AN OTAGO FARM.

Kumara Times, Issue 2351, 11 March 1884, Page 3

AN OTAGO FARM.

Our travelling correspondent" Bruni," now in. New Zealand, has this week (says the Australasian of March 1) a story to tell of an Otago farm that must make the mouth water of many an Australian selector cultivating wheat in an arid climate for a return of 10 bushels to the acre. " Bruni " writes of a field of 100 acres of wheat which was expected by experts to yield 70 bushels to the acre. "When he saw ifc the ears were just beginning to change colour, and be says : " I had often heard of exceptionally heavy crops of wheat since I arrived in Maori-land, but had never seen one before. In all my rambles over Australia for many years, I had never seen anything like that glorious field of wheat." Then there was a green pasture used to top up cattle for market of which "Bruni" declares that he " never saw an irrigated meadow that could equal it." It contained 120 acres, and it had had 150 bead of cattle grazing in it all the summer. And still the red and white clover was up to the knees of the cuttle. Close adjoining was a crop of oats, over 100 acres in extent, that was estimated to yield 100 bushels to the acre. It is impossible to cut these heavy crops with the reaper and binder, and as they had been laid in parts, it was only practic able to use the ordinary reaper cutting one way. There are some favoured spots in Victoria where these results may possibly be somewhat approximated to, but they are few aud far apart, and the report shows very strongly the great advantages possessed by the best portions of New Zerland as a corn and grass-growing country over any part of Australia.