AUCKLAND FARMERS' INTENTIONS.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVI, Issue 68, 20 March 1915, Page 9

AUCKLAND FARMERS' INTENTIONS.

FOR INCREASING THE OUTPUT. An indication of the extent to which the farmers of the Auckland Province . will respond to the suggestion that .cropping should be gone into as much as possible during the war waa sought for by a reporter, this, morning. Mr. A. Schmitt, provincial' secretary of the Farmers' Union, expressed the opinion that it was too .early to say. "About the end of next month," -fie said, "will pretty well decide what is being done with autumn Algerian oats and also with wheat. The seed, for these two crops will be a big difficulty. There is an inclination on the part of settlers to thresh their own wheat and keep their own seed. It will not be seed of the very best qualify in many cases, But at a time like this it wrll be better than none." Speaking of the resultless efforts -which *the-'Farmers' 'Union made some t»me--eg6Stp-indiice> > the , Government par assist -farmers in the purchase of seed for wheat,.' pat*; "barley; rye; , arid '.root crops, Mr. Schmitt -said- that it would be a big inducement'to increase the cropping area. of the i province if'the cost of the.seed.could be [allowed to stand against the. crops. The Government, however,,, had replied, that this was not .considered practicable. In his letter,. the. Prime Minister mentioned that last, year ah. offer to pay half tftfe railway freights on seed wheat had'been made, and it was possible that a similar arrangement might be entered . into this" yeari •<:■■ ;.. ■ It is of interest to note that the' branches of the Farmers' Union throughout the province hare been circularised with a request to obtain a full indica-! tion from settlers of the areas intended to be put in and the estimated shortage of seed. As he had already indicated, this information would not be available for a few weeks. "With regard, to wheat," said the provincial secretary, I "1 believe, that, the capabilities of the Auckland district are greater than is generaUy supposed. .Although, the I wheat crops -were fewer they have certainly .been better than the oat. crops this season. This, of course, may be due in a large measure, to the fact that the season has been more favourable for wheat."

Questioned with reference to the root crops,. Mr. Schmitt said that in the course..of his extensive-travels, through the province of late, he had' found .that generally: speaking, swedes . had been good, and* the rains of the' last few (lays would assure their success. If the congestion in the freezing works and the inadequate' shipping facilities had' been anticipated, it would certainly have been advantageous to have had more turnips with which to feed the stock which were awaiting slaughter. Potatoes had. been a success, bat .he did not think that the price was adequate in comparison with. the, increased cost of other foodstuffs. While the rain was most beneficial, it had unfortunately, come too late to prevent a serious shrinkage in the milk cheques. It was to be hoped that the coming season would not be to dry.