THE COST OF WHEATGROWING.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 567, 23 July 1909, Page 8

THE COST OF WHEATGROWING.

; A CONCISE ESTIMATE. ; ■ ,;A:concise estimate: of .the cost of wheatgrowing is given by "Rusticus" ( of the "Canterbury, .Times" as follows:— ;l-,'-.. , .'.'

1: : '.'The cost; of ploughing • would be aboiit 6s. 6d..per.' acfei, -three strokes of, the.tine harrows 25.: 6d.j.' drilling Is.' 6d.,;-manure ss. 6d.j /'seed,''-two bushels' an- acre 'at 4s. 6d. a bushel, 95., rollingls., harvesting; including twine;' 13s. 6d., -threshing. 3d.;, per bushel, which -at forty' ■ bushels per/acre'; would amount to' 10s; per acre.. -This makes a.total of £2 9s.';6d.,per acre, or, allowing for' a few -contingencies,: £2 10s. an acre. ; 1 am assuming that'the land,: having been, in potatoes, will, plough' fairly freely,. and will get Efficient!cultivation with a couple of strokes of the tines before the drill, andone after". : Should,' however, cultivation ■ with a grubber or disk;harrow :be. necessaryj -that: will have to bo allowed for 'at the; rate of about Is. 6d. per acre for each; stroke given. It may be.also necessary a tq.give.the wheat a stroke of the tine harrows after it is well up,' which would cost at; least 10d. an iacre." I have not:- allowed for rent or'interest, and' these,! of must be reckoned', in ; if a. correct' return of the cos Vis to';;be./'arrived at.'', Tben there is tho 'cost; of ; ;caftago .'and railage to be" ; between what would'have to.be'paidlfor-.Dags to hold the wheat airid'-what'.wonld'b'e'obtaihed for.them when theiwheat was, soldi: This'dif--ference might not. be less ''than'id:-' 1 per:.-sack, .and might be as.muchas Id. A forty-bushel crop; would ' require twelve sacks per' acre, each 1 holding' three and ! a'third; bushels, or 200lb. ;i each; .The yield has,been put down'at forty bushels per acre,-but it must be re-membered-that the average yield""for; the Dominion is a good'deal below that."