WHEAT AREA LARGER.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVII, Issue 17622, 8 November 1920, Page 6

WHEAT AREA LARGER.

INCREASE OF 50 PER CENT. ' STATISTICIAN'S ESTIMATE. TOTAL OF 213,900 ACRES SOWN A marked increase in the area devoted to wheat production this season is shown by the returns compiled by the Government statistician. As in previous years cards were sent out by post to graingrowers throughout the Dominion asking them to state what areas they had sown or proposed to sow in wheat and! oats this season. From the cards returned the statistician has compiled the following estimate of the areas for 1920-21 : — Wheat. Oaia. Acre*. Acres ?»orth Island . 5.600 60 500 South Island - 208,300 405.200 Totals . . 213.900 465/700 In comparison with the areas sown in the 1919-29 season, these estimates show an increase of over 60 per cent in the wheat area, and a decline of 9 per cent. in that sown in oats. The actual return* for last harvest are as follow . — Wheat. Oats. Acres. \cm. For threshing . . 139.601 179*734 For chaffing . . . . 2.0*9 321.451 Total harvested. . 141.650 501.195 Not harvested . . 737 14.810 Grand totals . . 142.387 sli]ooi The returns for the last harvest practically confirmed the estimate published in November 1919 rf the .vheat area, which was 142,960 acres. The area devoted to oats was much greater than the estimate of 410,250 acres. The following table shows the acreage of wheat and oats threshed for the past 11 years:— Wheat. Oats. Acres. Acr»s 1908-09 . . . . 252.391 40S 908 1909-10 . . . . 311.000 37'.000 1910-11 . . . . 322.167 302.827 1911-12 . . . . 215.528 405.658 1912-13 . . . . 189.869 355.756 1913-14 . . . . 166.774 361.741 1914-25 . . . . 229.600 287.561 1915-16 . . . . 329.207 212 668 1916-17 . . . . 217.743 177.524 1917-18 . . . . 280,978 156.202 1918-19 . . , . 008.030 172,656 1919-20 . . . 139.601 179.734