THE CHOPS IN NORTH OTAGO.

Otago Witness, Issue 2808, 8 January 1908, Page 20

THE CHOPS IN NORTH OTAGO.

The impression gathered from all observant travellers this year i$ that two "portions of the South Island promise to return crops hardly excelled by those of any previous season. These are Southland and North Otago. The former will probably put up a record in oats, the latter in wheat. It may, of course, be reasonably urged that it la yet early to say much on the subjeot, and this is probably the case in reepeofc of Southland, but, reserving only that tp© weather be fairly favourable for ripening off and' harvesting, it is not toft early, to forecast results in North Otago. l'h© year through -wniohr that distriot hae p&aead has been a particularly trying one. Eighteen months of drought, accounted for the entire failure of last harvest, the .denudation of the pasture, and the loss of thousands of hors«s, cattle, and sheep. Of the area laid down under crop in 1805 only half wfts out in 19Q?> aQ d that nalfi yielded but half the usual cropv'% there-' j fore, the y«ar had toy cojnpeasatlop, ii was In the fact that ioe land was '•rested,, ajjd grain that was sown early for- this har. Vest fell in paddooka that. had. practically been fallowed for 4- whole • .season. 1$ j brairded well, an 4 now «howa sufflole^ji straw to carry yejjy heavy crops. Rains m the spring aided the growth! materially^ and also macfe H possible to get the' plough uiio lea land which had prevwijßly bse» j tod bard for work. By that fcime> tod, prices had advanced, aiid there, was every xeas<>a to antiaimte pla figures for next year's cjftp, The' dual opportunity wag seized, and ai lofgft flr«g; '$$ ejliijgj wh£fs

~and - oats was sown, bringing the total acreage well up to that of the previous year for wheat, ' and over it for bate. These spring, sowings have not done so well as the winter ones, but there is still ample reason for framing an estimate equal to the best of recent years. • Much- may still happen, but it is quite possible to "forim an opinion of what may be expected as thet result of the labours of the coming harvestDealing first with wheat, ; i may be remarked that <little hae been- sown south o£ Otepopo, and the average' may be expected not to exceed 25 or 30 bushels pec acre, while' Otepopo and Maheno districts will hardly do any better, but, deviating from the latter point to the south-westerni side of the Kakanui River, it has to be recorded that Incholme promises a splendid yield. There some crops will run close to 55 bushele, end the average may be esti-r mated at quite 40. On the other side oS ,the river, Totara, the orops are simpler too hea-oy, and tfaey are ao uniformly godcl that an average of 45 60~50 bushele is Hy no means an extravagant estimate. Thesa conditions extend, in a slightly diminishing scale, up the Waiareka Valley, and coven the whole of the large ■wheat-growing dmi triot drained by. that' .stream. Windsor Park, Ngapara,. Elderslie" (falling more toward the Kakanui), and" the .Tables \a|il present "the same cheerful aapecfi- The. Tokarahi and "Maerewhenua. -tables \iava never looked better, it asT well/ and wlieafi there should _give . an .average! return of 40 bushels per acre. !Those faces whioh hay» a northerly _ aspect 'eie jidt so .good,- and as the Waitaki River is "approached the prospects diminish. "Duntropn, Otiake, and Kurow have had a lighter rainfall than the coastal districts, and there" are ' some .crops which will not give ioore than 15 bushels per acre, while the average will probably be less than 25. The' upper portions' of the j Papaiaio Plain aarte t better, and .things improve thence towards the 6ea,"pne or two crops near Pukeuri giving promise of aa • much as 50 -bushels and' more. Keturning ; turough Oamaru the eye ■ of" the speculator is arrested by the appearance of. Awamoa and Taipo Hill, where once more there is t*e promise of a 40 or 45 bushel average'; ana, crossing the Kakanui River again, Allday Bay tempts one to expect something in the vicinity of 35. It will be seea "that" there is some uniformity about the> crops of North Ofcagq and that things ara everywhere promising -well, excepting only the Oliake riding of Waitaki County. Summing matters up and avoiding extremes either way, there is ample.- reason to "expect arr average yield of -40 bushels jper "acre, and 1 , ■ with - favourable "weather, it seems qui=e - possible- it .may be more. In this way-ist Nature readjusting her averages and bestowing what she .withheld last _ . Even heavier are'the crops of oats. Some at- Incholme, Totara, Jkfield,; and Pukeuri are .mentioned as likely, to ' give -70 ' and" 80 bushels per aere.^and many -might 'bet quoted which appear to be r - carrying 4 60 i Early-sown " oats- nad a moat favourably spring,, and, "like wheat; now snow sufficient, straw for remarkably heavy yields. Withi all "the" testimony bhat -is- available 48 to) 50 bushels per acre 'for this cereal is By,no means ." -• - ?'■>-•' " • '*<■■ Barley'has been-so'wn iavery small-areo^ andf a few crops, at -Otiake have alr-eady>' v "been' out, but the "yield will be a Mght one . and the total inconsiderable. - J ~

Actcks the - Waitaki River . some earfjr fields of oats have 'already been out, ana if the .heat of the 4aet few days "continues! there will -be a good deal more' itt-stadk he* fore another week has passed. In- fact, there is no small danger that the heat is hastening jnatters too much, especially an. lighter- land. - The area, of potatoes is much the same as Jaskyearr and that of turnips a good deal" larger. Both, orops are doing well 7 and! promise to give- farmers' rather more thatt - a respectable return,, while th© growth of grass .may enable North .Otago. and - South] Canterbury to provide "feed* for the Canter* bury jtook, which eeem likely to »ant ti before the winter ie over. ■ • -