THE CROPS IN ASHBURTON DISTRICT.

Globe, Volume XXIV, Issue 2456, 18 February 1882, Page 3

THE CROPS IN ASHBURTON DISTRICT.

The fickle weather of the past few months kept the farmer in a constant state of worry and perplexity, his hopes rising and falling with each movement of the mercury, anc becoming specially depressed when the dread nor’-westers began to spoil a year’s labor by threshing the standing corn. The crop chiefly laid down is wheat, the aggregate quantity of it sown being about a tenth less than was sown last year. Of oats there were probably three tenths sown less than last year, while not half the quantity of barley was put in. The seed wheat used most freely was Hunter's white, purple straw Tuscan coming next in favor, then velvet chaff, and lastly Essex, if an insignificant quantity is excepted of Old Egyptian, which, by the way, appears to stand stormy winds better than do the more profitable samples. BAIAIA BOTTIH. Going up the river one finds the grain crop in this district deficient in quantity as compared with that of last harvest. In some places the wheat would have averaged 23 bushels per acre, and in others 18, prior to the nor’-westers. But their advent proved a serious factor in upsetting farming estimates, and the wind of a few weeks back culminated in severe losses. It is questionable if one gentleman, who has a large area under crop, has not had damage to the extent of £3OOO or £4OOO accrue to his farm alone ; and less wealthy men, whose losses are proportionately sore, have also solid grounds for complaint against the elements. Wheat is the principal crop in Bakaia South. There are some fields of oats, but of this cereal the greater portion grown will probably bo consumed locally. Yery little barley was sown here. MBTHTBN. In this, the best district in the county this year, the crops had the advantage of ripening later than elsewhere. Some paddocks will run forty-five bushels an acre, and more in a few favored spots j while eighteen to twentyfive bushels will be the average over a considerable extent. It is, therefore, difficult to arrive by a cursory glance at an approximate figure for all Methvon, but twenty-eight bushels an acre probably is an estimate not very wide of the mark. The fact that those crops mature late, saved them to a great extent from harm by the blasts of ten days ago. Mr Vlyett has some paddocks of excellent wheat, and one of his fields of Tuscan will be hard to beat in the colony. His Hunter's white will not be so heavy a crop, yet should prove fairly remunerative. Mr Cameron, of dunes, has a large extent cropped, mainly wheat, and promising well. An average of thirty-five to forty bushels may be looked for. Messrs Gould and Cameron, of Springfield, have so great an area under crop that an accurate forecast as to yield can scarcely be made. Some of their wheat may go forty to the acre, and some only eighteen. In this district there will not bo much oats available for the market. A fe ir odd lots of barley are to be found, and apparently of sterling quality. TOWABDB ABHBtTBTON NOETH.

To one passing down the river it is notice* able that this district has a smaller area under crop than formerly. In parts the nor’wester* have shaken out from five to ten bushels per acre. Mr M. Stitt, the principal farmer, has 400 acres in wheat, 400 in oats, and 200 in barley. His fields have not been more fortunate than his neighbours in weathering the nor’-westers. But, in spite of an average loss of fifteen bushels to the acre, blown from the wheat and oats, these cereals still promise well. A portion of them may average twenty-five to thirty bushels. Eia barley is a comparative failure. In the district generally few oats are to be seen, while barley is neither plentiful nor good. ABHBHETON FORKS AND MOUNT SOMERS. The bulk of grain furnished by these districts will show a marked decrease, the major portion of the land having been laid down in grass. The wind, however, took care to wreak its vengeance to the full on all crops. In some places quite half the grain must have been blown away. The name of an old resident and large farmer might be mentioned os being that of one of the chief sufferers in regard to wheat. ,In this district there will probably not be over 80,000 bushels, all told, when the crops shall have been submitted to the threshers. Of this number about 30,000 may be allocated to Mount Somers and 50,000 to the Forks. A few lots of oats were putin, but the best part of these was luckily got down before the storm came. The samples of this cereal are good, and it may average thirty to thirty-five bushels an acre. Of barley there is well nigh nil. As a matter of fact, in the Forks not more than three-and-twenty acres are devoted to oats. BETWEEN THE ASHBURTON AND THE HINDS. Here the wind committed frightful ravages, and many farmers will regard themselves fortunate if they realise returns which will merely compensate outlay, but in too frequent cases it is to be feared the balance will be on wrong side of the ledger very materially. The samples of wheat average indifferent quality. A good deal of oats was sown, of which crop more than a third has been blown away. The quality of what is left will be very fair. The little barley there is will be very poor indeed. THE HINDS TO THE KANQITATA. Despite the stony nature of the soil, the average yield might have been 18 to 25 bushels in wheat but for the storm. Now the average may be set down as about 15 bushels. Oats generally are very poor, though an occasional good patch is te be met with. Barley is soaroe and thin. RANGITATA island, A great deficiency is observable in comparison with the crops of former years. The wind did much damage, and the remnant of the grain is of indifferent calibre. It will take the Robinson Crusoes who farm the island all their time to make an honest living this year. THE BANGITATA TO LONGBEACH. On Ohatmoss station the area in crop approximates that of last year, although the grain seems to bo put in with a view of having English grass laid down on the land. Windermere, the estate of Mr E. Q. Wright, M.H.E., is being quickly put in firstclass order. His crops look well, and in some of the wheat paddocks an average of 30 to 35 bushels may be realised. On Mr John Qrigg’s estate not nearly so much crop has been put in as in former years, a large acreage having been laid down in English grass. What crops have been sown look well. On Mr Andrew Dawson’s farm a large acreage is cropped, the total of wheat, oats and barky possibly being some 15,000 bushels. His wheat, which is of good quality, may yield twenty-eight bushels to the acre, or thereabouts ; and oats may touch thirty-five. On travelling up Graham’s road and Longbeach road, one is pleased to find that the oats along this route hove not seriously suffered by the storm, as the main portion of this cereal was already down. But the wheat yield was lessened to the extent of four or five bushels an acre by a few hours’ wind. The barley crops about here are very meagre. WAEANTJI. Bo general hsa been the havoc wrought by the blast in Wakanui that there are few farmers who have not to deplore serious personal losses. In some wheat paddocks, which would otherwise have returned twentyfive bushels to the acre, growers will now have to put up with a fraction over halt that quantity. Ths grain which has been spared is of very fair quality. The oit crop varies from very good to very inferior. In some cases it will run thirty to thirty-five bushels, in others only eighteen, and poor stuff at that. The barley this season in Wakanui is far below mediocrity. BEAEIBLD. Here the crops promised to turn out exceptionally well, until the wind came. Then, from the light nature of the soil, they suffered to 1 even a greater extent than did other districts. The wheat, of which there is an unusually large quantity, will average fifteen bushels. The quality is good, and Hunter’s White has been chiefly used. The area laid down in oats is small. This cereal will average about fourteen bushels. Of barley both the acreage and the yield are very small. Where this cereal has been harvested, its quality is exceptionally good, and this makes it all the more a matter for regret that so much of the barley in this district has been scattered to the winds. OHBBTBET AND BEOIfORB. The soil here is similar to that prevailing through Seaficld district, and the crops approximate in averages of bushels to the acre. The farms around Ohertsey railway station met the full blast of the big storm. In one case a wheat crop of 500 acres was so thoroughly threshed by the wind as to become not worth cutting. While nearly every farmer on the plains dreads the monotonous wail of the nor’-wester, this scourge operates wffek Bioeptional violence on the belt of land running approximately nor’-east and son’ west, between parallel lines from two miles

J south of Ohertsey station to some five I miles north of the Bakaia, that aor face lying most exposed to the wind from the gorge. The nearer this belt of country approaches the sea-board the more is the destructiveness of the wind intensified, owing to the presence of heat accumulating in the sir in its transit across the hot arid plaint. The warmth of the atmosphere tends to open the chaff, and consequently the grain, with but very slight oscillation, drops from tha ear, the chaff no longer acting as a supporting cup to hold the grain. This occurs with both wheat and barley ; but in the case of oats the grain is blown clear away from the stalk. SAMPLES TO HAST). In respect to new season’s grain keen competition prevails among the country merchants, and during the last few days value* have been well maintained. Early threshings are how offering. The samples of wheat so far shown in the country towns of Ashburton district are, as a rule, scarcely up to last year’s standard. There are, however, exceptions, some bright and plump samples of both Hunter’s and Tuscan having been submitted. The old favorite, Hunter’s white, seems to have best stood the adverse weather. Oat* are quite up to the average in quality. Tha Canadians appear to have been grown mora generally _ than hitherto. The samples of barley,_ with few exceptions, will not bear close inspection. It may be premature to touch on prices just yet, but, as far as io ascertainable, they may bo approximately given as follows:—Milling wheat from 3* lOd, according to quality; for exceptionally good samples 3s lid has been given; oats. Is lOd to 2s; barley nominal.