GRAIN RECORDS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3882, 7 August 1928, Page 20

GRAIN RECORDS.

SOME INTERESTING FIGURES. AUCKLAND, July 31. Interesting facts and figures concerning wheatgrowing records are quoted by Mr J. Grimwood, of Hamilton, in support of the writer of a letter in the New Zealand Herald last Tuesday, in which reference was made to what is claimed as a world’s record by Mr C. S. Noble, of Nobleford, Alberta, in 1927. Mr Noble’s field of T3OO acres yielded 74,000 bushels, practically 57 bushels to the acre.

" As one born in Canterbury I can state that New Zealand can beat that record,” said Mr Grimwood. "I can remember a paddock of wheat of 10 acres between Rangiora and Woodend, North Canterbury, in 1882-83, when 114 bushels of wheat to the acre were threshed. I can also remember a field of 30 acres

of o.d.i a few miles south of Timaru, which, yielded 139 bushels to the acre. In another field of oats, grown on the Oxford Plains. I saw oats standing seven feet high, and I helped to thresh the crop, which yielded 76 bushels to the acre.”

Regarding the size of graingrowing farms, Mr Grimwood states that Mr Duncan Camcrcn. of Methven, held the record for New Zealand. “ I think it was in 1890 that I was harvesting on Mr Holmes's estate at Methven. which was not far from Mr Cameron’s estate, and he had 9000 acres in grain. Wheat, oats and barley were there, but chiefly wheat was grown. In one field of wheat of 1000 acres, he had 23 reapers and binders working, and over 200 draught horses were engaged in rdaping and carting to the stacks.”