AGRICULTURAL ITEMS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20235, 20 April 1929, Page 20

AGRICULTURAL ITEMS.

The latest official figures relative to agricultural production in tlio United States put the 1928 wheat yield down at 902.749.000 bushels from 57.724,000 acres, the average being 15.6 bushels per acre. Maize production was 2.839,959,000 bushels from 100,761.000 acres (average 28.2). and oats 1,449.531,000 bushels from 41,733,000 acres (average 34.7).

In the calendar year 1928 Great Britain imported 5,179.000 tons of wheat, and 436.000 tons wheat flour, compared with 5,522,000 tons grain and 548,000 tons flour in 1927. The decrease in grain imports is accounted for by smaller receipts from the United States, India and Australia, which mora than counterbalanced heavier shipments from Canada and Argentina.

It is proposed to hold a world's grain exhibition and conference at Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, in August 1932. Invitations will be sent to India, Australia, United States, Argentina and Russia. Cash prizes to the value of about £50,000 are to be offered to exhibitors of various kinds of grains, and amongst the subjects expected to be discussed are soil chemistry, cultural methods, plant breeding, marketing, grading, transport, etc.

The supreme champion steer, an Aber-deen-Angus crossbred, at the Smithfield, London, Fat Stock Show last December, was sold by auction for what is described as the record price of £220. Ihe live weight of the steer was 14 4cw t,, and age 34 months The price may be a record so far as Great Britain is concerned, but it is quite small beer besides the fancy figures sometimes paid in the Americas. For- instance, at the 1916 Palermo, Buenos Aires, Fat Stock Show a pen of three steers was sold to Swift and Co. for £2270 per head, while the champion at the 1926 Chicago International was knocked down to a bid of 15s per lb. live weight.

With the object of justifying claims for " safeguarding the woollen industry " and a reduction of wages in certain sections of tlio trade, the Woollen and Worsted Federation recently issued statistics revealing a heavy decline in oversea business in lops and fabrics, says the Pastoral Review (Melbourne). For instance, it is shown that experts of woollen tissues to Australia, which aggregated 12,890,000 squaiv yards in 1913, dropped to 7,130,000 in 1928. Corresponding figures for worsteds were 7,780,000 and 1,540,000 square yards. Though not so large proportionately there was also a very considerable falling off in the trade with New Zealai. 1.

A vcrv interesting brochure showing (lie deposit liabilities of 150 of the largest American. British, Colonial and Dominion Hanks, set out in the order of the amount of their deposit.!, is issued by tho Californian Bank, ai.d is of sufficient interest to repeat hero. Tho five biggest banks, judged by tbat scale, am all British, tho Midland leading, followed by Lloyd's, Barclay's, tho Westminster and the national Provincial in that order. Tho National City, Iho Federal Reserve, and the Clase National, all with headquarters in Now York are the next three, and then comes the Hoval Bank of Canada. The Bank of England is twelfth on the list, the Bank of New South Wales twentyeighth, Commercial Banking Company of Sydney thirty-eighth, and so on. Of the 150 banks listed, 90 American aggregate deposits amounting to 19,266.985.244d015., while 30 fewer British total nearly as much, viz., 18,644,536,907d015. In addition. it is stated (here are in (ho English speaking world approximately 29,000 smaller, banks*