WHEAT AT WAIHI

Taranaki Daily News, 8 June 1931, Page 7

WHEAT AT WAIHI

GOOD CROP HARVESTED.

FORTY BUSHELS TO THE ACRE.

An event of great interest to farmers, and to poultry-keepers in particular, took place at Waihi last week, when, says the New Zealand Herald, Mr. W. P Busch, a local storekeeper, who also owns a farm in the district, threshed a crop of wheat which gave a return of 40 bushels to the acre. This, it is stated, was the first cereal, crop to be threshed in the Waihi district. The area sown was seven acres and the total yield over 270 bushels. Two years ago the land was a wilderness of blackberry, fern and tea-tree. The whesi was sown in June of last year. The results have been so gratifying that Mr. Busch now proposes to sow double the area for next season. Solid straw Tuscan, the great Canterbury strain, was the variety used, and a bright, wellfilled sample was harvested, the cost being estimated at about £6 an acre. A'large number of local residents, including the Mayor of Waihi, witnessed the threshing activities, the plant for which had to be brought from Ngaruawahia. The unique nature of the operations in that district can be judged f-„m the fact that only two of the spectators had previously seen a threshing mill in action.