THE HARVEST

Press, Volume LXXIII, Issue 21989, 13 January 1937, Page 15

THE HARVEST

CROPS RAPIDLY RIPENING Crops are ripening rapidly as a result of the warm winds and sunshine of the last week, in spite of the broken periods of rain. Wheat cutting has been general north of the Waipara river, but little is to be seen in stook south of the Kowai. The crops are stocking up fairly well, but have not the width of top in the stooks that they had last season. Most of the later crops can receive some benefit in the filling-out process, but a fair acreage is too far advanced for improvement. With anything like a stretch of warm weather harvesting should be a fulltime job in most of the province in the next fortnight. The ground has dried up amazingly under the influence of the nor'-westers, and fortunately very few crops were advanced enough to be shaken by the winds. The lodged crops have mostly come up again, although patches are to be seen in some districts where they were too flattened.

Although oats have stood up remarkably well after the winds, there are cases of the exact reverse happening. Near the Ladbrooks station a field is to be seen lying all ways, with no prospect of its position improving. and big patches in other fields elsewhere are in nearly as bad condition. A considerable area of oats is now in stook in most parts of the province. There appear to be few fields which will give record yields, but the thickness of the stooks indicate that the yields will pe quite up to normal—on the average somewhat better.