OUR CANTERBURY AGRICULTURAL BUDGET.

Otago Witness, Issue 3338, 6 March 1918, Page 10

OUR CANTERBURY AGRICULTURAL BUDGET.

(From Our Own Correspondent.) A FINE RUN. Since writing a fortnight ago. the weather ha 3 been on good behaviour, and has endeavoured to undo some of the damage caused by rain at the time when I was sending my last budget. It took very nearly a week to put the crops into anytiling like condition, because the weather remained calm and rather dull. In any case, the stooks had received a thorough wetting. The rainfall averaged something like 2£in. Some places had a little more, others a little less. Last week was a good one for the country, as a nor'-wester blew with considerable force in the first days of it, and, contrary to former experiences this season, good weather followed the gale from the hills." The sun did not shine out very often, the sky being covered with clouds most of the time j but the rain kept off, and farmers were duly thankful. Ihe beginning of this week saw the same conditions prevailing. The glass was high, and"" the weather cool and dull. At_ times there was a suspicion of moisture in the air, and it seemed as if we were on tho fringe of more rain ; but the weather continued fine, and very pleasant for working. HARVEST WELL ADVANCED. Farmers have been making the most of their opportunities, and by the time that these notes appear there will be very little crop left out in stook. No doubt most of us commenced operations after ' the rain sooner than we should have done, and the stuff would have been better out in the stook for a few day* longer. But wo were afraid of the weather, and as soon as there was a reasonable chance of tho stuff keepia<r in the stack, the work of leading-m was pushed ahead as rapidly as possible, no halt being called for Sunday in numberless cases. Some of the wheat that was stacked first will have to remain in the stack till the spring, as there is not much chance of it being fit to thrash before that time. Anything that was stacked last week should be in good condition for thrashing as soon as the sweating process is over, the north-west wind having dried up the stook and hardened the grain in good style. The butts of the sheaves, resting on the ground, were the last to get into condition, and in many instances the stooks had to be pulled over so as to expose the bottoms, of the sheaves to the sun and the wind for a few hours before stacking. This had to be done wherever there was a big growth of grass and clover in the stubble. The grass growing round the stooks prevented the sun getting at the straw, and the matter was made worse by the fact that tho butts of the sheaves .themselves were full of rubbish that had got thoroughly wpt. and would rot rather than dry, unless the stooj£ were moved. As it turned out, those who moved or turned their stooks before stacking got their stuff into fair condition, because there was no renewal of the wet weather. Had more rain followed, as it might have done, % these stooks would have been in a bad state. Most farmers contented themselves with tipping the stooks over a few hours before stacking, so that there might be as little wet stuff as possible go in the stacks. It was found that the wettest stooks were those that were not pointed in the right direction. If they w r ere set, for instance, east and west instead of north and south, the sheaves on the south side were wet and ■ thoroughly out of order, even after a hard nor'-wcet gale, that prevented stacking and thrashing from being carried on for a few hours. If there was any grain near the bands of the sheaves it was growing, and the middle of the sheaves were also wet. In many instances the middle of the sheaves were quite musty and mouldy. Indeed, the only way to save some of the stuff, particularly oats, was to cut the sheaves open, spread them out in the sun, and then gather the stuff together again. That meant a lot of work, and was done only where a small quantity of crop had to be handled. .^ This season has shown that it is important that' the stooks should be pointed north and south. It is .not always easy or eA 7 'cn possible to. do that, especially when the hills face or slope to the east or the west. The stooks in that case must be set up and down the hill, or they will not stand. It is possible to set them on an angle so as to got as near to the right direction as possible ; but tho stooks cannot be placed on this ground in the direction that they should be to enable them to withstand a ram such as we had in the middle of February. The rough stuff dried out very well after all. The wirid was just the thing' for it. The sheaves were not tied too tightly, and in some instances they were small, as they would not go through the machine when they were being tied at the proper size. Of course, much of the stuff wa6 all heads and tails, there being no shape to the sheaves at all. The wind got through tho rubbish in these cases, and put the 'grain as well as the straw into first-class order. There was a little dampness at the butts of the sheaves; but that did not matter \ great deal, and it would be absorbed in the stack by the dry stuff.

Stook-thrashing has been resumed, and the grain was in very fair ; ordcr after the wind, though it would have been better had it been stacked for a few weeks. It would have_ improved in colour if not in general condition. However, stook-thrashing is such a good, method of getting the work dono expeditiously and efficiently that it is better to put up with a little depreciation on the part of the stuff than to dispense with the stook-thrashinar altogether, as some recommend. No doubt some of the wheat will have to. bf kept in the bags for some time, but it will eventually come right, unless thrashed positively wet. THE YIELD. There has been some speculation about the probable yield of the crops this season, particularly the wheat, in which the majority of people are interested. The Government estimates have come out during the last week, and it is predicted that the average yie'ld of wheat will be a little over 27 bushels per acre. This would give a total of over seven and a-half million bushels of wheat, sufficient for our own use. I am very much afraid, however, that the estimate is too high, and my fears arc grounded on actual experience of what the wheat crops are like % They are turning out in a very disappointing way, and the stook thrashing has progressed far enough to assure one that this sttae of affairs is widespread. Generally speaking, the crops are not turning 1 out more than half as well as they should do. In other words, the yield : s only half as larsre as it should bo to the bulk of stuff handled. There is any quantity of straw —sufficient to give as much

grain again as is coming from the mills. It is questionable if the average will be as high as it was last year. It turns out that tho actual return last season was slightly over 23 bushels per aero, and, as I have said, farmers agree that the average this season will be no better. _ Indeed, most of us are of opinion that it will not bo as good. Of course, there will bo some individual yields that will be much better; but it must bo remembered that there are some crops that have not been reaped, as they are practically useless. One may rub out a good deal of stuff before-getting a sample of "wheat; and when the sample is secured

it will bo found that it is nothing better than fowl food. Taking into consideration the fact that there arc many acres that will not be harvested at all, it is not difficult to imagine that the average will bo lower than it was last season. iho wheat is turning out poorly. Yields of from 12 to 20 bushels per acre in straw, that should have given twice the amount of grain, are the rule so far. and it must bo remembered that it is tho best of the stuff that is thrashed out of the stook as a general rule. It is sometimes said that tanners are interested in giving a pessimistic estimate of the season's crops. If they can persuade tho merchants, the millers, and the people generally that the crops are going to turn out in a disappointing manner, tho price might go up, and tho producers would bonelit in consequence. There can bo no suggestion of that sort this year. The Government has fixed tho price of wheat, and whether 'the crops are good or bad that price will be "given. There has been a suggestion or two made that tho price should be risen seeing that the cost of production and the small yield will leave little to the grower; but that suggestion has not come from the farmers, who are sports enough to let things remain as they are this season, though tho opinion is freely expressed that the price should be raised for the next season's crops, as wheat-growers have made little or 'nothing for the past three seasons, while some of the producers of other lines have clone comparatively well. In any case the task of growing wheat is becoming yearly a more difficult one, and the price should be raised to make it worth the while or farmers to go in for wheat. Of course, there is the feeling of patriotism in this connection that will induce farmers 'to go along way; but there is the tendency to leave it to the other fellow when it comes to a question of losing money over tho matter. Wheat-growers are gamblers by nature, and some of them will go on to the bitter end if they think that there is a slight, chance of a rise. It is plain that there will not be sufficient wheat in 'the country for our own requirements during the current year, 'and importation will have to'be resorted to. It must not be understood that 'this is the fault or. the farmers. They did their part in the matter of sowing the crop. The area was increased to such an extent in spite of the difficulties that surrounded the situation that, had the yield been an average one, only, there would have been sufficient wheat for otxr own use. The weather has been against us all the time, right up to the last, when the heavy rains of last month spoiled the sample throughout the length and breadth of Canterbury. It is more than time that the Government fixed the price for the' ensuing year, so that the farmers may know where they stand in 'the matter of price. Stock is paying handsomely in spito of the fact that the price of stores is so high and sheep are so scarce. Still, if farmers saw_ a reasonable chance of wheat remunerating ±hom for their labour and trouble they would grow sufficient for our own requirements jAs for the oat crbp, it is going to be a bigger disappointment than the wheat. There are thousands of acres that are not worth the reaping, there being little else than straw. Where the oats have gone to is a puzzle. Crops that looked as jf thev might give anything from 40 to 60 bushels per acre are sp poor that the mills are being sent out of the paddock 3. It is cheaper to buy oats than-to thrash some of the crops at the present price of thrashing and tho deplorably email yields. Most of the late crops broke down before they could be reaped, and they'are now practically worthless. They will be stacked and cut into chaff; but the chaff will bo little better than pure straw chaff. Indeed, some of the crops are so weathered that good, clean straw chaff would be better tcr the stock. If the southern farmers have good crops of oats this season they will make a lot of money.

NEW ZEALAND WHEAT CROP.

YIELD UP TO EXPECTATIONS. CHRISTCHURCH, February 28. A meeting of the Wheat Trade Committee was held here yesterday, and to-day Mr M'Donald (Government Wheat Controller) stated that the distribution of"the last Australian wheat crop was decided upon and the proportion which each of the southern ports is to get was allotted. Figures were submitted showing that the total New Zealand crop was approximately estimated at 7,800,000 bushels, and actual thrashing. results to date showed that, the expectations wero being realised, and there should be enough wheat in the country for our own requirements.