WHEAT GROWING

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 140, 2 March 1918, Page 10

WHEAT GROWING

;■..' ? A FARMER'S EXPERIENCE. Speaking to a ,: Lyttelton Times" re--1 porter on Saturday a farmer, whose property, is within*.fifteen miles from Chiisfchurch, gave his experiences of wheat growing. He said that he had * Loan ■ following -■ general ■* agricultural farming for many years, but. after the experiences of the. last couple of years , hti w : as quite convinced that at tho ; prices'fixed by'the Government wheat growing was not a paying proposition. ; lie said that there should clearly be Mime differentiation. in prices, f since varieties'differed greatly in flour-pro- ; 'auction; and he thought .that this point : ' (iiiould receive some consideration when juices were being fixed. However, this. appeared to have been . entirely ,: '• ■ rverlooked, and it behoved those in authority to review the position without delay, and fix prices at such figures as would encourage farmers to go in moro ' :extensively for .the production.of cere- ; fcls. It was simply, deplorable that ,we should be. under the necessity of guing outside for our supplies of grain, since the Dominion [was capable of producing in abundance all the cereals required. . * '. •; , Speaking of his own experiences this - '~ season, the farmer said that he had ; 'devoted 115 acres ,of good land to ivbeat, and from this the gross return was 1706 2-3 bushels, or an average of , nearly fifteen bushels per acre.'That, ]■ of course, was a relatively low yield, • but this season'it. was not an Viiicom- ; , iDon one in the district in which ]«■• r sided, whilst in. some cases the return ■ ' was evon smaller. The thrashing mill ... . look, thirty-one hours to get through ■; '' 'tile stuff, which, had been stacked, andthe charge was'.-"4,05. per hour, or a total of £62, the cost of this operation slone working out at over BJd. per buYflol. ' ■' ' In. conclusion, he said that as far as Vβ was concerned, he was satisfied that other branches of farm business gave much bettor promise of good returns than, wheat growing, and it seemed in- •' evil-able-that* if -wo were to be a self- : supporting country something must * done to induce farmers to devote increased areas to wheat growing. The .question was, without doubt, one of the first , importance, and it was incumbent that" the Government should , : ileal '.immediately - with' what threatens to becume a very grave problem. -../ *