WHEAT GROWING.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1294, 21 July 1886, Page 2

WHEAT GROWING.

{Hawera Star.) Those who intend to grow wheat will shortly be sowing. It is a remarkable fact that New Zealand wheat la now selling fora belter price in this colony than in London. From the South we hear that an increased area is likely to be laid down in the grain crop this year. Neither should this be a snrpr'e, The estimated yield of wheat last fa: zest was 4,242,000 bushels. The usual lowance for home consumption in the colonies ia &£ bushels per head of the population, and iu New Zealand two bushels of seed per acre for the coming crop. The population is In round numbers, 600,000. The wheat required for food iu 18S6 would be 3,31.0,000 bushels. Add to this, the seed for the same area ss last year at two bushels per acre on 113,000.:acres, gives a total cf 3,646,000 bushels leaving a balance available for export of less than 600,000 bushels ; to which there is to be added the amount of wheat held over from the previous year, an Item which b not now given in the Registrar’s returns. Seeing that in 1885 no less than 1,359,000 bushels, and la 1884 2,706,000 bushele of wheat were exported from New Zealand, the sudden falling off in the production might fairly be expected to enhance prices as has sotuilly happened. New Zealand wheat has a special value fer mixing with certain Australian and foreign wheats, but unless a much larger production is available next year New Zealand wheat cannot possibly figure largely in the world’s markets.