THE SEASON'S CEREAL CROPS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 460, 19 March 1909, Page 2

THE SEASON'S CEREAL CROPS.

The following table, prepared by the Department of Agriculture, and published in last night's Gazette,' gives the area of wheat, oats, and barley for threshing, and the estimated yields for this season: — Estimated Yield. Total Acres. Bushels. Bushels. Wheat ... 252,391 33 8,328,903 Oats ... 407,037 ' 42 17,095,554 Barley ... ' 48,553 34 1,661,002 ABOUT POTATO GfiOPS. To the potato grower tho dry weather we had during the last few weeks must have been very woleomo (writes our travelling correspondent). In the neighbourhood of Palmorston verv few plots which came under my notico were'free from blight. Indeed, some woro almost ruined. One lot of four or five acres in Kairanga was very nuich infected. After the moist and muggy weather at tho end of January gave way to the drier conditions, crops ripened rapidly, anil the progress of tho diseaso was arrested. Still, it had taken great hold in soifie places. Tho prices which aro being realised at the auction rooms show what a large portion of diseased stuff is heing forced upon the market. I cannot understand why some growers send the rubbish to the sales which I saw only a fyv days ago. Nobody buys it; they liavo their trouble for nothing. I have noticed that a good many growers this season cut off tho haulm when they detected the first signs of blight. Though this causes a speedy stoppago of growth in the tubers, it is ecttainly hotter to do this than risk tho whole crop. 1 saw one nice lot of U]>-to-datcs winch bad been treated in this way. Tho crop was turning out vory well, giving fifteen tons per acre, and only a kerosene tin full of diseased |X)tatoos to the half ton which had just been dug when 1 was there.