CANTERBURY AGRICULTURE COLLEGE.

Otago Witness, Issue 3870, 15 May 1928, Page 13

CANTERBURY AGRICULTURE COLLEGE.

QUARTERLY FARM REPORT. The season just concluded has, on the whole, ” been satisfactory, reports the Director of the Canterbury Agricultural College (Mr R. E. Alexander). Crops were all good and yields up to normal, but no outstanding yields were obtained. The harvest was much later than usual, just on three weeks later than any harvest since 1909, which may be due to the cold, wet spring. The weather in January and February was quite good for harvesting, but conditions at the end of February ami.beginning of March delayed threshing. Spring-sown crops did not grow as one would have expected. Kale struck well, but grew very slowly. Mangels and potatoes were only a medium crop, and both turnips and rape were hard to strike. Turnips were only fair, but rape turned out much better than anticipated, and, contrary to usual experience, this year our lambs fattened well and quickly, with the exception of one period in January, when the dust seemed to upset them. About 25 per cent, were sold off the mothers, and the balance were away early in March. Green feed and autumn-sown grasses havfXstruck well, and are a pleasant contrast to our sowings of 12 months ago. The prospects p-enerally for winter are quite good. The following yields have been recorded:— Wheat.—Hunters, 461 and 45J; Tuscan, 54; A el vet, CO;—average for. whole crop, 50 bushels. Oats.—Gartons, 70 bushels; Algerians, 63 and 70; Duns, 70. Barley.—6o, 70, and 44. Peas.—34 bushels. Linseed.—Five bags per acre. The scheme of cropping and acreage was as follows:-—Wheat, main crop, 116 acres; wheat, trials, 24; oats, 130; peas, 31; barley, with grass 25, 40; oats and vetches, 33; rape, 46; mangels, 9; potatoes, 4; kale, 13; Italian sown, 63; green feed sown, 47; grass pasture, 40; flax, 4; —total, 600. The sheep on the farm are as follows: 553 stud ewes, 930 crossbred ewes, 44 stud ram hoggets, 197 flock ram hoggets, 271 ewe hoggets, 38 rams, 50 killing sheep. Sheep sales during the season, with average net prices, were:—B3o fat lambs at 29s 2d; 108 fat ewes at 24s 9d; 11 Border Leicester stud rams at £33 15s; 8 English Leicester stud rams at £3O; 12 Southdown stud rains at £29; 5 Romney stud rami at £29 6s; 3 Shropshire stud rams at £lB 15s; 1 Corriedale stud ram at £46; —40 stud rams averaged £3O;

48 Border Leicester flock rams at £4 8s; 47 English Leicester flock rams at £9 ss; 41 Southdown flock rams at £7 10s; 43 Romney flock rams at £7 7s; 22 Shropshire flock rams at £6 15s; 12 Corriedale flock rams £8 10s; 7 Suffolk flock rams at £6; —220 flock rams averaged £7 2s 6d; 260 rams sold averaged £lO 12s Cd; 71 surplus stud ewes averaged £4 ss. Sheep purchased were:—l stud English Leicester rani at £B4; 1 stud Romney ram at £5B ICs; 10 Border Leicester ewes at £2B 17s 6d; 15 Romney ewes at £3l 10s; 10 English Leicester ewes at £52 10s.