More About Harvest

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31304, 25 February 1967, Page 9

More About Harvest

"REPORTS of some further 4 good crop yields have been coming to hand this week. On the basis of three bushels to a sack Mr C. P. Whiting, of Orari Bridge, about three miles from Geraldine, has had a yield of 105 bushels to the acre from a five-acre area of Aotea. The weighing of odd sacks showed weights were of the order of three bushels. The crop in question was a second-year crop—the first last year yielded 93 bushels to the acre and was also Aotea. This season’s crop was sown about June 9 or 10 with two bushels and a half of seed and 1} cwt to 2 cwt of superphospate. The land Is described as heavy. Other crops of wheat on the farm are also yielding well —about 75 to 80 bushels to the acre or a little better. On 33 acres in three blocks Sandrey Brothers, also in the Geraldine district, averaged about 90 bushels to the acre of Aotea. These were all firstyear crops sown in early June with about one and three quarter bushels to the acre. Discussing yields over the province this week the fields

superintendent of the Depart ment of Agriculture in Christchurch, Mr A. K. Dingwall, gave it as his opinion that the average would be very similar to last year taking into account that in some areas the yields would be up and in others down. Last year Mr Dingwall put the average yield at around the 55 to 60 bushels to the acre mark and probably nearer to 55, and his impression is that it could be around the 55 bushels mark again this season. However in the meantime there are no detailed figures to support this estimation of the position. In North Canterbury, where there has been quite a lot of frost damage to crops, Mr R. A. Milne, officer in charge of the Department of Agriculture in Rangiora, put the likely yield for the district at about 45 bushels to the acre. In this district recent winds have also resulted in the loss of some barley. Mr Milne mentioned that after wind damage resulting in a lot of grain being on the ground a crop that had looked like yielding around 60 bushels to the acre had been reduced to 37 bushels.