THE NEW SOUTH WALES WHEAT HARVEST.

Otago Witness, Issue 3336, 20 February 1918, Page 11

THE NEW SOUTH WALES WHEAT HARVEST.

A 3 in 'the previous year, the wheat harvest for tho current season in New South Wales is much later than usual, due mainly to the excessive rainfall during the spring. Tho period of dryness caused by tho predominance of westerly winds early in September was followed by a serica of monsoon al storms, wjiich resulted in-a substantial rainfall throughout tho State. Iu Oo-

fcober, also, the rainfall was excessive, serious- floods occurring on various sections of the Murray River, and extensive areas of wheat crops were destroyed. November proved one of the wettest on record, and iii all districts the rainfall was much in excess of the general average for this month. . ' The reports from a large number of the principal wheat-growing districts indicate that harvesting operations have been 'much delayed *by the excessive rain, but, although considerable quantities of hay were bleachod and discoloured, the grain crops have not suffered to the same extent, and, speaking generally, th.e grain is fairly plump and of good quality. Damage was wrought by hailstorms, and in a number of districts the crops were affected seriously by rust, take-all, and smut, whilst in others there were excessive growths of thistles and black oats. The area which either failed entirely or was fed>-off was 108,600 acres, as comoared with 391,000 acres and 53,700 acres in 1916-17 and 1915-16 respectively. The total*area sown with wheat was approximately 3,833,200 acres, or 665,000 acres less than in the previous season, the decrease in area being due in part to the very dry autumn, which rendered ploughing operations difficult. It is significant, however, that the number of holdings on which wheat was sown during 1917 was only 18,190, as compared with 21,047 for I&l6—a decrease of over 10 per cent. It is a fair assumption that the grain o#nfceitts of the bag will be three bushel? inr 1917-18, as compared with about two i>;i«hels and .three-quarters for 1916-17. On (his basis the returns now tabulated show fchafc 3,280.600 acres have been harvested for 43,557,000 bushels, or an average yield ol 13-4 bushels per acre, as compared with 3,521,300 acres, which yielded 36,600,000 bushels —representing 10.4 bushels per acre —in 1916-17. The figures quoted do not ftrf-lndo the areas which failed entirely.