GROW MORE WHEAT

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 58, Issue 187, 21 May 1938, Page 2

GROW MORE WHEAT

APPEAL TO FARMERS ISSUED. LARGER AREA IMPERATIVE. THE QUESTION OF PROTECTION. The prospects of a serious decline in the wheat acreage for next season lias been causing concern to those whose business brings them into direct touch with the wheatgrowers and also to those growers who realise the necessity of an adequate acreage if the present system of protection is not to be prejudiced. The current issue of the “Wheatgrower,” the official organ of United Wheatgrowers (N.Z.) Ltd., contains an appeal by the chairman (Mr H. F. Nicoll) on the subject, an instructive survey by Dr. F. W. Hilgendorf, and an article on the place of wheatgrowing in farm practice. The article is reproduced, by request, as follows:

It would almost seem that the fates are working against the New Zealand wheatgrower in his efforts to keep faith with the wheat agreement. Everything appeared to be “set” for a reasonably good response to the Government’s additional help in the direction of fixing the price so early in the season, ( but weather conditions have done their best—or worst —to hamper his efforts so far.

The foregoing could be legitimately urged in defence of the grower against attacks that may be made on him if next season’9 acreage falls much below lequirements, but wheatgrowers have got to look a little further than making excuses, no matter how (legiti.mate they may be. This is the third season in which the Government has guaranteed a fixed price, and a third failure to make an adequate response is sure to bring forth shoals of criticism. Experience has shown that little notice of climatic disabilities is taken by a section of critics, but it is certainly not, going to help the wheatgrower’s case if these criticcs can show, year after year, that the scheme for self-support has failed, in its object. It is incumbent, therefore, for farmers to take serious stock of the position, and wherever possible sow more wheat.

Plenty of Time to Sow.

There is plenty of time for most of the leeway to be made up. The soaking the soil has received in most parts of the province should put it into excellent order for the reception of the seed, which can be sown later this season than would bo deemed the best time in an ordinary season,. As an instance of this can be quoted the experience of about 15 years ago, when record floods in May held up all tillage operations. The May sowings as a result were negligible, those for the following month not much 'better, but those in July constituted a. record for that month. The net result was an excellent crop. The soil was in condition to secure a speedy and complete germination and the crop was carried along into the spring as successfully as it would have done in an ordinary season if sown two months earlier. There were disabilities 15 years ago which do not prevail to-day. The outstanding one is that then there were only 400 odd tractors in the whole Dominion, and the speed witlx which tillage work can be done now by mechanical means was then impossible. Advantage could not then bo taken of the brief ppells of dry weather between the rains to complete the job of preparing and sowing a paddock. 1 However, these observations are not prompted by any idea that the farmer needs telling what can be done. He knows that himself perfectly well. They are founded on the possibility that another acreage failure will imperil the whole scheme of protection that the grower at present enjoys, a scheme that has been evolved only as a result of endless work and worry and disappointments on the part of those who have fought the wheatgrowers’ cause. A defence can genei’ally be made against a yield failure, due to climatic causes, but it is not easy to defend an acreage failure, although the causes may be identical. The hostility that has been so often shown by anti-agrarian interests to the present scheme will be quickly fanned into activity if the acreage is« not improved, and once the , scheme lias been altered it will bo a mountainous job to get it restored. ;

Value of the Crop.

Many growers may know at the moment some branch of farming which looks more attractive, but there may be a time when they will desire to take a white crop in pursuance of a proper farming policy. The plough, as a matter of fact, is held by many authorities to bo the solution of tho parasitic problems affecting sheep and lambs, and there is only one grain crop that can be considered for' the purposes of marketing. Those farmers who completely divorce themselves from wheatgrowing may have occasion to regret their decision—if the time should come when they want to grow wheat and they find that their protection has gone. It cannot be too strongly urged on them the need to grow more wheat, not less. With the Government behind the scheme t-hero will be no possibility of an unwanted surplus. More than 9,000,000 bushels are required for the country’s needs, and in recent years not 80 per cent, of this quantity has been grown. It would occasion no concern if 20 per cent, more than the standard requirements were grown for next harvest. The country in the past has handled 10,000,000 to 11,000,000 bushels of wheat in a season, and it is in a much better position to handle a big crop now.