THE COCKSFOOT HARVEST

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 47, 19 November 1917, Page 8

THE COCKSFOOT HARVEST

X BIG YIELD EXPECTED. The cocksfoot' harvest for i 917-18 promises a big .yield, and everywhere'the heed is looking remarkably wuii at tli; present time (says tho Akaroa ".Mail"), A long.spell of dry weather would do a good deal,of harm to the. lower piuloockb, but the higher seed has harl eiioug'. moisture to see it, through. Tho ravages of the dry seasons have left their mark in most of the lower paddocks, which, arc patohy and bare in places, and it will take the ne.-st season to recover. The quality of the seed this year should be exceptionally good, unless continued rain wakes the crops dirty. There is no sign at present of the seed being dirty, and .the cocksfoot has got a good start of any ■weeds, and is likely (o mature before the more serious weeds do. The crops at present look excellently clean everywhere. The quality of the ' ; ounttv under cocksfoot this year is on about a uar -with last year, but the crop will, of course, provide double the yield. Then probably, if labour is available, which is a verj moot question, there will be a large amount of seed available in grazing paddocks. - The labour trouble is the most serious pioblem with which the peninsula is oi* fronted, as the heavy harvest oh t iYi ■plain? will probably absorb all available labour from outside, and it will remain with the local labour to cope with thie year's harvest. No doubt, however, with n little' co-operation, the bulk of the harvest could be reaped by those working the higher paddocks assisting those with lower paddocks, and vice versa. The thrashing machines could work right through if all co-operated, and in this war the labour available could be worked to "its utmost advantage. The prico oi seed promises again to be very good, and owners are universally letting seed on linWac fft pfttifrnp.fnrfl.