THE WHEAT HARVEST

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 149, 13 March 1918, Page 8

THE WHEAT HARVEST

GLOOMY REPORTS FROM CANTERBURY. - Reviewing the results of the wheat harvest in an address before tho Tiniam brancH of the Farmers' tJuion, Mr. John Talbot, a well-known wheatgrower, painted a gloomy picture.' Jt was possiblo now, ho' said, to estimate ' the yield of grain, and'the harvest was from every point of view, the most dieappointing of the- succession of poor harvests experienced in recent years in South Canterbury. Tho large quantity of straw handled for a small yield of grain l and the cxecrablo weather had beon serious handicaps. Ho P«t tho yield of wheat fit for milling at about twenty bushels per aero of tho whole area sown, and seconds and inferior grain would account for an additional" three or four bushels per acre. The oats crop was even poorer tliau tho wheat in both yield and quality. In many cases the-.crops_ would not repay the cost of harvesting. North Canterbury arid North Otago pould claim better returns than South Canterbury, but nowhere was tho harvest good. The best of the wheat would not bo up to tho average. Much of i.t was in stook during the heavy mid-1 1 ebruary rains and was more or less damaged. The Government prico of ss. lOd. per bushel was based on the return obtained last yea." from average crops of a,bout 27 bushels and the cost of production last year,...but tho cost of everything had largely increased. Thrashing, for instance, would bo not less than dightponco in most cases ana in somo it would reach cightcciipcnco. Taking tire cost of producing the crop as a whole against its total value it would show a-., loss of thirty ■shillings per acre, aud perhaps more. In few cases would tho returns allow ol anything being 1 charged against tho uso of the'land, and in most eases growers would not receive enough to pay for lahour and other charges.' ' 1 , In regard to next season Mr. Talbot eaid. that th& areas down in wheat would "probably- be - considerably reduc- . cd, the extent of tho reduction depending on the immediate attitudo of tho : Government towards, tho. question of price. Only a subsaritial increase in price would farm'ors to sow wheat, arid ho believed -most people would not expect tho Government to give them bread,: at less;,;than it cost to produce.. 1