IN THE SOUTH

Press, Volume LXXXI, Issue 24547, 21 April 1945, Page 3

IN THE SOUTH

A WET SEASON CROPS MAIN IN STOOK SO FAR Although some crops of wheat and oats are still to be seen in stook in South Canterbury and North Otago, the reverse is the case south of Dunedin. To “Straggler,” who toox a run through to Invercargill last week, it appeared that 80 per cent, or more of these cereals were still in stook awaiting a dry spell to get them into the stack. In one case in South Otago an extensive field of wheat was still standing. and there were several smaller patches in other localities in the same plight. The wheat crop is mainly stacked in the south by the middle of March, but the continuous breaks of wet weather have delayed it by more than a month, to the consequent detriment of the crop. A few stacks are to be seen, but the number of .paddocks with the leading-in only partially completed indicates the frequency and continuity of these rain breaks. The season had been an excellent growing one up to the end of the year, and as in Canterbury, the prospects for bumper cereal yields were bright. The rains then came and the reaper and binder, by which practically all the cereal harvesting is undertaken could -operate only at broken periods. It is worth noting that had it not been for the header harvester the bulk of the Canterbury wheat crop could not have been harvested in a condition to mee* milling requirements, and it would appear that South Otago and Southland will have to use the header more if their wheat crops are to escape the deluge of rain to which stocks are subjected. There is an impression in some quarters that heavy crops are not suitable for heading, but Canterbury experience has upset that idea. Stocked wheat cannot always be held in the paddock the necessary time before stacking if subjected to excessive rains. It is this difficulty that invests the wheat of Southland with such a high moisture content. A drier sample would probably be secured if the wheat were headed when in a similar moisture condition and dried in the sack. However, it was depressing to see big paddocks of splendid stocked wheat crops which appeared as if they would in ordinary seasonal conditions return 50 to 70 bushels an acre, showing such pronounced indications of weather deterioration. Judging from the crops to be seen there is no doubt of the capacity of the bulk of this 140mile stretch of land between Dunedin and Invercargill to. grow wheat. The same fact has been demonstrated in the country well off the railway. Several decades of liming, followed by fertiliser top-dressing, have established that capacity. The Oats Future Some exceptionally heavy oat crops have been threshed or cut for chaff or stacked for future use. Grown mainly on lighter land, and being earlier, they escaped some difficulties confronting the wheat crop. However, the oats were so rank in parts that they went down under the weight of ram and the winds, but where threshing has been undertaken yields have ranged from 70 to 80 bushels in cases. And this is not Southland’s best form when the season is onMts best behaviour. Discussing the future of oats growing with some farmers who have continued for years to grow small areas, the impression was gained by the writer that with the 3s 8d a bushel price fixed and the work entailed on the older men. there would be a reduction. Another factor in this probability is that with farms capable of carrying four or five ewes to the acre, or a small fortune in small seeds, there was no encouragement to grow the cereal at a price like 3s Bd. “That price would be all right if you could be sure of harvesting all your crop,” one farmer remarked, “but I harvested only half mine this year." The , wet season has damaged the turnip crop, and there will be reduced winter fattening of sheep. Lambs did particularly well in thei early part of the season, but the continued ram had a damaging effect on feed and affected the supply of milk from the ewes, and killings for export may be lower. The principal freezing works showed a reduced output to date compared with last year’s, and there was little time, even if conditions were favourable, for a worth-while recovery. Lamb mortality has also been considerable. Priority of Wheat Farmers in the area where linen flax has been grown are in a quandary as to whether this crop or wheat takes priority. There should be no doubt about it. and an official intimation should be made at once clarifying the position. The Minister in charge of production stated some time ago in the House of Representatives that the British Government would take linen flax if we produced it, but they did not want it. The position should have altered very much for the better with the progress of the war, whilst on the other hand wheat supplies and prospect? have steadily deteriorated. “Straggler” can recall districts in Southland where thousands of acres of heavy wheat crops were grown in the decade round about the beginning of the century when frost damage was much more prevalent on the crop, because of the undrained and unlimed nature of the soil, than it is to-day. Much Southland land is well suited to wheat production, and that province could take a much larger part in providing the bread needs of the people. It is true that the area of linen flax grown in South Otago and Southland is not large, but the 6000 to 10,000 acres it takes up would produce something like 350,000 bushels of wheat at the average yield prevailing in Southland. Good Pasture Season But notwithstanding the seasonal setbacks, the unsatisfactory prices of some commodities, and the doubtfully wise 1 production directives. Southland bears a remarkably green and prosperous appearance. The wet autumn has stimulated pasture growth from thfe well-limed pastures. Hills which carried their natural tussock clothing 40 •or 50 years ago are now a carpet of green, grazing big flocks of breeding sheep, whilst the more accessible downs and ridges, the productive capacity of which previously was limited to little more than a ewe to the acre, have been carrying dairy herds of the best grade. It is just an unhappy sign of the times that many of these herds are being reduced or dispersed to make way for sheep. Old-established factories are closing down as a consequence. When accompanying several members of the recent British farmers’ delegation round about Christchurch. “Straggler” sought an opinion as to which part of the Dominion appealed to them most. Probably because of inherited canniness, the Scottish and Ulster members did not reply directly, but one of them certainly gave an indication. “Man,” he said, “when we saw Southland I felt that I would like to take up an armful of it to carry back home.” “But a lot more could be done with it”—he added the cold douche. He was a dairyman, and perhaps saw evidences of this trend. As far as can be judged from the ti;ain, there is not much land in South Canterbury and Otago turned over for this period of the season. This is perhaps unavoidable when so much delay has been caused in the removal of the crop and the drying up of the land to allow implements on it. On the other hand, merchants report a particularly good demand for seed wheat from North Canterbury, suggesting that attempts were being made to grow the extra acreage asked for to obtain the higher price. North Canterbury wheat crops, however, were much less affected by storms and floods than those in South Canterbury and even MidCanterbury, and many exceptionally good yields have been reported. This doubtless is the stimulus behind the seed demand.