Australian wheat yield

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 92, 13 January 1919, Page 8

Australian wheat yield

, BETTER THAN EXPECTED. A feature-of the harvest in Victoria is the improvement over local, estimates in the yield of wheat .(says the "Australasian"). Eeceiit showers extended inland, but were very light in the main wheat-growing districts, and the grain has not been affected. ' The jain will materially help summer fodder (crops and root crops in the coastal districts. Further thunderstorms with rain liavo brought partial relief to Queensland. ' From New South Wales comes the fol-. lowing:—"The preliminary forecast .'issued by the Government Statistician ofthe yield which may be expected from the wheat harvest is Somewhat more encouraging than that put forward; by Mr. Drummond, the manager of the wheat office, a few weeks . ago. The Statistician places the area under wheat in New South JVales for this crop at - 3,215,030 acres. He estimates that of this acreage 2,065,880 acres were harvested for grain, 646,270 cut for,, hay, 2-10,450 acres fed ofF, and .'262,430 acres wero too poor for harvesting. He places the yield from the acreage harvested at 8.74 bushels. The hay he estimates at 524,000 .tons, an, average of 0.81-tons per , acre. It is evident -from - the-estimate that while many wheatgrowers have produced unpayable crops some must have- had ;verv good yields indeed., Those on'tho; north-western slopes, where hardly any Tain has fallen; since August, have had 'the worst of it. " More than half the area failed altogether,' and the balance, 104,510 acres, yielded only 458.000. bushels. Riverina and the 60uth-westerri slopes gave by .far.; tho best return. Tho 'area . here actually harvested averaged ;about ten bushels, and • the percentage which failed: completely is comparative-' jy-.-small, Taking the total, the crop is the worst since 1909-10, excepting that of > The failure ,in 1914-15, when 2.758,024 acres produced 12,830,000 .bushelst or an; average -of-4.7-per acre, was imost lamentable, " b'ecause. that was the year in which a good price must have been obtained for'wheat had the State grown a substantial quantity for export. The crop this season will add Bftly' atymt 4,000.fl<!0 bushels to tho large Quantities of wheat at present held in State." '-\/ . '