THE GRAIN CROPS OF THE PROVINCE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 14184, 9 April 1908, Page 2

THE GRAIN CROPS OF THE PROVINCE

SOME FACTS AND FIGURES. While the season 1906-7 was a distinctly severe one for the farmers of Otago, more particularly in the northern portions, tlio Benson just, ended has, from almost every point of view, boon an eminently satisfactory one for Otago and Southland. It has boon a- real farmers' year, Yields of all white crops Jiave been exceedingly good, priccs have beon high, and the market generally lias _ all along displayed an appreciable finning tendency. A review of the past season was afforded 0110 of our reporters yesterday by a representative of a. loading local firm of grain merchants. The. crops grown throughout Olago over the past season could, it was stated, be safely reckoned upon to give an average yield of 37 bushejs to tuo acre. As a wholo the yield this year has beon a very heavy one, and in certain districts, notably, Palmerston, Ta.icri, Milton, and Balclutha, the crops are fully three times the extent of what they were last season. In the previous year there was an almost unprecedented drought fo contend with, and tho highly satisfactory results which the various lands under crop this year give promise of producing will prove doubly gratifying to farmers and everyone concerned. During the present, season oats have been offering much earlier than last, and as they met a practical}' bavo market, they -have been selling very freely right from tho beginning of tho season at. from Is llcl to 2s lM per bushel on trucks.. The quality of bust season's oats was considered good, but this season's are even brighter and heavier, and it is probable that the Government gnio will this year show an appreciable improvement. In many instances prime lines of Gartons have weighed as heavy as 1171b per bushel. Last season's A grade Gartons weighed 41ii). In the Oaraaru and Tiniaru districts tho yield this year is heavy, but the oats are light. *lil the Southland district the yields are heavy, and so a.ro tho oats. As a consequence many of tho Canterbury millers havo this season purchased largely in heavy-weight Gartons from Southland. A special feature of (.bo present- season with farmers so far has been that in consequence of prices opening high the eales effected have been exceptionally heavy. In fact, enormous quantities of oats liavo been' sold this season, and, moreover, tho grain purchased has gone into consumption very rapidly owing to the North Island being bare of stocks at tho beginning of the year—a fact which is readily understood when ono considers that North Islanders were paying as high as 3s 9d per bushel for oats purchased during the latter months of lastycai. Consequently, they had only purchased as much as would actually keep them goin<j, leaving themselves open to purchase largely immediately the new season's oats were on the market at a lower price. Thi6; as already stated, they have done rather freely. At the present time the grain market is exceedingly firm throughout Southland and Otago, and many of the farmers are holding their stocks in the hopes of securing still higher priccs later on. The bulk of the wheat, in Otago has now been bought up, and is held by cither millers or merchants. Those farmers who are stpl holding wheat are by no means inclined to accept any reduction on the rates that have ' been recently ruling, namely, 4s 4d to 4s 5d per bushel on trucks at sidings. Millers oxpress entire satisfaction with the quality of the Otago wheat this season. Taien wheat is par ticularly good.

In regard to rye-grass, the season's crop has beon almost disposed of at prices ranging from 2s 8d to 3s on trucks at sidings. The production.this year has been far in excess of what it has been over the last two years, and -the average weight from farmers ranges from 231b to 251b, which is considered a good weight seed. This has been machined into from. 281b to 311b seed.

Tho returns in regard to potato crops throughout Otago.and Southland this year are very disappointing. Looking at the fields when'the potatoes were maturing one would h&vo arrived at the conclusion that tho crops would bo heavy, but for some unaccountable reason tho roots have given but limit-ed results. The blight is, however, by no means so apparent as it was last year, and tho quality of the potatoes is much superior to that of'tho previous season. But, at the same time, there are evidently not sufficient potatoes in tho South Island to meet North Island and local requirements.

To come to actual figures, the area in oals ii: Otago this year was about 175,910 acres, as against 169.094- acres last year, showing an increase of roughly 6SOO acres. The wheat crop in Otago this year is set down at 45,058 acres, as against 43,737 acres in the previous year, showing an increase also of about 1300 acres. Over the whole of the Dominion' there are this year 46,199 acres more in oats than in tlie previous year, but in tho area down in whqat there is a decrease of 18,050 acres. In potato there is also ft decrease in the sowings in this instance of 4436 acres.