YIELD OF WHEAT

Waikato Times, Volume 126, Issue 21037, 13 February 1940, Page 3

YIELD OF WHEAT

9,000,000 BUSHELS MACHINES DISPLACE MEN CROP FROM BIGGER AREA (By Telegraph.—press Association) CHRISTCHURCH, Monday The increased use of header harvesters in handling the Canterbury wheat crop this season has deprived many men of their usual seasonal occupation. More than 500 headers ploughed through the rich wheatlands of the province and brought in this season’s harvest in what must be record time. An unbroken spell of fine weather meant that the hari vest jyas virtually over in a month from start to finish. Men who normally visit Canterbury at this season to find employment on threshing mills and on farms have been disappointed. A big contingent came from the North Island and others from the south. They found little work, for the farmer and his son can operate the i header, which does the work of cutting, threshing and bagging in one operation. ■ Larger Acreage Soon Based on the official estimate of 33 bushels to the acre, New Zealand’s wheat harvest this season may yield nearly 9,000,000 bushels, enough to meet domestic requirements for a year. A great increase in the area has made this possible, for last season’s crop yielded only 5,564,136 bushels, with an average of 29.4 to ; the acre. 1 A yield of 33 bushels to the acre will produce 8,547,000 bushels off an estimated area of 259,000 acres ; Many observers believe the area will j actually prove to be very much greater, probably in the vicinity of i 270,000 acres. It js pointed out that a great deal of wheat was sown in September and even later as a result of the appeal by the Minister of Supply, the Hon. D. G. Sullivan.