THE PAST HARVEST.

Otago Witness, Issue 1585, 8 April 1882, Page 6

THE PAST HARVEST.

All things considered; the past' 'harvest has .been pretty satisfactory, arid"' tbe'temers have Ij'some -caiise ,f,pr.. thanksgiving. The , season^ taken turough, from seedtime to^hai-v est, has' '■< been very unfavourable "for grain 'crops ; but, in spite of- all ( dis^dy^ntageSj .there are, some, .vprygood yields in th.c district,- and the average will not fall far below that' of previous years, The I 'crops do not : Seem to have suffered fromj the' violent winds ( 'to 'the same 1 extent, 1 as* from' ,all account's^ they appear ilio na-ye 1 donpfutttier „northi Thegale that caßsediSuch,'heaYy,lo^|p.the Canterbury farmera came gather . too early, in* the' autumn 'ta catch' many fully ripe .crops in this Pr6vinciaTDistfiotf. "'" -""" f'' !'! ' ,? ■According to th ! e raUway returns', '4oo,ooo sacks 1 qf lf gra.w t ijiayp iiß^en^arriediQn^he^ewj Zealand railways, and as that isi probably; not, half of the total quantity grown in the polony, ltjwould appeatf'that't'he' ndr'tyestefs''liav'e [\ffi ,a! little;' '^cain,^f^r* l ,the' miils E to / thresfi'''6 t ut. ■\Ye have not much cause for complaint w^e^ wjb compare^buir'averagefMyieJd with that of South Australia,- the greatest- wheat-growing colony of, 'fill the 'Australian group 1 . They nave! a 'deficit .there , of about two million bushels, and? e^atMyield Ws& Sfak Wtoefc 1 figure of eight or nine bushels per aoro. jTh'e 5 Bridies' 'offeViiig? i f o^'whea^'and *o&fcflire\ corißideraljlydh "advance- of • la^iyfear's-'quota" tions'at-iihiB 1 time 1 ,) Qnd ; are' likely to'improve ere the next' English crop is 'in' the market, i Very little over 3s a bushel ''could ' be' obtained for w'h'oat at' -this 'timer last yearj-arid 1 those who 1 ' shipped their wheat "must have '-ne'tted^'mucL niore'than3s, as the price in Lon'ddn ran 1 up to more" than 60s- per i'quaTteriM.* There- is'hoi 'guarantee; however, that' such will be the 6asei this'ye£rf, ; atid farmertfjwill ido well 'toconsidef , well ere tlipy refuse anything over'4s'in'-the-'looal- markets'.' Grain-growing •'is -ai'lotteiy.at the best, and'it is only prolonging 'tKe agony tod ship when cr 'a < >fair' I 'pricb" I can'>be' f *obtained!fiei:e 'without any more ri^bor worrybeing incurred. There is a certainty of profit 1 io even' a M 25-/■busfi^-'aigtra^e^roi) at'4s'6dperbushd';;but by r ; shipping 'this certainty is reduced to a chance.. The chances are' in ffeWur'-'df- 1 getting a lower 'net return, and. even if ifc should turn out to be higher,, a considerable portion, r of the. profits, are docketed bf 'the'eh'ipping agents. ■ _• , " ' New Zealand whddt obtained a v.ery'good, i name in' the Hpirie'^maTrkets last ! y«ar. ' Th'e^' weather duii6g\tfa'rye's,t wafe. 'exe'ediiigly favour lable, and,' cohseqiiieiitly the' grain" went ' into" 'the stack in splendid order;- This year we have nbfbeen so fortunate', and it is ttf be feared thas in some bd,seatho.wh6at willibe.more or/leas^n. bad order fomshipment. 'It is.,to be .b.oped,tl\ati farmers will not, damage. th,e reputation, of .our wheat' in the European 'markets by'sonding t away sprbuted or inferior' grain. { ' o1 ,U ■ The rise in the price of oats is a cheering prospect for Otagan farmers, j>yho a,re so cir,-; cii instanced with regard-, to soil and climate that oats ..are- necessarily the cereal, (jhiefly grown, During the past few years that the.price. of i oats has been so low,- many wiseacre^- prophesied that they would neyer again" rise \in price above 2s. They maintained that so large an area is annually being rendered unfit for wheat 'by continuous, gr.ain-growing.jthat oa,ts / must^necessarily be predominant crop for many, years .'tP come; and- as the market for pats is principally confined tp thisan^the, neighbour-' ing Colonies, it would, 'be impossible' for -the demand to get, ahead of the supply. It is very satisfactory to find tbat r these ..dismal prophecies "have «■ so ■soon,;' I proved to ibe t false. . A medium crop of oats at 2s 6d per-bushpJjWill pay expenses, and leave a good margin for profit, ans besides tha,t v tho straw is to b,e taken into account. Gpo,d t oa^en straw, if properly utilised for feeding stock' during' the winter, is of considerable value to the careful farmer. ' Notwithstanding;: .the , large , quantity, of Colonial beer. _which, is .supposed tp (3e,drunkigL, New Zealand, the price of' barley keeps at a very low figure. The area sown to barldy has tjeen, extremely limited" for.several years past (i yet the diSm'and-'does not overtake the supply, \ Perhaps' 1 this is owing to a large quantity; of < imported' malt 'being' used," on" perhaps thei Colonial tipple is indebted;- more" to hops, than < to malt for its* flavour. •, ■ | h . ■ ». r v, .> •. y,. The ffotik of. threshing i^ a soripus jtcm in the , f armor's expenses. , Last .^season, threshing, was doHOi at yory reasonable rfito^ aud' tho're is no reaaon why it should ' bo raised thi:^' year, tHo ciops as a riile being short in straw and fairly woll headed. It is very important that tho sacks should be carefully sewn if intended for shipment. If this Operation is carolessly and slovenly performed, 1 a very great amount, of grain must be lost before it roachosdts destination, for the sacks have, to be handled many, times, and .the rough treatment they recoiyois such as to try the tightest and most carefulstitching. All the straw of bothwlieat and oats should be carefully stacked when threshed, and, if possible, secured with wire or ropes, so as not to be destroyed by high winds. Tlioro can bn np doubt of the great' benefit to stock which 1 stack of straw affords in tbe winter time, ii only for shelter. But if hard pushed, sheop, M well as cattle, will eat all kinds, of straw witli a ] relish, .and when the ground is covered with | snow for a day or two, as is sometimes the ca*io I in a .severe whiter, it h veiy hard lmca for, fitock if Ll)-.iy have nothing in Mic shape of dry, food to fall back on' for it, time.