HARVEST PROSPECTS

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2661, 5 January 1916, Page 8

HARVEST PROSPECTS

CONDITION OF THE CROPS.

>. Questioned regarding the season's j'prospects,' the Hon. W. D. S. JlacDon- ; aid, Minister of Agriculture, stated to ; a. reporter of the ."Poverty Bay. Heri'. aid"-"that, speaking generally, the | prospects , for tho coming season . throughout New Zealand are very good. ; There are . districts, of course,-whero oxi'ceßdirigly dry conditions have prevailed, notably in Canterbury and North :' Otago. in the South Island, and in tho | North Island in parts of the. -Wairaand Hawke's Bay. Rain has. ibcently been reported from: somo of these which has considerably improved matters, and if a further, fall .' occurs the prospects will be very fair. ' In other parts of New Zealand the soa- ! soli has been exceptional. ■ Spring has been .very early, and..there has been.an I abundance of rain. The Auckland pro- ; vince, has seldom looked better. South- • land is; having one of the best seasons , experienced there, and Taranaki and -' the Jlanawatir are looking extremely. [ well. Particulars of tho area- in cereals . and the main root crops are at present ' being collected. Reports from Departmental- ' officers ..'indicate that a larger yarea was put down in wheat and oats ' this year. Unfortunately the dry season in Canterbury has .militated against the wheat, crop, particularly tho springgrown wheat.

W '• Mr. Mac Donald added that the Jatest ; advice showed' that the prospects for ;; wheat and; oats were rery good in South--i'land, but. North Otago and a large portion of Canterbury had suffered by tlio ;* drought, and farmers were in many ; places now turning stock on to eat the' i crops off. -"In addition to the drought, I-growers : had also .had a largo area- of ; Ai'heat crops 'frosted' in November, and much of this would be only fit- for feed-'-."in'g-off and for chaffing. The grain .' output from -the areas affected would ■' consequently be very light. :The Oam!am district was especially affected. . His Department had been paying for. : the.caiVying free food for starving stock i since ;May, .but a month ago this, was' .discontinued, and the settlers had since petitioned for tho free carriage of stock (to 'more favoured districts. There had" been a little rain recently, which might .help things, but otherwise the position l.jthere was decidedly serious. '•■ ■ : • It is said that there is-likely to be . n shorj-ago of butchers, says a South- - eiTi paper; for tlie different meat- works fctliis: season.. A.request came from 'Islington last' week to solid up fifteen :;nieii from - Oania.ru/ The Pukeuri works J will open this month, but ; as there is dittls stock to be killed iii the .district, ;.iiiost of the Oamaru mon availed tliem- : selves of the -opportunity of a hook at Islington. The-chief reason of - tho i shortage; is-the inability of. the Austra- ; lian men who come oyer to New Zealand evei-y season to secure passports. ; There las been a. ereat demand for the ■ celebrated Victor cheese vat during the ' past few months; anyone requiring new ~vats are urged to write immediately to .the maker, as material is extremely rehort..Albert.J. Parton, Carterton—Advt, .... 1 , _ Kever has>the demand for clear-headed thinking in business been ■so urgent as it is right now. We are liv- , ihg in a progressive age, and . must take j "advantage of all up-to-date methods. It i.is in savings from waste of any description that money is made to-day, and by - concentrating one's efforts on all details .'/of our; business we claim to be able to produce resulta for our many cream sup- ,' pliers. We want more cream. Can you supply ns? Further particulars, Wanga- : ltui 3?resh Food Co.—Advt. _ Entries for Messrs. Abraham and Wil-' Mams' Johnsonville stock sale are advertised this morning. ■