THE GRAIN HARVEST.

Marlborough Express, Volume XL, Issue 4, 5 January 1907, Page 3

THE GRAIN HARVEST.

OATS, PEAS, AND WHEAT. THE YIELD AND THE MARKET. In yesterday's" issue appeared some .of the, results of interviews with the grain merchants, in which their opinions upon the yield, quality, and market prospects of the Marlborough barley crop were given. To^-uav the remaining cereals of any importance— -oats, peas," and wheat—are dealt with. OATS. Messrs Clouston and Co. expressed the opinion that the average yield ot 'chaff will prove nearly a ton to the 'acre less than last year. The total area in oats is 15,000 acres, about 1000 acres more than last year. Ine chaff was expected to be the best ever :seen in Marlborough, the oats being very clean,. As Mr Priddle (the manager) put it, the merchants are looking forward to handling some prune 'chaff this season, if ever they did. Ihe chaff is all consumed in the Colony, and market prospects depend largely upon the crops in the Wairarapa, Canterbury and Auckland districts, v Ihe Southland oats are never : chaffed in any quantity. There is ai increase of 23,000 acres in chaffing oats through.out New Zealand this year, while local stocks are about the same as they were last year. The 1906 market for seed started at 2s arid went 5 as high as 2s 9d for Algerian, while chaff started at £2 5s and went as high as 70s in the ,-stack. Mr Priddle expects the market to open up this seasonoat.about 35s to •..40s; ;',.: :'■■:/; ' ;f:;. ;■■-. : ;a. ••. Asked what variety of oats is rgrown in Marlborough ior chaff, Mr Parker "•■(grain expert) said Algerian had been "steadily coming into favour for some years past,., until from 50 to 60 per ,'cent. of the oats now grown are of that kind. The rest is made up mainly of Roseberry and Tartarian: Mr J. Reid, manager of the New .Zealand Loan and Mercanile Agency .Company, Ltd., said there would be of oats a shortage all round, as compared with last year's yield. The realisation would probably oe under two tons to ' the acre. The total quantity of chaff would, he thought, be 10,000 tons less. It woiild be-good, clean chaffyperhaps, containing a little smut, but no rust. The oats were being cut comparatively green this year, which would.give the chaff greater . weight and substance, :but he doubted whether it would be so palatable. There should be, in fact, "no bad chaff, so far as colour, and weight were concerned, in Marlbor.ough this year. Forty shillings -was being paid now for old. chaff. He aid not care to hazard an opinion about the new chaff market.

Mr A. Wiffen, of the Otago Malting 'Company, was of the opinion that the oaten chaff would be. superior in quality this year, while not so heavy as regards yield per acre. The process of sweating in the stacks would counteract the toughening effect of the dry winds that had been._ so prevalent. Wellington and: the West Coast were the principal markets for Marlborrough chaff, .a regular and brisk demand being created by the use of so many horses in the capital city, on the main truiik line, and in the mining and timber industries on the West ■Coast. ;''He-"r'j3ic[ not consider there •were 100 tohs;: of prime old chaff in the district ate- present. There had opened up-p, big market for old chaff in Auckland during the last few months, and the local stocks had been run out. The increase of "oats all over the country would probably have the effect of decreasing the price of chaff. The Otago Malting Company were the first and only: firm to buy a line of this season's chaff and send it to Wellington. It had given great satisfaction, too. But it was a risky business, cutting and bagging from th stook, owing to the danger of spontaneous combustion. He had received enquiries for more, but he was not going to forward any. ' Speaking 1 for Messrs Dalgety and Co., Mr Healy said he had seen some phenomenal fields on Thursday in the Upper Spring Creek and Old Renwick Road districts. Clean, and straight, these crops would take a great deal of beating. The output; of chaff should fte almost equal to that of last year, whUO-the quality would be even rsuperior. The prevalence of rust in .some"otherwise fine crops, however,: was hinted at. Mr Healy mentioned : a .crop of oats over seven feet high on a farm at Tua Marina. The whole of the crops on Messrs Redwood Bros.' farm, estimated to yield 24,000 bushels at threshing, were simply magnificent. Mr Robertson, (manager) said that Marlborough was regarded as the best chaff-producing district in the Colony, and this year would enhance her reputation. It must, however, not be forSotten that Otago arid Southland had ad the driest season experienced for ■many years,, and this factor should make for; a better supply of chaff this year. Messrs Levin and Co., who deal largely in chaff, supported the opinion that the average yield per acre would not be quite up to that of .last year, though the quality would be superior, borne of the paddocks in the Wairau Plain would go nearly five tons of chaff to the acre.

Messrs J. J. Corry and Co. were of the opinion that the oat crops along the Old Road in the Dillon Point district were excellent—beyond anything -ever seen for chaffing purposes. In Dillon s Point especially, where much or the seed had been "drowned out" last year, and where in other paddocks the oat crops had been too rank in the luxuriance of their growth, the crops were this year all of a . nice-.delicate straw, clean in the stubble, and a*Eogeliler ye the best>rfhaff. Mowat and McLauchlan, u°H? PnnciPal produce busufess is in chaff and . potatoes, expressed the opinion that the yield of qnaff per ton over the whole district would average about three-quarters of a ton per acre less than last year. It would be the cleanest and best chaff ever cut in Mar thorough, however, and should command top price anywhere. Speaking of potatoes, the firm's representative said the continued dry weather was having a bad effect, and in many cases the stalks were withering off with only little tubers at the roots. Yet a night's heavy rain within the next fortnight would do a great deal of good, espeeiallv to the damper Paddocks. Round about Grovetown the Up-to-date (Victorian) seed, planted early, was yielding a good harvest, lne reports from Tasmania were that potatoes were in abundance, and there was every likelihood of the price this ,year being low.

WHEAT. Wheat is this season a negligible quantity m Marlborough, only 2500 jcres being grown. The merchants interviewed^ generally agreed that the crops that are to be seen are good ones and that of Messrs Redwood liros. at the Ferry, Spring Creek as specially mentioned by several q + U?i Stlon of, mailket prospects is one that the merchants do not care to speculate upon, the prices being govelued ty 8 that happen at the other side of the globe. Tlie area, too! will decrease more and more if the prices of barley and chaff keep up, according to the merchants. PEAS. Clouston and Co. explained Stt' iannn° Ugh ' t l he acreage returns gave 1000 acres less, the actual contract growing was about the same Last season peas had been with many *» drowned out" farmers a kind of iol lorn hope.- They will come on, with a showery summer, almost at any time peas this year will be only half those ?* A year,P8r acre- Being sown later than other crops, they got practically ii)o rain.

Loan and Mercantile Agency l^ompany considered that from reports the average yield should be a very fair i C°nrse ¥* year was an exISS ?V S6aS°\f^ r ? eas< The late |rost this^year had been accountable °r£ gnat dea\^^m a Xe towels # lhe_Otago Malting Company con the crop a very poo^one, even to the "best land. The area had greaTly decreased, :and thej would not be

surprised it' it shrank still more under existing conditions. ■.'■'.: Messrs Levin and Co. said the stocks of peas only comprised one or two sorts. Round peas were in good demand at present.