COMMERCIAL

Press, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 25080, 11 January 1947, Page 8

COMMERCIAL

UNITED STATES WHEAT CROP INDICATIONS OF RECORD A record 1947 wheat crop which would create a surplus where an 'acute shortage existed a year earlier was indicated by the United States Department of Agriculture in a report on farmers' winter wheat planting operations, according to an article in the New York “Herald Tribune” on December 20. “The department forecast a 1947 winter wheat crop of 946,527,000 bushels, or 9.1 per cent, more than this year’s record crop of 873,893,000 bushels,” states the article. “The winter wheat crop was seeded this fall. "Should the spring wheat crop, which will be planted in the spring, show a similar increase, the 1947 production of all wheat would be about 1,253,000,000 bushels, compared wth this year’s record of 1,155.715,000. Included would be a spring wheat crop of about 307,000,000 bushels. "The upcoming crop will be augmented by' a reserve fiom this year’s crop now expected to be at least 200,000,000 bushels. Thus the total supply at harvest time next year would be about 1,453,000,000 bushels. “On the other hand, requirements from the 1947 supply, as now indicated, may not exceed 975,000,000 bushels, ‘including about 7-75,000,000 for domestic uses and 200,000,000 ■ for export. Thus the excess over requirements would be about 478,000,000 bushels. Normal reserves are about one half that amount. “The department reported that fanners planted 56,426,000 acres to winter wheat, an- increase of 8 per cent, over this year’s acreage, and nearly 22 per cent, above the 10-year (1935-44) average. It said the yield was indicated at 16.8 bushels an acre, compared with 16.7 this year and 13.4 for the 10-year average.” Earlier British reports suggested that in spite of big anticipated crops in the United States and Canada, the British calculation was that there would be an overall deficit of 200,000,000 bushels in world wheat supplies this year. GRAIN AND PRODUCE CROPS IN NEED OF FINE WEATHER Fine weather is essential for grain and seed crops in the next few weeks; maturity has been delayed with several crops already, and wheat i» expected to be three weeks late, so that the markets are not likely to receive samples till, about the end of the month. First samples of Cape barley have been received from North Canterbury light land, and are reported to be very good. New potatoes are still scarce in Christchurch. Quotations supplied yesterday were:— Wheat.—Tuscan and Dreadnought, 7s l’/ a d a bushel; Hunters, 7s 3lid; Pearl, 7s 5 lid. Oats.—A Gartons, 4s (on trucks); Algerian, to 4s 3d; Duns, to 4s 6d; Black, 3s 6d to 4s. Lupins.—6s 6d (nominal). Onions.—£34 a ton (maximum growers’ price). Red Clover.—2s 6d to 3s, according to sample. White Clover.—Machine-dressed, according to certification, 4s (mother seed), 3s 9d (p.p.); uncertified, 3s 6d. Barley.—Cape and malting, 5s 6d (on trucks). Chaff.—G.b.o.s., £9 a ton (f.0.b., s.i.), equivalent to £6 10s (on trucks, sacks extra). Cocksfoot.—sd to 6d per lb. Linseed.—£3o a ton (on trucks, s.e.; contract price). Partridge Peas.—los (on trucks) a bushel; Prussian blue, 12s 6d (0.t., s.e.). GRASS AND CLOVER SEED CROPS The increasing economic importance of grass and clover seed crops is shown in statistics released this- week. The area harvested has increased from 109,600 acres in 1939 to 224,600 in 1946. The highest annual increase was that between 1945 and 1946—44,000 acres, or 24 per cent. The 1946 yield aggregated 49,490.0001 b, against 32,880,0001 b in 1945 and 22.440,000 in 1939. Exports in the 12 months ended June, 1946, were 9429 tons, valued at £2,043.625, against 2317 tons, valued at £241,394, in the year ended June. 1939. The statistics cover ryegrasses, cocksfoot, red clover and cowgrass, white clover, and other grasses. Mechanisation and Fodder The area in fodder crops in the Dominion shows a fall from 1,415,000 acres

in 1945 to 1,258,000 in 1946. The area in oats for fodder for the decade before the War averaged 280,000 to 300,000 acres, against the latest figure of 125,000. The fall is attributed to the greatly-decreased numbers of horses and the Increased numbers of farm tractors. The number of farms with tractors but no horses increased from 2051 in 1942 to 3429 in 1946] the number of farms with both increased from 10,802 to 13,577; and the number with horses only fell from 47,881 to 43,285.