THE CROP RETURNS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 751, 25 February 1910, Page 8

THE CROP RETURNS.

:. ;■■ .' REVISED ESTIMATE. : 'Last night's "Gazette" contains the Department of .Agriculture's revised estimate of tUo crop' returns, niaile up on the pros- ( pects'of the. crops , on"February. 10. The figure's' for the Dominion are as follow, last year's actual yield being shown beneath in parentheses:— ■■.". Average - Total yield. per acre. Bushels. Bushels. Wheat 9,495,3110 30.00 ;. ; ■ ■, .. ■'•■■■(8,772,790) y (34.75) Oats .............:. l-i.533,000 ' 38.00 , - • ■ (lS,!!0(i,768) ■ ■ (4G.4G) Barley ............ 1,472,400 : 35.00 . ; ',-.■. . (1,938,452) (39.67) Ryegrass .'..' 1,89-4,850 . 33 •■ ■,: . (1,030,615) . ' (32.53), ■ •■:■''■■ ■•■■. 1b.. : -Ab.Cocksfoot ......... '> 4,451,000 ' . 151.00 •'■;•■■'■. v; (4,721,159) .' {VA.35) .... Tons. Tons. Potatoes ......... '180,500 . 0 ; ~. (195,200) . ' (6.52)" : '- ■ '..■■■■• •■' ''Acres. •.'. • Turnips r .... !' 524,530. •' - '■• .•..'■,'; ~(530,G36) Kape ■'• '............;... 225,035 ■ '• . . ■ (220,240). The previous, estimate of 35 bushels jior the wheat,crop-has. been revised since the "bad weather that upset' calculations, .but.it will bo: noted .'that the Department is by no' means so pessimisitc as some, of the southern growers who have talked of 28 bushels. Compared with last year the increases aiul' decreases in the total yield are'as follow:—y\ ■■•'■'■;•.■ ■ . ■'.■'■■■■.■. .... . Increase. Decrease. Wheat; (bushels) ......... 022,510 . ■.„•.... : . ■ Oats / (bushels) '.:.:...:. ':'■ '. '4,373,788 Barley (bushels) 7 4C6,052 Bycgrass-: (bushels)■-... .264,035 .■'.■ . .. Cocksfoot (lbs.) ■'. ": 270,159 Potatoes (tons), ;. --, 14.70G Turnips (acre5) V.i...,. , .-; ;';■, .. , 6,086 llape (acres) .'.... ''..... 4,795 . .. In its comments oh;the;figures; the ,, Department" says:.'. > ;, /.. ; ,■ '-. '' ■ "Thero is a large increase in the area of peas in Marlborough,- and of-maizs' iir Auckland and Tarariaki. ■■'■. . :: ■■:■'.

. '"The grain crops'iri most districts have ripened with extreme. rapidity, aid the bulk.is now in,thestook l or stack, while .ailarge'quantity is;already threshed.- The ■yields general;' Very disappointing, considering the "early promise of'an unusually abundant harvest. .The hot winds iniDecnmbeiv nof onljr , caused premature ripening, tut also injured much of.the 'straw,, so:that, the/rain, at' the beginning of January . did. not benefit the 'crops'nearly.as much as was hoped. '.-Caterpillars', did damage in several • districts, and ,the 'small 'birds levied-their.usual toll. Hessian "fly appeared, in several .localities, but it was not serious. Continued ab-sence>of-'rain"in Southland is calculated to have.diminished the' yield of .oats-by 15 per cent., and iu Central Otago from • the. same cause the crops aro a failure.'. "On the.-other'-hand, there are in all the. principal districts many excellent crops; the wet weather at , the end'"of January , , caused .little-loss; in yield,. and the discolouration-of-the grain arid seeds is.much less.than was feared. There is", however) a large proportion of small and shrivelled ."grain. The f yields have noV to. be : set'do*ri at much lower estimates than those formed • from the of the crops.at:the dates of tae December, and January reports. Threshing '■'• is not-, sufficiently advanced to enable the actual■ yields to:be computed, but ttie present estimates may be confidently expected to be realised. •■• ."The rains in January were of incalxulable benefit to the pastures'and'fodder and root-crops, .and the prospects for autumn and -winter-feed are highly satis-, factory/.' Oats sown for.winter and SDrih'g feeding have made-",good, progress.. ' ' "Potato-disease -' has 'reappeared, but only in' - the ■ earlier-, districts is the damage,', so far,,of much magnitude: The .various pests and diseases of the turnip have not yet manifested themselves to any alarming extent, but in some localities rape has been badly blighted."