RURAL RIDES

Press, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22004, 30 January 1937, Page 17

RURAL RIDES

THE OATS HARVEST

GOOD POTATO CROPS'

(By H.A.M^

The warm weather of the last few days has brought'on the harvest, and there is a moderate acreage of early wheat to be seen in stook. Harvesting is in full swing north of the Ashley, but south of the Waimakarin -it will be another week before it is general. The cut crops are stocking up well, and from their appearance should yield better than the predictions made this last few weeks. Up through the Malvern County the wheat promises to yield up to the average of the good years, this belt of country appearing to have been less affected by the climatic conditions than many other districts. There are some nice crops to be seen in the Templeton-Prebbleton district, though they are not up to the standard of last season. On the northern side of the main railway line the crops appear to be much better than towards the coastal areas, this singularity being more marked as the hills are approached.

\ Good Oat Crops

The stacidng of oats is now fairly general, and some great crops of the cereal are to be seen in many districts. Whatever effect the weather has had on \yhcat, the conditions seem to have been entirely favourable for oats. From the thickness of the stocks in many paddocks yields should approach those of the best years. Merchants who have received samples state that the quality of the Cartons could scarcely be excelled. Very little of the offering so far will class B grade. In all cases the oats are plump and bright and weigh well. There will bo exceptional stubble feed this year. Many paddocks of oats are carrying a growth of clover that suggests that they were sown down. will have the advantage of being fresh, and not, as much of the pasture is at the present time, stalky and running away to seed and unpalatability. Cross 7 Wheat A number of farmers have expressed to the writer their very favourable opinion of the Cross 7 variety of wheat, which was evolved by Lincoln College, and has been in commercial use now for the last two or three years. Two growers stated that Cross 7 was easily the best paddocks on their farms, or in their immediate districts -for that matter. It stood up well against the storm weather, had not lodged, was well headed, and was remarkably even. It had been alleged that the new variety was more liable to the attack of smut than some others, but in both the cases instanced there was no evidence of such a development.

Now that it is definitely established that Cross 7 wheat will fill an increasingly ■ useful place in the varieties of wheat grown in Canterbury, it is fitting that the good work of the officers of Lincoln College responsible for its development should not be overlooked. Dr. Hilgendprf carried on the initial work, but on account of illness was unable to continue, and his assistant, Mr J. W. Caldor, took over the experiment. During the depression period the discarding of the operations was seriously contemplated, but under the strong advice of Mr Calder, who had formed a high opinion of the new cross for its yield and wind resistant qualities, the work was continued. The success attending the commercial use of Cross 7 has fully confirmed Mr Calder's opinion. The milling qualities of the new variety are highly esteemed by millers, who consider it will save a lot of blending, which is so necessary with several other varieties to secure a good flour. The weather-resistant finalities of Cross 7 are indicated by the fact that merchants are advising farmers to grow it on land where wheat is likely to lodge. It is satisfactory that in the staff changes that have taken place lately at Lincoln College the services of the officer mainly responsible for the production of the new variety should have been retained.

The Probable Wheat Yield If the prevailing impression that wheat yields will not exceed 32 bushels to the acre is borne out by the threshing, it is inevitable that a substantia) quantity of wheat will have to b-..-imported for the coming year’s requirements. The estimated area in crop is only 222,000 acres, but it is not unusual for the first estimate to be exceeded by the actual acreage threshed. However, even with an area of 230,000 acres a 32 bushel yield would only produce a crop slightly exceeding 7i million bushels. This is about 13 million bushels under the country’s needs. Even with the best of weather conditions the yield would have been insufficient for the country’s needs, as a 40 bushel crop would have been required from the reduced acreage to tide the country over its needs. Such a return, of course, is some bushels an acre more than the highest ever recorded. It is perhaps not altogether an unfortunate happening that Australian wheat this season can not be landed in the North Island as cheaply as South Island can be shipped there. If Australian wheat had been a shilling or more a bushel cheaper it is inevitable that the system of protection prevailing in the Dominion would be subject to severe

criticism. The Potato Crop The one crop which appears to have been affected to very little extent by the weather vagaries is the potato. Many fields of potatoes are to be seen with a flowering nearly as dense as that of some of the white clover crops. Early potatoes are digging well, with an unusual proportion of tables, and as the early varieties have passed through the worst of the weather, it is a fair assumption that with the arrival of warmer weather the main crop should be an equally good one. In the conditions prevailing growers of large areas are not sanguine as to price prospects.

Fat Lambs and White Clover

A Malvern county farmer has experienced a serious loss of lambs before weaning when fed on white clover in full flower. The lambs that died were strong and healthy and had been doing well, but after being affected, if they did not die, they wasted away to “scrubbers. The trouble appeared similar in its effects fo what is commonly known as black scour, for which the lambs were treated with bluestone without result. -The pastures on which the lambs were fed varied a good deal, but in the two paddocks where the worst results were experienced white clover was the only appetising feed. Where there were good mixed grasses the lambs were not affected. Neither were the lambs that were weaned and put on rape. The ewe lambs left on the mothers, however, and grazing on the clover, were affected, but the mortality has ceased on the clover since the lambs were weaned. It is obvious from the singular circumstances described py the

farmer concerned that the ewes’ milk is the cause of the trouble, the milk apparently being affected by the white clover, “Straggler” recalls an instance in another district of losses in similar conditions and the suggestion was then made that the work of the bees may have had something to do with giving the milk a deleterious quality. If there is anything in this theory—and it seems somewhat far-fetched —the trouble described in the foregoing paragraph may be fairly general, as there has not been a season for years in which there has been such a prolific growth of white clover.

The Sydney Royal Show, which will be held from March fi2 to 31, will make a distribution of £17,000 prize money. The three champion long-wool ewe lambs (Lincolns), at the Islington show, weighed 6361 b, or 2181 b each. High prices for cattle and sheep were realised at the sales held in connexion with the Scottish national fat stock show at Edinburgh last month. There was keen competition for possession of the King’s two months Aberdeen-An-gus heifer Jubilee of Abergeldie, third in her class. She made £BO (£7 16s 9d per live cwt). The King's crossbred heifer (sixth in her class) was sola lor .£56 .(£5 10s ?d per cwt).