THE AUSTRALIAN HARVEST.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 826, 19 January 1871, Page 4

THE AUSTRALIAN HARVEST.

♦ The following report is from the Melbourne Leader of Jan. 7: — The wotk of cutting down and harvesting grain is now being pushed on rapidly, and in some of the earlier districs cutting has been finished, and the threshing machines are busy, but the yield hitherto realised is not satisfactory. The weather has been most favourable; stilt asthe work of harvest advances reports on crops continue to be of a most uncheering character. Unlike our South Australian friends the fears of our farmers respecting deficient crops do not dwindle away until they become extinguished by the realisation of a magnificent harvest. From the westward, where some time ago crops were eaid to be of the finest description and full of promise, we have now doleful accounts of rust and disappointment. "Instead of tbe prospects of a good harvest recently reported from thte promising appearance of cereals genera ly, farmers now scarcely hope to reap 25 per cent, of tbe yield previously anticipated." So says the Belfast Gazette. From tbe Avoca district a correspondent writes, saying tbat he has just finished cutting one of the worst crops he bas ever had, tbe rust having made aad work with (he quality of the grain, as well as the yield. We learn trom the Coleraine Albion that reaping is now going on in all directions, and all the machines in tbe district are busily engaged. Unfortunately tbe results are by no means generally encouraging. Moßt farmers have lost part of tbeir crops, some nearly all. There have been so many things to conteud with. In several cases the long continued rains literally withered tbe crops away. In otber cases they were destroyed by the floods. The grubs got at the oats, and rendered it necessary to cut whole paddocks for bay. Ihen in the last week or ten days the rust has set in to the wbeat, and though fortunately crops generally are too far advanced to be seriously injured, some of the later ones will be destroyed in a great measure by it. There are some good crops which will give a yield of from 25 to 30 bushels to the acre, but tbese are very rare. The average of the district, taking the area cropped, will not be over 10 bushels cert inly." On the otber hand, it is cheering to note that there are some good crops in various parts of the colony. In the Ararat district, for instance, the harvest is said to be a bountiful one, and few farmers have reason to be dissatisfied with the result. Bust, it would appear, did not attack tbe wheat crops until they were well advanced towards ripeness ; therefore tbe injury done has been but trifling, fortunately for the farmers of that district. In the neighbourhood of Merino, although the crops are hot so good as was anticipated, oats especially having suffered severely from the ravages of caterpillar, still the yield, it is expected, will, be a fair average. In the north-west, around Murchison, the wheat croj s . ripened off with astonishing rapidity. They are now all cut down, but rust is reported to bave been so prevalent that it will sadly interfere with the quality of the grain. From this quarter, however, comes a ray of hope for

farmers. The local paper promises .some suggestions as to the cure of this, destroying disease before the ensuing seed time. Theße suggestions will no doubt be looked forward to with some interest. Crops in the Barkly district promise an abundant harvest. Five acres of wheat cut down a fortnight ago is expected to yield over thirty bushels to the acre. In the northern districts of South Australia the harvest h reported as over, and the yield of grain unusually large. According to the Si/dney Mail, "in the metropolitan district the weather has been more than usually boisterous during the early part of the week. A strong southerly gale set in on Friday, blowing with terrible violence on that and the two succeeding days, and accompanied with heavy rain, causing the flooding of the Cook, the George, and the Hawkesbury. Some damage has been done to the growing maize, but it is hoped that this will not be extensive, as much of tbat which has been beaten down may recover." In the Dungog district the harvest is over and farmers are jubilant. The reported total failure of the wheat crop applied to the redchaff alone. They vill have grain to sell as well as consume. The Mudgee district has suffered severely from the effects of rust in the wheat crops. The southern districts of New South Wales have been visited by hurricanes of winds and torrents of rain accompanied by falling hail, or rather, as it is described, "lumps of ice." Much damage has been done to wheat and potato crops. Caterpillars too bave done and are still doing an immense amount of injury. In fact crops of all sorts in these districts it would appear have suffered very severely, and tbe weather has been bleak, stormy and unseasonable.