HARVEST AND THE CROPS.

Otago Witness, Issue 1838, 11 February 1887, Page 16

HARVEST AN D THE CROPS.

Feom Otto Own Correspondents. ', Oamabu: The north-west gale of Saturday has. done Very considerable damage to the grain crops and orchards in the dibtriot. Harvesting ,wa» becoming very 'general, but, only a email proportion of tho grain had' been cut, and as may •be imagined, the strong wiud threshed out a very large proportion of the .ripe grain. Mouday t> Mail mentions that it bas been informed of one or two fields , of grain which were so completely threshed as to render harvesting useless. -• These ca^es are happUy riot of large extent, but there can bfl no doubt that the gale has very materially decreased the yield. Yesterday a large number of graingrowers in different parts of the district were bard .at work cutting their grain in view of the possibility of further damage from wind. , Last night there was a heavy downpour of rain, but it did not do any particular damage, and to-day the weatber'has been excellent for harvest work. The first of the new grain reached town on Saturday from Dun* troon way, and thou.h small, is of excellent quality, being as, hard as rice.

t Kakandi : Harvest is in full operation in this district, and a splendid one it is— the best for years— but in wet places tha crops is affected with rust. Nearly half may be baid to be cut, aud the remainder, which was ready for tha reaper, met wir.h s<*d havoc on Saturday,* when we experienced a terrific htorm of wiud from the north, blowing with hurricane force for about six hours. In places exposed to the wiud the graiu is thoroughly threshed out, and to take it all over, at. It a^t one-third of the standing crop mu-.t be ou the ground, whioh is rather vexing to farmers.

Balclutha. — We are enjoying splendid weather, and harvest operations are becoming pretty general. The crops are as a rule good. Saturday Vgale, however, shook tho ripest of the grain considerably. Root crops are looking well. The heavy raius which have fallen since the iutense heat have bad a wonderful effect on grass and turnips.

Cambrians.— Urain orops generally are light, although not ho bail as the hot, dry sumu,er lei I most people to expect. Whear. generally is of an inferior quality, the oue night's sharp fro-a shortly before Christmas having touched most of it. Potatoes will be a poor crop. Maungatua. — Harvebting is at present in full suing iv this district, excepting in the low«r partb of the district, where the crops are quittgreen. Saturday's gale has don« coubiderabltdamage to the ripe crops, and scarcely a farmer, iv this district escaped without buffeting morn or less from it. One or two of the farmer* have gone in for reapers aud binder-*, aud heveral others are expected to do the same in a year or two. The crops this seaman appear to be above the average, and it in to be hope<i will amply repay theagrioulturh»t notwithstanding the anticipated low prices. The green crops, both potatoes and turnips, are also looking well thi»< Bea-on.

Waikaka.— As there were but few fields of oats fully ripr, the strong gale of wind—which was almost unprecedented for violence at thio season— experienced last Saturday did le>»h damage thau was feared, while there are a few individual instances in which a goud deal of oat-< were shaken, the loss iv the aggregate is but small. There wern one or two fields of ripe sparrowbill which fully hUhtained its reputation tor withstanding strong wind. ■ Reaping wan begun last week on several farms —this week it is almoKt general, and by the beginning of next week it is probable that every farmer will find constant employment with the reaper till the crop is cut. There was a yery slight frostLtbi* morning ( Tuesday), but it is to be hoped there wi 1 be no more till the wheat is ripe. Waihola — Harvest is general iv this district. The crops — principally oats— promise a yield above the average. Turnips are looking uncommonly healthy. The potato crop generally promises to yield well. Grass is beginning to fail.

Henlbv. — Harvest has not yet begun. - The late wet, windy weather has done considerable damage in laying the orops on the- plain generally. Turnip aud potato crops art fair. Grass is fairly abundant.

Otakia.— Harvest on the ridges is in full swing. The yield will be good. The turnip crops looks very promising. The potato crop its fair. Grass is less abuudaat than it was a month ago.

Kuki Bush. — Harvest is ra. full Bwing, the. yield being good. Turnips are fair, and grass ou the coast is abuudaat. The small birds are a dreadful pest in all the districts, and farmers are complaining more than usual this year about the havoc they are making among their crops. WAiMAm-rHarvest operations in South Canterbury were a good deal disturbed by the heavy, nor'-wester which blew on Saturday. All stand* jug grain had a good percentage shaken out.and in the case of ripe and heavy wheat, much , damage was done by breaking down. . After the gale had mederated all the available harvesting machinery was set agoing on farme where grain was to cut, and Sunday forenoon also found the teams busy, very few who had ripe grain standing going to church, securing of the crop being the prime consideration. However, very heavy rain fell about noon, and harvesting for the rest of the day was put a stop to. In Waihao, Waiho Forks, Makikihi, Hakateramea, aud round Waimate towuhhip very many growers have allowed their fields to 6tand too long. Grain that was actually ripe a week or ten days ago has been allowed to stand up to the present time. Either the farmers were waiting for machinery or hoi >ing on as loDg as possible in the hope of getting the work done by contract cheaper than at the first prices asked. They have now only themselves. to blame? for the loss which the gale has occasioned them. Thit» waiting policy during harvest cannot be too strongly depreciated. Farmers in the aggregate should know how much in general theße delays in harvesting cost them, but it would seem that the lesson can never be a benefit to them. They are ready the following year to trust implicitly in Providence, and imagine that, no damage by weather is likely to overtake their crops .Neither wheat nor oats should be allowed to he come dead ripe before the harvester is put' into the field. A most noticeable state of affairs* too, and one which shows that the majority of our farmers are not farmers in the true sense of the word, was the fact that actually at the time when machines should have' been in the field at work, it was only being taken to " the ' blacksmith's shop for repairs and renewals to fit it to harvest the grain.

From Our Exchangbs.

The crops throughout the district (says the Pslmeraton and Waikouaiti Times) are ripening very fas*, and in a few days harve«tiug will become very general. We observe that in some paddocks in the Waikouaiti district a considerable portion of the wht-at crop is laid ; and from appearances we should t*ay that the crops generally are quite up to the average, and the yield is&spectud to to veryteood— at fesrt farmers

appear to be very hopeful, and anticipates satis* factory re ward, for then labour.'.^ The hay crop', 1 which has been stacked iv excellent condition', is the heaviest we have seeu for some years. \ ' Harvest prospects iv ; thb Hawea aud Wanaka district (says the Cromwell Argus) are anything but reassuring, the crops being stuuted aud poor. The only exceptions to the general failure iv the districts-named are the crops of Mrs Perriam in the Hawea; and the Grandview and Mount -Barker farms, .which are nearly if not quite up 'to the average. Prices lor grain will rule high for a time this eeasou, especially as we can look for but little ■ assistance foora the Witkatipu districts. There, as here— if w«. except the Crown Terrace crops, which are heavy but late, — . prospects are .anything but , brilliant, and as our own stocks run low, dependence for supplies will fall upon ourMauiototoor Southland neighbours. Fortunately for the consumer, advices, from Southland give ample promise of an abundant harvest in the South, while news from Blacks district is equally encouraging. Bauca County.— The Herald states that the heavy gale of Saturday has done enbrmoua damage. throughout the district. Many of the ripe grain crops have been laid, and in some cases threshed . out, while the - fruit trees have been well nigh stripped. •

Maheno.— Oue of the< longest; resident farm* e'rs in the district says be. has never had such a crop of wheat as is being cut this year on his; farm. The yield is expected to be 6U bu»hel» to the acre, aud the quality is superb. Pubkkeueke— The cious are looking well, ard harvest is expected to commence iv a fortnight or so. Grass is pluuuful, and -stock looking well.-.

Mataura.— The grass-seed' crop has been an unusually good one ; must.of it cut, aud some of it is being tbrebhed from the atook. A large part of the crop this year has been made into bay, the value of which has hitherto been over* looked here. One farmer who harvested a crou of about a month ago will have a second crop on thej-amo paddocto iv the course ot a few weeks. Ihti graiu crops will be exceptionally htavy .ones, wheat on the flat lands looking especially well, although iv one or two instauceo settlers ou the ri<igt s have suffered severely from the grub. I'he turnip crop, the area of which v greater iui-> year tban t'orinerely, is looking well, and potatoes also look healthy.

Waihola. — The yield promises to be above the, average. The Mnall birds are, aud have been, very destructive lately. Oa many farma the early obt crop to be cut for chaff owing to rhe pest. The turnip crops are looking, without exception, remarkably promising. The fly ha* not yet made its appearance. Grass is still abundant.

, Coal Cbbbk F&atv — Oats, which are now" •eing cut aud stacked, are a very good crop. Prices are quoted as high as 2s 6d per bushel by the bag. The recent rains have done a power of good to the root crops, which are (springing up with great luxuriance, everywhere. There will - be a splendid potato crop; aud the turnips are also very promising.

Roxbuuoh. — Although the extreme heat has in many cases ripened the corn rather quickly, yet it is anticipated that both quautity and and quality will be well up to the Usual average. I-Ongbbach (South Canterbury).— Thero are 3000 acres in gram on this estate this year, the bulk of it being in wheat, and an all rouud average of 35 bushels v anticipated. The oatb are also locking well, and. being harvested in good condition. WHSTBBNt District. — The season is the earliest ever experienced in this district, and : generally speaking the crops are good auu there is every prospect of there being gathered in first-class condition. We ( Wester u Star) bear, however, that grub and the ravages of small birds have in many places reduced the yield considerably, iv one case that has come under our Dorice the loss by grub being estimated at I from 20 to 25 per cent, ot a field of wheat. Oats were being cut this week at Fairfax, on Jacob's river and on the Aparima Co.'seatate above the Otautau, and but for the wet weather we hear that a start would have been made with a magnificent crop of autumn-sown wheat belong* ing to Mr Caroiichael, Strathmore. Contrary to earlier information on the subject 1 , we now find there is a considerable quautity of wheat throughout the district, all of which is in excellent order and promises more than average yield. .-