CROP RETURNS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 252, 17 July 1908, Page 3

CROP RETURNS.

THE ACTUAL YIELDS IN NEW ZEALAND. • Tho actual yiolds of corn crops,- grasses, etc;, in Now Zealand in. the season 1907-8 were gazetted last night. Tho actual- figures show that, the former estimates, of-the yields of wheat, oats, and barloy were -below tlio mark in each case, though the difference in wheat is but slight. We give tho two sots of figures side by sido>'/ ~ ■ • ..? ■.'■

SOUTHERN BUTTER. TEMPORARY SHORTAGE IN DTJNEDIN. : A Dunodia ■ Press Association . inessage states that the price of but tor in that city is up a.penny per lb-i making the rot ail prico Is. 5d.,- the highest price experienced in Djuiedin for fire.years. The rise is due to nounced shortage' of supply,-and is one of I the results 1 of ;the recent iloods ; alid storms in, Otago's outlying districts. ■ The butter' output of the'.dairy; farms of tho Dominion is now nearly at its lowest ebb. Out of every five boxes of butfer now being put upon : the: market' in the various. towns' of -New Zealand, probably four , boxes come from tho cold stores,-the remaining one box representing the present; relative output, of tho dairy herds.- Floods and 'storms -in-. Otiigo might therefore seriously one-fifth of. the, butter supplies. :The' remaining, four-fifths,-however,' on the calculation stated, are safo in store. -■'■ curtailment of the current supplies.might, easily l ,bo: sufficient to Jause a .rise in prices; '; . ' . ■■■ .-, The South, however; is not so well provided with ; stored butter : as'' is the North, and winter purchases are usuallyimado from the northern stores: It is difficult to how much butter lies' in.the private stores of the • suppliers themselves,. .but, - so far as the public stores aro concerned, tho' Government figures of the total number of half cwt. boxes of buter in, store on: June 30 were is follows: — Auckland, 13,605; New Plymouth, 11,164; ;.Patea, 5100; Wellington, .9319;, Lyttelton, [nil ;-Dunedin, OSS. Tptaljj .»w. :. From these (figures it-, is' at once, seen how dependent/the .South- may be on Northern butter during; winter. ' But the bulk -prico of butter.'has been''gradually 'rising for" some weeks past • in. .the 'Dominion generally,; in sympathy, .with the better •- 'prices ruling in Australia : and elsewhere, f and" this _ circumstance has 'no doubt largely determined ;the retail. values in the South.. The -retail prico of butter in Dune'din on' June 30 was Is.' ljd. On.July : -1-it-was'raised to Is. 2}d., and apparently tlio further increase to Is. sd. has all .occurred; in ihe last day or . two. . r The'-question 'of the scope that exists, for Northern sales,to the .South is the one chiefly that-, concerns . Northern holders of butter. The prospect; of getting in I ,on the Is. ,sd. basis is not ' very promising. That price doubtless attaches only to' tho brands best known; locally, such -,- as tho butter : of the Taieri and Peninsula Company. Northern butter would probably ;be bought for sale under a-different brand,,-and, consequently,. at a Ibwer price.: Tlifl: total cost:of sending butter: from 'Wellington: to Dunedin.is.less than id. per lb. ; The top retail price of butter in Wellington is Is. Id. • o--, ''~ ' . A SATISFACTORY RETURN. " The,, Awahuri - airy. Company., (writes - our Manawatu correspondent) in. addition' to. paying its supplies Id. per lb. Wus: on'tiuttbrfat • during September, October, November,and December of last year, will be richer by £600, .this ;being-the higher value, received for its;, season's butter, : which was sold on consignment' in - preference to disposing 'of it in the colony. - • . CHEESE FACTORY PAYING OUT. The final payment for milk supplied .to Mataura Cheese Factory for -last 'season will be;made. to-day. The total price being paid for,the season is Is. lid. per lb. of.butter fat 'to April 15, and. Is: for Balance - of season. Fully 200 tons of . cheese have been made, and tbo totar amount paid for milk will be close an £10,000. • ; A SWEDE CROP. WHAT TILLAGE DID. One'of. the; finest ' crips ;'of Swede turnips in tho Waifarapa is,on Mr. Tilson's Ponatani property .(writes, our. correspondent).' ;. Ail examiriatibn,. however, - shows; that'about'; 20 somewhat patchy, while the (remaining, 80 acres', reveal a prolifid. growth..'. ,Tho .explanation.', of the, utievbnness given, by. Sir, J. .Tilson .waß'.to {he'leffect'-tßat tjie'Bo-aci'o lot .was , well tilled,'; while the 20 acres were treated in quite im brdinary manner. - The.Bo acres -were, first-, ploughed 'to h depth.of. abhut 4fa;,' then .it. tfa's..disced and harrowed, .twice',, .then .. roljbd/. ! and' .finally,'.rolled treatmont wad Ibxpensive, but, tho' ordinary return ,was quadruplet!. Mr! Tilson ris of the: opinion-.tliat ,if a farmer .wishes" his'.land to treat him well* he must treat the land well. Tho, soil should be. formed, so thait'tho light 'and the .air "'can. -enter into it, and ,so that tho moisture, may come up or down, aiid.not lie stagnant on the .surface. The-increased gain was well worth tho extra trouble. OUR DIARY. ... . . SHOWS. . 'V . .. Clef. '21', 22!—Harfke's Bay A: and Y. '(Hastings). ' ' ' ' • • •. • • October..sßJ 29.—Wairarapa'A. and' P.' (Cartfirton). -■ •• ■"'■ Nov. 1, 5, 6.—Manawatu. ■ Nov, 11. 12. 13.—Christchurch. Feb.. 26.—Bush Districts (Woodville). Nov. 11, 12.—Wanganui. Sept.-2. —Bulb Show, Masterton. Nov. 17, 18. —Marlborough (Blenheim). Nov. 18, 19. —Egmont (Hawcra). "' ' LONDON WOOL' SALES. ... 75th series begin ... .:. Sept.:29 ,6th „., „ . ... ... Nov.. 21 LONDON SHEEPSKINS SALES.July 30. Oct. 22.Sept. 10. Dec.- 17.' "• ''

. • i . ' Bushels por'acre. ] Wheat; Oats. Bajloy. Estimated 27 30 . S9 Actual : .... , ... 28.84- : 38.82 _ 32.15 Visible Supplies of Wheat. Bushels. Total yield, computed ... 5,567,139 On hand, Octobor 31, .1907 ... 1,641,251 Imported, . November 1 to February 29 (and flour)' ... ... 124,271 7,332,661 Exported, Nov., to Feb. , . 4,756 Consumed, same period ■ (960,000 people,/at 6 bushels per nead .per '. annum) ... ... 1,920,000 "v.; A ' ■ — 1,924,750 Leaving available on Feb. 29, '08 ; 5,407;905 This' quantity . scarcely 5}. bushels per head for the year ending February 29 next on Now Zealand's present population of'about aVmillion.;/'■ The acreage in wheat'last year was . tho second smallest' in the last ten years. The areas and yields of the different cereals- (for .threshing), grasses, etc., . . ■ Yield. Bushels Acres. Bush'els.- pbranri. Wheat ... 193,031 5,567,139 ; 28.84 Oats ' ...; 386,885 15,021,861 , 38.82 Barloy ... 36,177. 1,163,408 .32.1a R.vo ... - 2,958 70;7Q2 23.9 Maize. ... 8,869 503,301: ; 56.74 Ryegrass ... ' 40,435 . .1,160,413 - 28.69 . • -': ■ lb. •': ' lb. 'Cocksfoot 28,731 ■; : 4,147,902 ; -144.37 tons: tons: Potatoes ! .... -27,035 :142,999 . ■ 5.28