THE HARVEST

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLI, Issue 20340, 12 February 1936, Page 5

THE HARVEST

GRAIN THRESHING WELL Although not a great deal of grain has yet been threshed the predictions that the crops would yield well are being borne out. A well known millowner told a “Herald” representative that in his experience he had not seen grain threshing as well as that being put through this season. He had just threshed wheat that had run up to 220 bushels per hour, and oats as high as 250 bushels per hour. On one farm 1275 bushels of wheat was threshed in 6.1 hours and this included shifting and stopping. He had also put through 1800 bushels of oats in 8 hours. Among the crops he had so far threshed there had been yields of 50 bushels of wheat per acre and on one farm a paddock of oats had gone over 100 bushels per acre. While some farmers are being favoured with good yields, others are not in quite the same fortunate position. Two or three farmers in the Claremont district, for instance, have had what would have been record crops ruined by straw rust. Early in January a week of bad weather was encountered. A heavy fog came up over the district and settled on the hollows, the result being that straw rust made its appearance, the outcome being that the grain is shrivelled. To look at the crops now that they are harvested, one would think that they would thresh out at about 50 bushels, but it is doubtful if a great quantity of the wheat will be fit for anything but fowl feed.