WHEAT AND OATS

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2919, 3 November 1916, Page 10

WHEAT AND OATS

ESTIMATE OF SOWINGS

BIG REDUCTION IN WHEAT AREA . The following statement regarding the area sown in cereals in Now Zealand, made by the Government Statistician, is published in this week's Gaz- , ette:— : ... ... ...Sin substituting an estimate of'tho . .areas to bo sown in wheat. and oats this •season it is deemed advisable to give tho following explanation as to the new •; system being, adopted for the collection of these statistics and as to the method •!.'. of. arriving at tho estimates here given. Formerly tho agricultural and pastoral statistics were collected in the . .spring-time, but in 1916 theso statistics were obtained after tho harvest; the - collections during tho past few years • •were made by means of returns through the post, but in 1916 there was a liold;ving canvass throughout the Dominion by police officers acting as sub-enumer-ators. Tho areas sown or intended to bo . sown are estimated in the spring-time, - tho information on which the estimate - is based being obtained by issuing cards • through the post to every grain-grower of the previous seaso«. Such of these '""cards as"are returned are tabulated, "and tho proportion which the total areas so returned as sown or intend,.ed to bo sown"bears to the total areas - actually reaped in the previous harvest ••4>y those persons is applied over the whole areas reaped at the previous harvest, and the result is taken as the j " 'estimated area, for tho ensuing season. I This briefly is the new sjstem which ~ will bo continued in future, and the .. principal differences,between.it and the previous system are that the actual ...areas reaped actual yields are • obtained in tho harvest-time, and the areas sown or intended to be sown are " estimated in the spring-time, whereas " previously the actual areas sown or, in- ' tended to bo sown wero obtained in '• the spring-time and the estimated yields obtained in the harvest-time. The average yields were applied to the ~ .areas obtained in tho spring, which resulted in the total actual yield for the •Dominion being frequently stated inac--curately. '

For tho estimate now being prepared, " "cards were sent out by post to 26,000 odd grain growers in tbe Dominion, ask- . inrf thorn to state the areas of wheat and . pats which they had sown or proposed to sow for tho present season. Of . these, over 24,000 cards liavo been tc- - turned to tho office and duly tabulated, - with the following results:— - • lii tho North Island 19,197 acres wcro under wheat last year, and cards representing 15,416 acres (or 80 per cent.) of this area have now been returned to the Census and Statistic^ .Office. Tho growers returning theso . .cards stato that they hare sown or intend to sow 5937 acres in wheat this -year, and assuming that those growers who have not yet returned their cards sow proportionate areas, tho total area in wheat for the 1916-17. season should be 7395 acres. Treating the figures for ' oats on tho same basis it is estimated that' a. total of 76,208 acres will be grown this season.

. Similarly, in the South Island 316,225 seres were under wheat in 1915-16.

Cards representing <J2J per cent, of this area have been roturned, ai'id show a proposed 1916-17 area of 105,610 acres. It may, therefore, bo assumed that in the South Island a total of '1211,482 acres will bo sown. Oats harvested for all purposes in the South Island in 1915-10 covcred olSjlOl acres, and cards representing "1 per cent, of this acreago have been returned, showing an area of 428,379 acres. Tho estimated oat area for 191(5-17 is thereforo 472,318 acres. The estimates are given in tabulated form below:— ' Wheat and Oats—Areas Harvested 1915-16,. and Areas Estimated as ■ Sown or to be Soivn, 1916-17. Actual area reaped, Wheat. Oats. 1915-16. Acres. Acres. For threshing 329,207 212,688 For other purposes 6,216 427,539 Total 335,423 640,227 Estimated area shown for 1916-17 218,877 548,526 Tho unsettled weather experienced of late is causing the small sheepfarmers of the Wairarapa some concern owing to the fact that when the line weather sets in shearers will be so busily em-, ployed at the larger stations that their services will be almost unobtainable.

Some there, are who hold it a coincidence that factories turning out tho best cheese and showing bigger profits are those equipped with Victor Vats. It is more than a coincidence—it is leasonable, and the Victor Vat supplies the reason. Its sloping bottom and improved middlo drainage—its scientific principle—these are responsible for excllcncc. Get details. A. J. Par ton, Sheet Metal and Plumbing Works, Carterton— Advt.

Mr. H. W. Lawrence, the noted agricultural chemist, of Johnson-rille. is responsible for all the formulae of the Tui' iertilizens—thus it is that ivith these manures the slogan of "Local Mamirea lor Local Soils" is applicable. Largo supplies are now ready to rail. Write Hodder and Toiler, Ltd.. Dep't. D., Palmerston North, for details, analyses and prices.—A dvt.