NORTH OTAGO CROP PROSPECTS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3334, 6 February 1918, Page 9

NORTH OTAGO CROP PROSPECTS.

The Otago Commissioner for the National Efficiency Board (Mr James Begg) ha 3 just returned from & visit to Oamaru and North Otago. He found harvesting in full swing, and, while labour is, of course scarce, the difficulty is being overcome by a healthy spirit of co-operation amongst fa/mers, who are making the best use of the men and material at their command. No insuperable difficulty is expected in getting crops cut and stooked —in fact, in some places oats, barley, and grass seed are already thrashed. If the .weather keeps fine most of the wheat will be thrashed from the stook, but in the event of unsettled weather a large area will have to be stacked, and the scarcity of labour will be severely felt. The wheat crops aro very irregular. There are many excellent crops which will yield big returns, but there are also many fields in which the wheat appears to be_ blighted, and which will give very disappointing rosults when thrashed. Local opinion indicated that an average yield of about 30 bushels of wheat might be expected. If this is realised it will be satisfactory, but will still be less than was anticipated two montlis ago, when the luxuriant growth gave promise of a phenomenal harvest. 'Conversations with North Otago farmers gave the impression that the increasing difficulty of procuring labour sufficient for the work which grain-growing entails will lead to less wheat being planted in the coming season than in the past. The difficulty is not one of price, which is generally regarded as being fairly satisfactory, but farmers are growing weary of the long hours of hard work wnich wheat-growing-

under the present labour shortage entails, especially. when disease threatens to rob them of much of their just reward. The blight which is attacking the wheat seems to be a puzzle to farmers, and it would appear a good opportunity for the Agricultural Department to lend its aid in determining the naturo of the disease and devising methods of combating it. Fields which gave every promise of a heavy yield are. now standing without any grain in the head, and it has even been suggested that in some cases the useless crops will be burnt off.