CROP YIELD.

Southland Times, Issue 17663, 22 February 1916, Page 4

CROP YIELD.

An esteemed correspondent this morning takes exception to some statements made in this place on Saturday, but he has gone quite beyond the scope of our article. Our reference was strictly to grain yields, in which Southland this year gives the rest of the dominion quite a remarkable lead, producing 38 bushels of wheat per acre, as against an average for the whole dominion of 21 bnsheis, and 50 bushels of oats per acre, as against an average for the dominion of 33 bushels. We referred in the article only to the production of grain. Our correspondent arrives at a result of his own by taking the area in occupation in each province and the aggregate value of the exports from each province, and thus arriving at the average yield per acre. This comparison is, however, quite misleading, as the exports are not all the produce of the soil. For instance, in the year 1913, which our correspondent mentions, gold to the value of £1,791,000 was exported, timber and Kauri gum to the value of £874,000 and manufactures to the value of £1,000,000. Furthermore, if we take the general value of exports as an indication of the fertility of the soil, we shall certainly be misled- This year, for example, the abnormal prices ruling for wool and meat give a great advantage to those provinces which happen to carry a large number of sheep. How unfair our correspondent’s method is is demonstrated by the results he arrives at. for he obtains an average yield of £1 3s 9d for Wellington, as against 9s Id for Auckland, and £1 5s 3d for Taranaki, as against IBs 5d for Hawke’s Bay. It can hardly be contended on the strength of our correspondent's figures that an acre in Wellington province is equal 2% acres in Auckland province. The point we had under notice is perfectly clear. In the dominion there are a certain number of acres under crop which produce a certain quantity' of wheat, oats and other cereals. Presumably the land most suitable for the purpose is put under crop in each province, and the yield is in proportion to the fertility of the soil, ths methods of farming and the suitability of the climate. As for the rest the statistics speak for themselves. Our correspondent has produced a table which has no value in relation to crop yield, and has therefore no bearing upon question immediately under notice.