable dates, will have to sail with unfilled space. The repercussion of the fiasco will be widely felt. The opinion has been expressed in more than one quarter that growers would benefit materially if thev shipped their hold-up wool direct to London for sale. 'During the time the wool was in transit there was the oossibility of an improvement in the London market. In any case, in view of the present exchange position, the grower would reap the benefit of the premium in the buying rate New Zealand on London, and the banks and financial houses would be glad to help growers to ship to London by making liberal advances on their wool. There are many features about woolgrowing and marketing in the Argentine (writes the Bradford correspondent of the “Economist,”) which distinguished it from the same enterprise in Australia and New Zealand. The Australasian wool 'season runs between July 1 of one year and June 30 of the next, whereas the Argentine season finishes on September 30, all the “annual” statistics of wool exports being compiled in accordance with this seasonal requirement. During the past 10 years shipments of wool from the Argentine have fluctuated considerably, but the total for 1928-29 was 37,000 bales more than in 1919-20. In the latter period the quantity exported was 305,524 bales, this being approximately equivalent to 302.468,7601 b. The following shows Argentine shipments during the past 10 years:—

Bales.. Bales. 1919- .. 305,524 1924-25 .. 257,795 1920- .. 313,714 1925-26 .. 344,385 1921- .. 476,217 1926-27 .. 351,603 1922- .. 365,683 1927-28 .. 322,769 1923- .. 294,866 1928-29 .. 342,769 Argentine wool is mostly crossbred, the chief selling centre being Buenos Aires, to which clips are brought from the countrv. For many years Bradford users have been interested' in B.A. crossbreds, and have always had keen competitors in the Continent and the United States, the former being the largest buvers. Last season Germany and the United States dominated the scene, but the financial crisis in those two countries has had disastrous consequences, and this time buyers on Bradford. account have been able to operate at reasonable prices. The part played bv Britain and other countries in purchasing Argentine wool during recent vears is shown below:— 1925-26 1926-27 1927-28 1928-29 ' Bales. Bales. Bales. Bales. U.K. 69,632 79,182 63,808 62,554 Cent. 227,247 234,585 226,206 231.978 U.S.A. 40,627 30,261 23,083 39,740 Various 6,879 7,575 9,640 8,497 Total 344,385 351,603 322,737 342,769 That the United, Kingdom has been an .increasingly important buyer is shown in the fact that during the five years mentioned above the average annual purchases totalled 64,133 bales, compared with an annual average from 1909-10 to 1913-14 of 50,065 bales. The reason for this increase in United Kingdom purchases, which have all gone to Bradford, is the improvement in the character of the wool and its preparation for market, this having overcome the prejudice of Yorkshire users. Even yet there is not the reliability in the offering of clips bought in the country districts that is desirable, buyers having to exercise very great discretion, but in this respect there has been a great improvement, and the introduction of new blood from Britain and New Zealand has been particularly beneficial.