MAIZE PRODUCTION.

Auckland Star, Volume LVI, Issue 187, 10 August 1925, Page 3

MAIZE PRODUCTION.

l i POVERTY BAY LEADS. ] SIXTY BUSHELS TO THE ACRE. | I Up till recently, Poverty Bay has stood '' pre-eminent in the Dominion from the viewpoint of maize production, but from the returns for the past season it is appai> ent that Auckland now plants the largest area, although Poverty Bay still produces more maize, gaining the distinction lof having the highest average production per acre for Xew Zealand. This may be largely attributed to the splendid quality of the flats near Gisborne, where crops have been taken from the same area year after year, without manuring, and where the average crop is seldom less than 60 bushels to the acre. That this is correct may be judged from the statistics for the past season, for they disclose the fact that the average production per acre in Poverty Bay -was no less than 59.3 bushels to the acre. The splendid quality of the land iii that district is shown by the returns themselves. On 3780 acres, Poverty Bay produced 224,198 bushels of maize, while Auckland with 3087 acres produced only; 167,120 bushels, irrespective of the quan tity made into ensilage. The average production in the Auckland district was 41.9 bushels to the acre, this being slightly below the Hawke's Bny average of 48.2 bushels. Hawke's Bay, however, produced a comparatively small quantity of maize, only 38G acres being planted. The average crop produced in Xew Zealand is still very much less than it should actually be, provided proper methods were adopted by growers, and even in Poverty Bay it is only during the past two or three seasons that growers j have commenced manuring the land on J which they were growing their crops. I The Auckland district, of course, in- ' eludes Tauranga and the surrounding ! district, a portion of which is held to rival Poverty Bay in the matter of maize production, and it is no doubt this area which assists the Auckland district in producing so large a quantity of maize. The North Auckland district also produces a fair quantity, growing li>,3BS bushels on 410 acres. The average per acre, 37.5 bushels, while not particularly high, still shows what can be accomplished on light and moderately light country. The Wellington district .produced but a small quantity of maize during the ■season, 25 acres being planted for threshing and 55 acres being grown for ensilage. The average crop produced wae| only 25.5 bushels to the acre. Maize growing is practically unknown in the South Island, the elima.te being unsuitable and throughout the whole of the island, only 53 acres were grown, the bulk of this being used for ensilage. Every year more maize is being used for this purpose in certain areas, although the average production for ensilage has dropped considerably during the last season. Strangely, enough, in Poverty Bay, which may aptly be diseribed as the home of maize growing in New Zealand, only five acres were grown for ensilage, and this valuable fodder is almost unknown. Auckland produced the largest quantity for ensilage, 1085 tons being grown for that purpose, andin Taranaki where only a very small quantity is grown, 581 tons of ensilage were made. It is apparent that farmcre there realise the value of maize ensilage as a winter fodder, as do also those iv the Wellington district. It is iSo bo hoped that succeeding years, if they do not show any increase in the areas planted, will at least give better returns per acre, for there is no reason Whatever why the Poverty Bay average should not raised to at least 80 bushels to the acre, and the averages of other districts raised in proportion.