VARIETIES OF WHEAT

Southland Times, Issue 24237, 21 September 1940, Page 13

VARIETIES OF WHEAT

Great Popularity Of Cross 7 HIGHEST YIELD FROM

TAIAROA

Tire Government Statistician has made available summaries of the returns from the wheat threshings for the harvest of 1940, and the Wheat Research Institute is, as usual, analysing them, so that they may be used as a guide to farmers in their future sowings. Since sowing is possibly still m progress in South Otago and Southland. a special advance analysis of the yields in those districts is made available for publication now, states a bulletin issued by the institute. The counties are divided _in two groups, namely, South Otago, including the counties of Bruce, Clutha and Tuapeka, and Southland, including die counties of Southland and Wallace. The yields are as follows—representing about 90 per cent, of the total wheat handled:—

These are very high yields. New Zealand as a whole yielded only 31.15 bushels an acre last harvest. The yields, etc., of the varieties were as follows: — South Otago

All the varieties are almost equal except Tuscan. This is, however, probably used on the lightest land sown in wheat. Hunters does not show up very well, considering that it is P r ?°“ ably sown on the best land available. Taiaroa has done fairly, considering that it was probably the latest sown of all the varieties. It looks as if it would be wise to use Cross 7 for the earlier sowings and Jumbuck or Taiaroa for

Cross 7 seems very suitable for this country and has practically replaced Tuscan. Too much weight should not be placed on the high yield of Taiaroa. There were only 11 crops of it in the returns received from this area, and new varieties tend to be given the best fields. However, these results confirm those of previous seasons, and the variety is worth trying for all later sowings. Jumbuck, Purple Straw Tuscan, Montana King, Pearl and Hunters accounted for two crops each, and Yeoman for one.

S. Otago S’land Total No. of crops 340 455 Total No. of bushels 156,660 217,523 Average bushels per acre 40.0 40.3

No. of crops Acres Av’ge yield Cross 7 166 2131 40.6 Tuscan 95 938 37.5 Hunters and Red Chaff 23 314 41.2 Jumbuck 21 171 40.3 Taiaroa 13 143 40.0

the later. Southland No. of crops Acres Av’ge yield Cross 7 • 394 4771 40.3 Tuscan 39 425 37.5 Taiaroa 11 103 50.5