PLEASANT POINT

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLIII, Issue 20667, 4 March 1937, Page 3

PLEASANT POINT

THE FARM SCHOOL COST OF GROWING WHEAT In welcoming Mr Steele, who has recently arrived from Tasmania to take up the position of instructor in agriculture, vice Mr G. S. Ridley, who has been transferred on promotion, Mr Roberts, president of the Farm School Committee, said that he hoped Mr Steele’s association with the Pleasant Point School would be a particularly happy nature, and that the committee would co-operate with him for the general welfare of the school and the farm.

Mr Steele said that he was very pleased to meet the Farm School Committee. He had only had a very limited opportunity as yet of going over the farm, but what he had seen had impressed him very much. The Pleasant Point pupils have a wonderful opportunity, an opportunity denied at most schools of receiving a first-class knowledge of the practical side of agriculture. He would be pleased to assist in any way. Those present at the meeting were Messrs A. H. Roberts (president), J. Chapman, C. Chapman, C. Lyon, R. Kingston, F. W. Agnew, W. Halkett, W. J. Crawford, S. C. Gibb (headmaster), A.. K. Easterbrook (secretary) and Mr Steele. An apology for absence was received from Mr T. Kelliher. Mr C. Chapman, visitor for the previous month, said that he had engaged Mr Fort to cut the oat crop, which was now threshed and stacked in the holding shed on the property. There were two bad patches of Californian thistle in the stubble area and he suggested that a good dressing of sodium chlorate would obviate the possibility c’this pest spreading to any extent. There wa: an area very bad with fat hen and he would suggest that the committee have it ploughed immediately before the seed was ripe, if this was not done soon they would have difficulty with future crops. The swede crop was looking extremely well in spite of the wet weather.

Tlie chairman asked Mr Chapman if the soil around the swedes was quite firm. Mi- Chapman asserted that the rain had not noticeably washed any soil away. The swede crop was discussed at some length, members generally agreeing that where reverted super had been sown there was a decided and obvious difference in the crop. Cost of Growing Wheat With regard to the cost of wheatgrowing, Mr Roberts said he had prepared a statement of a crop grown on the School Farm for the 1935-36 season, which would probably be of benefit to farmers generally. The yield was just over 40 bushels to the acre. The expenditure was: Grubbing 12 acres twice, 6/- per acre, £3/12/-; ploughing 30 acres twice, 9/- per acre, £l3/10/-; harrowing 30 acres twice, 3/per acre, £4/10/-; drilling 30 acres twice, 3/- per acre, £4/10/- seed, jumbuck and Tuscan certified, £2O/6/2; manure, copper, carbonate, etc., £7/10; ro.ling and harrowing crop, £5/13/4; freight, certification, twine, insurance, £3/19/-; cutting, stocking, threshing, £6l/8/2; sacks, cartage and railage, £26/9/5; stamps, telephone, petrol, 4/7; by allowance rent and rates, £43/10/ total £195/2/8. Receipts—Jumbuck, £llO/15/3 certified Tuscan, £175/7/4; sacks, £l3/18/8 total £3OO/1/3. Credit balance—£lo4/18/7. This balance, said Mr Roberts, roughly £3/10/- an acre, showed the cost of growing the wheat was about £6.10/an acre, and on this year’s cost would exceed £7 an acre. If the depreciation of the land was taken into consideration the credit balance would disappear altogether. The committee was fortunate in the fact that the nature of the soil and the good season allowed of sufficient tilth with only one ploughing. Generally the farmer ploughed twice and often three times. This was perhaps not required after rape or turnips or on the rich heavy lands. Members generally agreed that the allowance of 25/- an acre for rent was particularly light, and the costs had increase considerably this year, one member saying that- where the cost of ploughing in 1936 was 9/- an acre, one local contractor had this year charged 12/-, clearly proving that the cost of production had increased by more than the amount paid to farmers for their grain. Mr Roberts said that the Hon. D. G. Sullivan had promised a report from farmers who were keeping an exact account of costs, etc., but up to the present this report had not been published, neither had the Minister disclosed the price the millers were paying for wheat this year. It was asserted that Mr Davey, of Temuka, in his Evidence before the. Wheat Commission, had said that wheat prices should be 5/10J a bushel, otherwise it was useless farmers trying to grow wheat at a margin of profit. Oat Crop The seed from the recently threshed oat crop was said to be particularly good and several enquiries had already been received. There should be no difficulty in disposing of the crop for seed. On the motion of Mr J. Chapman, it was decided to offer oats at 3/3 a bushel, sacks extra. The committee passed a vote of appreciation to Mr F. W. Agnew and Mr M. Maze for assisting with the threshing operations, also to Mrs Agnew for providing refreshments during the time th. mill was on the property. Grazing of Clover Crop Mr Steele said that if the committee decided to graze the clover crop extensively it would undoubtedly have an adverse effect on the subterranean clover owing to the seed not having ripened. A light grazing would not do any harm because, owing to the damp season, a. big proportion of the seed would probably germinate, more so than if the season had been a nordinary one. It was only recently that farmers in Tasmania had drilled their clover seed in preference to the old method of broadcasting, and -where formerly some farms in Tasmania were carrying a sheep to three to four acres the new method had improved the capacity to three and four sheep to the acre. Subterranean clover was the basic food in these areas. There was no comparison between seed from the mainland and Tasmania, the Tasmanian seed being superior in every way. Mr Steele gave a very comprehensive account of the manner in which clover seed was grown and har-

vested in Tasmania. It was proposed to sow a considerable amount of Tasmanian subterranean clover seed at Lincoln College this year and it was going to be Interesting to farmers to see the results obtained.