THE GRAIN YIELD IN ASHBURTON COUNTY.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LIX, Issue 6868, 5 March 1883, Page 6

THE GRAIN YIELD IN ASHBURTON COUNTY.

[nr oca own co8BB81?ow»bktJ March 3. A journey over the Ashburton County in harvest time would do a city resident a world of good. He would be able to breathe a pure healthy air, and ho would have alt the lethargy shaken out of him by seeing ,on ,every farm little knots of men toiling away with an energy born of the teuton; for: onery and excitement arc very infectious, and <m a bar vest field the successful ingathering of tho groin is an object that always calls forth the husbandmas’o energy and raise* a very wholesome excitement in hint; Those are oousidorab y enhanced in such a trencherout climate as that under which tho Plains men raise their crops, for during one suitable harvest day sveiy elicit has to be put forth that human hand* are capable of, impelled by the fear that to-morrow's sun will dawn upon a crop hslf-sbaken to the earth by a fierce wind that has born blowing all the night and now continue* during the day with unlmeued fury, Por years the '* nor* wester 11 oaruo has more or less blighted tho Ashburton summer and autumn; btuorop *B3 lias, strange to say, been grown und harvested in an exceptionally mild season. Due ug the growing of tho crops I have at intervals, in i hese columns, noted how excellent the season has born, how well suited in every way fer obtaining an abundant yield, and in my last report, on the crop* in mid-Canterbury I congratulated tue farmer* on the superb season they bad experienced ever shies they prepared the soil for tho grain, which will soon be rouh for the Bnglish market. In that report, while giving the farmers my congratulations, ami prophesying an abundant yield, my expe-' rlecee of the district forced me to retneuitier how unwise it was to hollo till out of the wood, and I made use of a " provided always" when I indulged in the prophecy. That reservation was to make room tot the passage of the dreaded nor’-wester at the critical time, when the orops are j«*t -dangerously rips oDungh to have their oars emptied of the grain. Very fortunately the nor- west gale* kept off,.and the earlier crop*! and those in tho lower district, were a!) got in solely. But a wst harvest was scarcely ft thing to bo expected, and I for one did not look for. it. STet tho natural “ otosedooi*" of tbiuss is such in the case of the farmer in the Ash* burton district that s unatiroo* no no sooner Suds himself free from the greater danger bo foare than he is overtaken by another scarcely less potont in depriving him of hi* profits. After the grain was in etook in some parti ol the County, notably tho upper districts, continued rain prevented its stacking and interfered with threshing. The result was a consider able amount of ascend growth, and. I have seen some stocks so terribly grown that the shewn could only be separated with « great wrench, and forking would have been a laborious job. There is reason to be thankful, however, that tho loss from the influence of wot will bo confined to only * «uall **•*>

though within that area the farmer* will euffer serersly. 1 know of one case in Which »termer hae 2000 acre* of wheat, • crop that woe fell of prowl*# ten days ego, end It# owner honed! for ft epleodid yield,hut to-day It it worm quite £a ms icrr lee*. Farther •oath t on* of oar hugest wheat firm*, end one* too, owned by anything but a Isggard, wm c*oght by the wet before cutting wm altogether Salt tied!, before what was mit could possibly be got into stock, and while culling, «tacking, ftnd threshing f/oim the etook were ail in prcgf«#« at,oho time. Of court* operation* had to be impended, and though advantage wm taken of every lull to recover lott ground, the most superhuman effort# could not earo the crop from deterioration, nor it* owner from heavy joss. You hear people ear that farmers could have saved much of what has bean lott by more liberal engagement of labour. Perhaps to, Sat it it too much to be feared that In moit catee all the concentrated labour force in the County would not have prevented heavy lot*. Shit, however, U the dark eide of the picture. It ie pleawnt to think that it it amply counterbalanced by the brighter one, and that taking the yield all through my oiiimatc of About sis butbele per acre increase over the County will be amply, ful* filled. I give below ft tubulated etatemeat tthowiag the yield for last year at given by, the Government’* ttaiUUee, and alto the acreage under crop, alongside of which! place my own estimates in round number* for the year'* crop juit reaped. From this table it will be teen that the County will have more wheat (hit year to •ill by over hall a million bushels than it bad lath year i nearly 400,000 more bithole of oat* { while barley, an apparently ateadily diminishing crop, will be suit let* on hand. It is interesting, however, In a Comity like Ashburton, where both land and climate vary to much—where in eome parte the toil It light, and the rainfall, u a rule, Insigolflcant, while, in other* the land ia rich and heavy, well watered by etreami, and shower* more frequ«nt--to give detail# ot the yield in an cxofiptionally good teaien, a season in which the light land had a heavier rainfall than usual, and at lime* when it could make good «#e of it. These details I now propose giving, quoting last year 1 * Government re* turn#, and giving estimates bated on ay own information. ■ , WaiAiror. ~. /.■- I have selected the Government*# districts, for the lake of convenience in comparing yields, and Wakanui come* first. It it a grand wheat district taken a* a whole, out would perhaps bear a. ' higher character in thi* respect if tbs land more particularly known as Walamtt, were reckoned by itself. The land lying south of the Wakanui creek and down to the north bank of theAshburton river it the "Wake* nni" of ordinary street comer conversation—that lying to the-north, and including a considerable stretch of country towards deafleld, having no place in the mind of a person oasuauy speaking of Wakanui. Wakanui proper hae always been a heavier producer than the lighter soiled district lying more to the northward, but this year crop* have been raised on the light soils, of which thele have no reason to be ashamed. In giving figures for Wakanui, 1, of course, give for the whole district, as marked off by Govern* meet. Last year, there were in the Wakanui district, as stated by the Govemmenfc re* tame, 21,336 acres under wheat} this year, the extant was about the same. Last year, 291,618 bushels were gathered} and, this year, I estimate that folly 140,000 in excess of that quantity will bo threshed, or an average increase per acre of seven bushels. This Increase is exceedingly satisfactory, the more so that it has all been got in in fair condition, though the samples vary very much in quality, but are in general better. In regard to this point, however, my information putt me In a position to say that, though many samples brought ia are better than were shown last year, there are others that ars much worse, the good samples being the mle. Oats show an increase of about 2000 acres over last year’s sowing, and a better yield, I should say by nine bushels to the acre, being the difference between about 18 and 27. Barley has covered only about half the extent of ground it did last year, not 800 acres having gone under that crop, but the Increase per acre is a very marked one, only 91 bushels being the avenge of crop 1883, wnilo crop 1883 will yield about 24, lOHaBXi.CH

is also a good grain country, and Ibis year it has not belied Us reputation. Much of the load in this district will in the future be required to servo grazing purpose* instead of wheat growing, teeing that the attention of farmer* hae now been eeriouily turned to the benefit* of cheese producing, me exhibited by the recently opened factory. I may hero digress to mention that over 25 tons of cheese hare been manufactured and are ready for export, but at present a slight difficulty stand* in the Company’s way. They desire to run for the Government bonus of £SOO for the first 100 tons of cheese sold in a foreign market, if they can; but the Union Steamship Company decline* to provide the special accommodation required lor cheese on shipboard for less than 100 ton*. lam hot aware of what is at present proposed to be done, hut I know sufficient of the Direotora* grit to be perfectly satisfied that it the Government’s bonus is not to be secured, the fault will not lie at tho Directors' doors. About the same acreage of wheat was sown this year in the Loagbeaoh district at was laid down last year—something lets than 9000 Bores—and the gross increase In 1888 will bo shownto bs about 25,000 bushels, or something like three bushel* to the aero.. Oots have covered a much larger area this year than last—about 1000 or so acres—and the increased yield will be about 60,000 bushels, and about four bushels to tho acre. Barley has been less cultivated hero again, only about half the acreage of last year being grown, while the yield per acre is not so good. It is scarcely worth while giving details of this crop id « district in which only about 400 sere* are grown altogether. Dike it's neighbour district Wasanui, Longbosoh was lucky in getting in it* crop before the wet weather did damage to any great extent, and the samples sent up from it are in many cates beautiful ores.

Urpsß Ashburton, In this district it is satisfactory to note a steadily increasing arm under crop. This year, to put it roughly, about double tho extent of land has boon crowing grain, and with about thrse times last year’s yield. Wheat ha# been more extensively cultivated by about 6000 aero*, and will yield not very far short of 200,000 bu»b*l» more than was gathered lost year, and mare per aore by about seven bushels. Gate, too, have been more extensivriy cultivated, and quite 3000 acre* more than lost year have been under crop, the yield in crop in 1883 was 68,840 bushels, but this year quite these times that quantity has been gathered, whit* the increase per acre must be about ton bushels. Barley suffers the same nrgbet here at eiiewlmre, and only about 500 acres were sown—mete than last year to be sure, but only by about 200 antes, and the yield, though oorrospondioply increased with the acreage, will not bo increased on the average Borne of the farmers higher up suffered a little by the wot, but on most of tho lower holdings tho crops were cot in In time. : .

Mount Sosiune, Wheat in tho Mount Somers district shows ft slight iuorcMo in tho aortage sawn, and ti]*o a fair improvement on the yield, which will this year bo about three bushels to the acre more than last year. The extensive holding of Messrs Gould and Cameron is in this district, and mainly contribute* the produce Oais were eow» to a l«r greater exteat than in 1883, more than 2000 sores in excess, and about 70,000 bushels of an increased. yield will bo shown, averaging more than three bushels per acre of ■ au ioereaao over last year’s. Barley has b*en grown to about the same moderate extent as last year—about 000 acres—but jibe per . acreage hat been increased by more than five bushel*.

Bonqitata. Beth wheat and oats show a slightly Increased acreage this'year, though the increase “I™ 0 # to particularise. Still, quite ■■*o,ooo mote bushels of wheal than lost year will come to market, and the district will soore an increase of three bushels to the tore

to the staple eerval. Gate per acra will U If* year-* about jg tbs ritgbt iatnM* m the dlrtrirtV ylald io thte crop will mm# from the larger W#* St&d#r CtiUlvatfwU tot this grain. About m much barley ha* town grown ai might keep the ir«#*«* to malt, B th,y „* «ot heavy beer drinker#, (or only to aer#» hin been *o*S tod about 800 bushels topped —* fair yield. Mo cut nptt. The farmer* in the Mount Halt distrfa hate been very unfortunate. The *e«»g« cultivated wae a large iocs sal# on that of Iml year, and in *ome cases the yields wero limply aataiSoant. A* a matt** of last, Mount Bait dittrlet tuaaUy suppllse the wit samples to the country $ but this yw *® heavily have the lamer* iiitoi by the w«l that l do not ear# to risk any cateulatioo* until the weather having asttled and threshing get* fairly uorfer way again, I can apeak with greater coofidtsco. Bakau.

Thle dlctrlet ehowe a laereaec in acreage over the previous year, and the field* are much better. I ehould *#y that four buehele more to the acre will not he far frost the average yield when every thing ie panned—perhaps even more, bat on this aubject 1 wilt have occasion to write again. Such vans pise H I haverseen are well ap to the dUtncl’e average, from the date on which the figure* given above are baaed, X have every coofl. deuce In the nearneea of my approximation to ao accurate intimate of the Ctounty’e grain yield, which 1 append Is the etatement referred to above, 1 «]«o male endeavour! to procure enough Information bo enable me to eappty the average weight per bushel of the wheat grown, but the reaultwae only very partially locceeif id, and though euHScient to ere as Indication that the eamplee herveeted in fair order will he generally good, wa* not reliable enough to warrant %nrct. The following is a comparative etatement of the Ooonty** crop sc estimated for 1883, and the Government return# for 18S2:—

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