THE HARVEST IN NORTH OTAGO.

Otago Witness, Issue 3333, 30 January 1918, Page 11

THE HARVEST IN NORTH OTAGO.

PROSPECTIVE RESULTS BELOW ■ EARLIER ANTICIPATIONS. . (Fhom Oue Own Correspondent.) 9AMARU, January 24. Tho unusual' rainfall of the year, which was fully eight inches above the average, and its fairly equal distribution throughout the whole period, together with a knowledge that practically nothing had been taken out of the land for a couple of years, naturally gave life to a hope that the harvest of 1918 would be one of those exceptionally bountiful harvests seen in North Otago on occasions. As the autumn and winter-sown crops of both wheat and oats grew vigorously and flourished well in all respects, that hope approached very closely to a settled conviction. But grain-growing is attended by many uncertainties, and in truth it may bo said that the troubles that afflict the cultivators of the soil are many and various. The truth of that statement is receiving exemplification in connection with the harvest now being gathered. The rich promise of a couple of months ago is not going to be realised. Many evil influences have combined to produce this disappointment. But before I attempt to enumerate these, let mo explain that at no time did all the cereal crops put forth great promise. It can be said that, with few exceptions, the autumn and winter-sqwn cereals of all descriptions prospered well from the start; but the reverse was the case with spring sowings, for it was the exception to find any of these doing 'well. Fortunately, the greater—much the greater—part of the sowing was done m the autumn and early winter, very little wheat and an unusually small area of oats being sown in the spring. But there was sufficient of the latter to affect to some extent the general character of the harvest so far as oats are concerned. Thcso late-sown crops, taken as a. whole, never obtained a fair start. In many oases the soil was cold and wet when the sowing l was done, and then, before the clod wa"s fairly covered with protecting foliage, the heat came- and baked the soil hard—a condition from which it never recovered through the ajgency of softening- showers. I have already mentioned the unusual rainfall of the year. Let me now add that in a number of instances this exceptional moisturo led to the downfall of the crops. In the first place, it stimulated a great growth of straw, which in many cases and different places reached a height of sft or over.. The straw was still in a soft state when one day in early January there came a heavy downpour that flattened a number of heavy crops, wheat crops in particular and many of those have since failed to lift their heads_ to the sunshine and gain the benefit of its developing and' ripeninjr influence :. while others which hare lately got up again present an unwelcome darkened appearance that tells of yields seriously discounted. Then a heavy rain at one time beat the soil into a sodden mass, which the subsequent heat baked hard in a number of cases, even amonpst early-sown crops, which thereafter failed to prosper properly. Late frcst3 did mischief by catching some croDs in the delicate condition of fioworin<r, and the result is seen in the blackheads that disfigure in a more or less pronounced mariner many otherwise finc-lookinc? fields of wheat. As a striking contrast to these blackheads in a number of widely separated cases there are to be seen, particularly in wheat, patches of whiteheads. By some these arc attributed to a form of' blight, but others lay them to the charge of a grub operating at the roofs and killing the plants. This latter view is the moro acceptable, and generally accepted one, and tho question that gives concern to growers is how far the ravages of tho pest will

extend before their crops are ready to cut. Happily, during the past few days weather has been experienced that will hasten ripening, which has been retarded by the almost total absence of sunshine for some ten days previously. In a number of instances theso whitened patches are small, but in others they are much more pronounced, and must reduce yields that promised to be really good. Add to all these things the appearance of the caterpillar pest in the northwest, tho outbreak of rust in oats nearer town, and mild operations of the hessian fly iii the coastal south, and you have a fairly comprehensive catalogue of ills to beget disappointment. None of them separately has been sufficiently pronounced to seriously prejudice tho character of tho harvest generally, but in combination they have sufficed to transform a particularly promising prospect into an ordinary reality. From the popular point of view the chief interest centres in the wheat prospects, and naturally so, because it concerns the bread of the people. It will, therefore, bo welcome news that the output of wheat in. North Otago will greatly exceed that of last harvest, for there is a wider area to be garnered, and the average yield will certainly bo bettor. The area of wheat actually cut and thrashed last year was about 18,000 acres, and the gross product something like 450,000 bushels. The farmers of North, Otago, with few exceptions, responded to the call of the Minister of Agriculture to sow more wheat as an act of patriotism, and the result has been an l increase of fully 5000 acres. The total thus reaches between 23,000 and 24,000 acres, and the question to be answered by the thrashing mills is the per acre average yield from that increase. Upon that point there' is a divergence of opinion amongst j experts. The more conservative set it ' down at 30 bushels, while others place it ; at 35 bushels. "No thrashing hr«n yet been done to give a clue to the prospective results, and, indeed, cutting has not been commenced. Several things may happen between now and the completion of thrashing to affect present calculations. What is absolutely certain is that there will bo a wide range of results, for even adjoining fields present strikingly different appearances. Some paddocks of wheat will not give more than 12 bushels to the acre, while there are some that will reach as high as 60 bushels, if not a little more. The average will- be about half the best yields, and it is safe to say that the whole wheat crop of North Otago will be from 30 to 35 bushels per acre. On the acreage already stated that means a total production of about 750,000 bushels, or fully 300,000 bushels moro than last year. As to oats, one scarcely cares to venture an opinion as to tho yield, because it is impossible to foresee what proportion of the whole crop will be required for cutting into chaff and how much will be thrashed for grain. What can be stated with perfect

confidence is that, though the area under oats is smaller than in the previous - year, the output will be much larger, for last year the oats in the aggregate were a fail- i ure. There were certainly some remark- ! ably good yields, but there were others that wore distinctly poor, and only a small proportion of the whole . crop was put through the mills, a great part being either eaten off or abandoned as worthless. This year there will again be a wide gap between the best yields and the poorest, and many crops will not reach the thrashing mills. Some thrashing has already been done, but so far nothing of particular note has been discovered; or, if it has, the discovery has not been disclosed. As to the quality, iittle can be said. A few samples have reached the market of Algerians and the New Zealand variety Ruakura. and these run from fair to excellent, the higher quality being found in the Ruakura variety. I As to what are to come, there is room for I doubts at least in the matter of colour, for a large area has been standing in stock for weeks, exposed to unkindly weather j awaiting opportunities for thrashing-. The area under Chevalier barley is as usual, very limited. Most of it, if not' the I whole, has been cut, and some samples that have come forward are fairly good. The output of Cape barley will probably be up i to the average, fields that were sown for green feed not having been required for the purpose and permitted to go on to ripen- I ing. One of the biggest disappointments experienced is in respect to grass seed. An unusual production was promised, but the quantity that will be forthcoming has Buffered diminution. A considerable area was cut, but before it could bo thrashed broken weather set in, and the crop has been lying long in the fields exposed to j the wet weather. ■