THE SOUTH AUSTRALIAN WHEAT HARVEST.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LIII, Issue 5949, 20 March 1880, Page 3

THE SOUTH AUSTRALIAN WHEAT HARVEST.

The correspondent of the Melbourne Argus writes:— Our wheat harvest is now safely garnered, and we shall have a larger quantity available for export than wo have ever had before. The Register, which usually forestalls the official statistics by a month or six weeks, has made up its estimate of the crop from returns furnished by trustworthy correspondents in the various agricultural districts. From these returns it would appear that 1,480,600 acres have been reaped. The average yield per acre is set down at 11 bushels,; malting the total out-turn 16,300,000 bushess. Deducting 2,925,000 bushels for seed and home consumption, a balance is left of 18,375,000 bushels, equal to some 361,500 tons, as the quantity which we shall have for sale and exportation. The result is extremely satisfactory,. although in' the earlier part of the season it was expected the surplus would be fully 400,000' tons. This would have been more than reached but fora disastrous tornado which swept over the country on Nov. 10. In many places the crops were so beaten down that the stripper could, not be made to drop low enough to pick the heads up, and in consequence of this there was an average loss of from one to two bushels per acre. There have been some grand yields from individual fields. At Mount Gambier as much as 50 bushels per acre have been reaped, and in many of the old worn out districts which for years past have yielded from three to seven bushels per acre, crops of from 20 to 35 bushels per acre have been gathered. From one farm alone on Torke’s Peninsula, an average of 30 bushels was obtained from 3000 acres, representing a money value of £20,000., In 1876, when the average yield for the Colony was 11 bushels 571 b, we exported 230,909 tons; the yield this year is 571 b per acre less, and yet wo shall have more than 50 percent extra to send away. This illustrates the rapid growth of our agricultural interest. The quality of the wheat this year is exceptionally good. Finer samples were never seen than those exhibited at the recent February show. All of them weighed from 681 b to 691 b per bushel, and the prize lots went from loz to 3oz over the 691 b. Mr J.H. Angas carried off the Ohammon Cup with a grand sample from his HiU River Estate, which he recently purchased from MrO.B. Fisher. Mr J. Thyer, of Belahe, one of the northern areas, which a few years ago was a sheep run, had, if possible, a superior exhibit of wheat tothatshown by Mr Angas, although he did not take the cup. He, however, carried off several other prizes. It is believed that every bushel of groin this year will run from four to five pounds over the English bushel, and that its value on Mark-lane will be about 2s per quarter higher than our last year’s produce In money, therefore, our surplus wheat this year will represent some three millions and a quarter sterling, rad will.be sufficient to feed two rad a, half-million neonle. 1