EFFECT OF WHEAT ON FERTILITY

Press, Volume LXXXII, Issue 24814, 2 March 1946, Page 3

EFFECT OF WHEAT ON FERTILITY

A well-known Rakaia wheatgrower, Mr A. M. Stephens, of Balrazie, comments on the new wheat prices as follows:

“Having been a wheatgrower for 40 years, and naturally interested in this matter, I would like to bring to the notice of the public some concrete facts concerning the growing of this crop. The Minister of Industries and Commerce has been asking for figures to prove that 7s Id a bushel is a right price, but I would like to show that, owing to the heavy toll taken of the land through growing this crop, it is difficult to estimate what is a reasonable figure, as it is necessary to consider facts taken over a period of years.

“For instance, I could show at present to anyone interested enough, the effect of wheatgrowing on first-class land. I had a 40-acre paddock sown in two portions—one 20 acres in wheat, the other 20 acres in oats. This was sown in the autumn, and in the spring following was sown with grass ana clover on top of the crop. The grass on the oats portion was outstanding in quality compared with that on the wheat portion. “I left this 40 acres in grass for three years. After that I worked the whole paddock equally well and put it in wheat. The wheat on the oat portion was in my estimation a 15 per cent, better crop than the other portion. “This year I again worked the paddock equally well and sowed the lot in rape. You can now see to the very line where the oats were grown and where the wheat was grown in the first-mentioned case.

“In this class of country one expects to fatten 20 store lambs to the acre on rape, at an average profit of 7s a head. I can do this on the rape groiwn on the oat-sown part of the paddock, but only half of this on the wheat-sown part. Besides this, the weaker rape portion allows weeds to grow prolifically. and where you carry a large number of sheep you put back the larger amount of dung manure to the benefit of the land.

“It is conclusive enough from the facts—and I have always advocated this—that it is not the wisest policy to grow crops detrimental to the land, remembering always that there are generations to follow this one on the land. Therefore, I again say it is a difficult task to value wheat. One needs to be compensated for more than the yearly yield of wheat.

“I could say that in the case of a drastic need for wheat, our Government could follow the lead given by England during the war of allowing the farmer a subsidy to grow wheat, so that the wheat land can be fallowed and sown with green manures to be ploughed in—missing a season, but putting the wheat land back into good heart again.”