HARVEST IN NORTH OTAGO

Otago Witness, Issue 3280, 24 January 1917, Page 12

HARVEST IN NORTH OTAGO

(From Our Own Correspondent.) OAMARU, January 15. Harvest operations have commenced in earnest ,-in many parts of North Otago, some catting having been done directly alter New Year. The iiarvest is fully a month before its true time, early and premature ripening having been induced by continued hot and dry weather from tho early days oi December. The result will be that crops will not realise tho promise they gave in November, when appearances were so good in respect to wheat generally and to earlysown oats as lead to anticipations of an exceedingly prolific harvest. As things have turned out tho average yield of wheat will not be much above the general run, but still double that of last year, when tho cereal crops were more or less ruined by tho drought, and an average of 15 bushels per acre from the area cut for grain, while a considerable acreage had to be abandoned as worthless. This premature ripening means that the berry lias not been fully developed, and consequently crops that six weeks ago looked like giving 50 bushels or over will not now yield more than 40 bushels. As a general rule it may bo safely said that the lack of rain and the plethora of sunshine in December took fully 10 bushels an acre off the yields. The grain will naturally be small, but it will be hard and thin in tho skin, and consequently a good wheat for millers. Of course results will vary greatly according to localities and timo of sowing. Thus, while some wheat sown in the early autumn will thrash out up to possibly 50 bushels per acre, there are other fields in other localities that will not give one-third of that return. A few very promising crops, too, were hit by late frosts at a critical stage, and rendered of little value. Happily, however, only a very limited number of fields of wheat camo within that category, and thero are very few that will not repay for harvesting. The same thing cannot be said of oats. All that were sown in tho autumn or winter have done very well, except some that were smitten by rust. Catch crops of oats—mostly Algerians—that were sown to provide feed for stock and, not being required for that purpose, were permitted to go on for grain production, have turned out exceedingly well, and a number of them will thrash out up to 70 bushels an acre, while few will fall far short of 50 bushels. Other early-sown oats will also thrash out well, these being mainly Gartons. But the oats sown in the spring, which probably cover the major part of the area under this cereal, can at once be dismissed from all calculations and written down as failures. From the outset very few of them did much good, and when they were hit by tho spell of hot and rainless •weather they simply collapsed. Barley was very sparingly sown, and the total yield of Chevalier will be small. Cape barley, sown in the autumn for feed purposes and allowed to come to maturity, did well, and will give good yields, but the area is by no means extensive. Taken in the aggregate, the best crops are found some miles inland, where more rain has fallen than nearer the coast. Still on the seaboard some good fields of grain, particularly wheat, will be garnered. At All-day Bay. for example, the crops have done very 'well generally, and there are a number of fields that promise to give average yields of 40 bushels an acre or something* better. Coming northwards, on tho old Awamoa Estate and in its vicinity there are crops of wheat that should, on appearances, produce from 40 to 50 bushels an acre, and there are a few really good fields of oats. North of the town, too, there arc whoatfields in tho neighbourhood of Pukcuri that promise to thrash out something like 40 bushels an acre, while a few paddocks of oats have also done well. A little further on upon the light land about Hilderthorpo, a number of wheat crops should yield over 30 bushels, and in a few instances close on 40 bushels an acre. I.ving behind this coastline stretch the crops, taken as a whole, are disappointing. Even on the famous Totara, with its j-ich tarry soil, the crops are not what might bo looked for, the long dry spell having prejudiced results very materially. There aro certainly some paddocks of wheat that look good for 40 bushels an acre, but there are othess that will not approach anything like that figure, while the best of the oats are no better than fair. About Weston and info the Waiareka Valley, along Ardgowan and across to Papakaio and Awamoko and tie- contiguous Steward Settlement tho crops may bo classed as from indifferent to medium, with some absolutely poor. Thero are, of course, exceptions. lor oxampic, ona crop of wheat in tho Waiareka looks like going close on 50 bushels an acre, and on the same property there is a good crop of oats. In tno Airedale district, too. thero aro some crop of wheat on practically maiden soil that promise from 40 to 50 bushels per acre. Again, the Papa, kaio district a paddock of a New Zealand

variety of oats named Green s Ruakura —a name that combines tho_ names of the raiser and the place of origin—has just been thrashed and gave an average of over 70 bushels per acre from land contiguous to another paddock from which Gartons returned only half the yield named. This is the third year, that the growers have tried this new variety of oats, and on each occasion, all being dry years, it has done well. It is not attractive to look at, but besides its strong recommendation for reliability in dry seasons, it is pronounced of good feed quality, _ and farmers in localities liable, to experience seasons of little rain should boax it in mind. But to resume an examination of the crops hf the country, it has to be remarked that j[t is behind the intermediate stretch of Country just named that one finds the best average of quality in the cereal crops. Starting in the south at Incholmo and the contiguous Kauroo Hill Settlement, the most satisfactory condition continues on the Wind sor and Tokarahi Settlements, about Ngapara, on the Tables to Maercwhcnua, then from Uuntroon westward to the Otckaiko Settlement and Otiako. All this belt of country hud the advantage of nice rains that wore denied to other localities, and the result is seen in the highly promising condition of the wheat crops generally. Scy were not hurried on to ripeness in an perfect condition to the same extent as elsewhere, some being still in a comparatively green state. A great number of the whoatficlds will reach 40 bushels an aero, while a few may touch as high as 50 bushels. Of course, some of the wheat crops will fall to a lower level, but none will give poor results except in odd cases where late frosts did them injury. There are also some good crops of oats, though these arc irregular. Now, as to the general results to bo anticipated. The area under wheat _ is somewhat smaller than in the previous year, when the total reached between 18,000 and 19,000 acres. Last year, however, owing to the severe drought a largo number of fields were abandoned as ■worthless, and the average yield from what was thrashed was only about 15 bushels per acre, and the total production of wheat for the county amounted to considerably under 200,000 bushels. This year, though the actual figures are procurable, the area may be set down at about 15,000 acres. The whole will go through the thrashing mills, and it is, I think, safe to estimate the average yield at 30 bushels per aero, with a possibility of that figure being exceeded. That would mean a gross production qf 450,000 bushels of wheat at least, with a Chance of the total reaching closer to half a million bushels. Something approaching a similar area was sown in oats, but a very considerable part of the sowing was done in the spring, and all that part can be set aside as practically worthless. Of the part that will be cut, some portion will bo used for chaff, and upon the extent of that part depends at once the average per acre of the yields from the thrashed oats and the gross output of grain. It is, therefore, practically impossible to form an estimate in cither respect, and I refrain from hazarding a guess. This much may, however, bo said with perfect safety: Last year the oats were such a pronounced failure that Oamaru, instead of being a selling centre, became a purchasing centre; this year there will be a considerable surplus over local requirements, but what that surplus will amount to cannot be determined. Very little malting barley has been grown, but Of feed barley there will bo a fair production, consequent upon the manner in which sowings of the Cape variety sown for food have thrashed out, or will do so. For instance, from Ngapara comes the report of an average of 72 bushels per acre having been obtained from a small area that was twice eaten off severely. That may bo an exceptional case, but all the “catch crops’’ of Cape barley will give good returns, and so, as there was a good sowing. The aggregate production wull be comparatively largo. Potatoes have not been planted to anything like the extent soon in previous years. This has been doubtless duo to the unsatisfactory experience of growers last season, when, from combined baneful influences of drought, disease, and grubs, the results were in the aggregate unprofitable. The total area under potatoes this year is set down at a little over 1200 acres only, and the yield promises to be light. No sign of disease is reported, hut for the want of moisture last month, the crops have not done well. There are a few excellent potato crops about Kakanui and on the Awnrnoa, but the best of the remainder are only fair. Big yields will be few in number, while the majority will bo found to be light when the forks got to work, for the prospects are of small clusters of tubers, find those of only medium size.