PUNY BUT PROMISING.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 715, 14 January 1910, Page 8

PUNY BUT PROMISING.

- '/ • OTJE JIAIZB. .-//:.;. ' Th<> maize crop of tho United States" is worUp/over/'a; biilibn dollars'- per lahniun.' Tlie'maize/ crop-of -New .Zealand .is. such a puny , thing that. tfio--/Government 'ig-. noresit in'the estimates, "; l: ; . Y<it raaize'could be to New", Zealand what it' is to. America if the' eamcconditions existed. Various industrial -eii-. terprises aio the 'first cause of -.the ;preeiniiierice of maize, atoong the' cereal crops ;of;th£ : States.':' Tien-\he* habit; 1 of feed-' ing the surplus. to stock has become' part of : the .everyday : r.6uftne" :of the farms.. Wo in New Zealand have none .of the industrial, enterprises. which have helped, maize in America, and although we'have .Uji> stock, 'to: feed,.- .we'xhave .hover' .yet learned'; 1 completely habit, of giving, them maize grain., '. ■-.''.>■ .• 'i ■ ■'.} - .:;.The .cropping capacity .Tof .nlaize, is enormous.': .The,./ Poverty Bay average '. this season,is estimated-at 1 75'.bushels per. acre, and some of the plots.there'it'ill yield 100' IraShels.';: Inference' was recently made to .the;.fact : that, some of the oat and barley crops of -Wairarapa and. Rangitikei would -yield 100, bushels .of: grain, per' acre.; But,; if .one' has- to: take extreme examples, in-: stances ,'bf 200 bushels of maize" per. acre can-'.be, cited'. ■ It' is best always to ' be guided ;by- ;averages, and on; this basis maize gives returns -nearly double; those of . wheat', oats; or, barley: : . ' ;Here/is-an; estimate ofvwhat'-maize.'can. .producer-fanciful,' perhaps, , : but not" mis-, leading. '/ 'It' is from' the "American ,'Ag-. riculturist":r-Ma:iz'e .bills, ,31' feet .'apart; total bills -per acre, 3555; crop, '4 eSrs per bill ; ears,' per bushel (sheUed), 100;. tbtal.-.crop, '140 bushels ' per,- acre./. ■ ■-We-can verify this estimate . in - actual practice, in New Zealand/But at pre-. sent there seeim .to ,bo-an .anxiety as tp the- o.utlet...for Va'.'-.big.- grain., crop. .-..We want 'manufactories ; started' ior : making oornflour, pop' corni hoininy, and many, other foods which'are derived frommaize, and for - the manufacture; of many; other articles of' modern .'commence.'' .The '• byproducts of maize, rieach with: a: distihot' value;v'are , to 'be numbered by. battalions.;.. The. mere;enumeration. r of -them.: M-ould 'be . wearisome,but, they "are at. the'call pf. enterprising manufacturing riien' iii. New ; Zealand; .and when.' once the: latter'begins l to consider them -seriously our mode of feeding stock'may l>e considerably t Tho supply can bo'forthcoming at short ■ notice. : We ; are, .however, waitins for the demand.. ■