REVISED CROP RETURNS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 772, 22 March 1910, Page 10

REVISED CROP RETURNS.

&■>■.-.;..;:;■; big.decreases. :: ■: f ; -->.' : '. ,'■■■,.'-;'f ho fourth interim crop return has now !:-;; .:: been..published; .It is based on the apf"'.:'. . pearance of tho crops ns on'.March .10, ?■■•■• . sndrtho principal alterations.-.are a re|::l. ••■■■•-. iuotion in the anticipated yield of wheat ?/: Irom '30 to 28 bushels per acre, of.oats ;,;... .from 38 to 37-bushels; per/acre, aud of jC ; : barley-'from'3s to 31 bushels per. acre. I.;:;- .; The,net result.is that instead, of the in- £■-'-.'■. crease, of: 622,510 bushels of wheat over last !/:. 'year's yield which .was. expected at the ';;..:• time of making tho February, estimate— !;,■ . ;a shortage of 111,690 bushels is looked for. j> . . -Curiously enough, it was only;last week v;-,: '..'that a reduction of- ten shillings a ton ,; \>>vas made in the price of flour. This f.'.,':■;-.,,•: was no doubt due to Australian cbnipeti- ;:>" 1i0n..-.-.The' decreases in' oats.and'barley •,:.■;; are.now expected to be .5,102,788-bushels ;::,"• and 634,-452 -Bushels respectively, as against j; ;- ! l -the February anticipations of a 4,373,758' I , ."■•.■'.' bushel decrease, for oats and a 460,052 F: ";-. fcushel decrease for barley.'The-'estimated i ~'.f ."-..total 7 - yields for the three .principal crops f ;: :'■ are now placed as follow, '■ the' actual f.; ■: .yields for last year being also shown:— Ilk:' :-;>'' ; -V ; '-'-- ■ .v:.' v ' ■■ "'■.--'■ Yield-' y; ;..'..:.; . Total yield. . per acre. [:■'.' ■■.'■/. ~ ■'■ , . : : 'l -Bushels. f O--■'. '■'■; ' ■': " '.' ':-. 1910.;"': 1009/ 1910. 1909. h. -..:: (Theat ■;..'-: 8,661,100-': 8,772,790 ■•28 ' 3i.75 fc.v. 0at5',;..;... 13,804,000 .18,906,788. 37 46.46 f; :;.\ Barley...:. .1,394,000- \ 1,933,452 ;31 39.67, ;:; : : The : estimates of the .ryegraßS, cocksiv:'. foot,'potato,' turnip, and rape yields re- |;'■-;..■'.'. main junsltwad. '■■.-: '.;''■■. ..- .. .... !• :.-;.'. -.Taking the detailed returns for each province'it 7 is: seen- that '' the. drop in j-. ~ wheat-.-is .accounted'.'for-'by .shortages -in i;f;, Hawke's - Bay, Ma'rlborough,. and .CanterX;--\- bury.,; In Canterbuiy a Reduction in. the j: '.-' ;estimate:from 30-.to -27. bushels'-is/respon- ;'.■':•. Bible for. a falling off-since the third rehy :•' turn',of 630,000 bushels; in irarlborough ;:,.■•:. the decrease, is; an : extraordinarily heavy :■; :.'.■ ane, from 3i to-.2l'bushels per acre, an i^'"' r actual yield'of no fewer than 35 bushels *: ; wheat having, been obtained in ..that i■. v.' province last season.';•■■ This-" brings; the ■;i ' ' Marlborough' estimate down from 255,000 ■ : ;\:..--.-■• bushels to 175,500 bushels: As :the llarli:; borough oat estimate, is reduced from '42 f'.; bushels to-32 bushels, perz'aire 'since'last i ■'■'..■ : month, and .the barley—the most- importf ■;■ ant-' crop—from' 30 to : 22- bushels, it: is I ■•;.'■'.■ eyiderit..that the grain, crops: in this proK';:'-. vinpe haye;'suffercd far more severely, by ?... the' - unfavourable'season . than in any \:- ': other part of New Zealand. ■ Th 4. total p.-; Jfarlborough; barley yield is ■ now' put y\ /;'at: only .264,000. bushels, as: against, the J 464,520 bushels''ackally produced in .1909. S.. .;' >The., decreases 'in.-«.: the- oats estimate ;. : .' ; : ;. eince last month are as Jfollow, the actual f.'.-'■'--,'•' yields: for last year being shown in par. ?;',•: entheses:—Hawke's Bay,' from 43 : to- 37 '(A;:;, bushels (41 bushels); Marlbor'6\]gh, 'from' [:;■■:_ 42 to 30 bushels (44-biishels);' Canterbury, , \:-: ■. lrqhi,3s to 33 bushels" (41.44 .bushels); i":. - Otago.'from 42 .: to 40 bushels (52.57- ;;,."; bushels). The only increase.in theivholo '£>.%. of: the'estimntes is that for Wellington's ¥■■•■:; oat;crop,:whiph is-now put.at,37.bushels ■•'.-'■ .;v iiistead- of j. 25 .bushels..-: • Last'<y'e'ar the ; : ? ie W was 40.55 bushels. ■' , ' - . : f ; ..;. ■ 'In:barley, the decreases are:—Hawke's' iV;; ; . .Bay, from- 48 to 42 bushels (48; bushels); j'- ' /-.Jlarlbqrough, from .30 t0.22 -bushels (35 t'.';--:'-bushels)'; ' Canterbury, : from ■"■ 38 : to . 35 !■'?•-.' -bushels (45.35 bushels);' and Otagd,-from ;.SV SO to 28. bushels (32.33 bushels). -:,,', ;.i,:■'-.. ■".'•'ln' , commenting ;6'n- the- position, the , '•;_ '■- - : llinister says:—'-'The -threshing.' ;of ;-the ['.;'; ■ grain crops,.so far-as it has progressed,fe; '■".■•■ has produced yields still more disappoint- '. ~ .'ing , thau those which were reported a ip^vmonth a-go, and'a further reduction in '£■'/ ... the estimates has to be made. Many |;i : ;. crops have yielded, on threshing 25 to 50 a.-.':'.-'.' per cent, -less than was indicated by t,:; : ;.-"v their ' .appearance, .when stacked, the" p-'::.-• causes.- of the ; deficiency- , being■: the dry t; ~ :"■ weather and/high; winds' ill Deceinber,- | .-. -. which caused injuries, -preventing- the f-;. •:-;: heads from filling. ~ .!•-.•. ,'.."• ,- ...^._ t;.'■"■:■:■ "Damage in a minor degree was'c'aused :., : i; by. caterpillars,. , .small, birds, Hessian fly,. ['..'.;: and rust. Probably the .shortage niay be s-;' : -'slightly modified;'by-'the'T-esult^of. the. l f'. : :'■ :■'.'. threshing- which'' remains'io" be dor,e,"theP.; ■ ; present estimate , being necessarily baseo 1,--"-"-;---' on partial returns...:.'.'".: '..•■■'.' . I■'.■-.- . "Tho .'main'..'potato crop' is abundant, p -..-. but disease.has lately spread widely, and ;-."; -if feravages become.severe'-the yield will j.. : , be materially ntfected. The situation re-.-.-vgardin'g .pastures and fodder and : -root- ;■.; ■'- crops;.is generally'.- -satisfactory, :■ though j.-; enemies, of turnips.have appeared in some ;.: "districts.-: The: drought in Southland'has :;. : ;:/ twen-reljeved , by.-good -rains."' , '■-.-•■' ■• -