WELLINGTON AGRICULTURAL NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2817, 4 March 1908, Page 21

WELLINGTON AGRICULTURAL NOTES.

The drought is reported to have broken up, but at time of writing The ii.M>iuary Zb) the cloud* Weather. have all disappeared. Still,

we may hope for more rain shortly. What little we have had (probably about" 25 points) will do no good except in the fire zone, where settlers can now breathe more freely. Quite a full inch <•£ rain is wanted to start the graes and fill up the water-tanks and dams.

What has- been the longest harvest on record may be said to be now The ; finished, although last week Harrett. there were a few patches' still green that will not beripe for a day or two yet. Some threshinjr has been done. The grain is very light in many cases, and it is a hard job to gofc four bushels into a 46in bag. With £5 readily obtainable for chaff there win S> a largo percentage of the oat crop dispoaea of in tha^ way. I was asked the other day which would pay bettor— grain or chaff? , The questioner said his crop would thresh j 40 bushels. The answer is only a matter of what Ira? bo the weight of straw and a little arithmetic. This season most crops are very light in straw, and a ton and ahalf to the acre of chaff would be about as much as could be expected. Taking chaff at £5 ak ton, this gives a gross return of £7 10s an acre, less 22s 6d for cutting leaving £6 9s 6d net. On the other hand, 40 bushels of grain at 2s 9d equals £5 10<» less threshing 10s, leaving £5 net, plus the value of the straw, 15cwt, which will be worth 20s in a season like this. This leaves 9s 6d per acre in favour oi chaff. No hard-and-fast ruie can be laid down to meet all cases, so much depending on circumstances. Chaff sold at the pro.' sent time for immediate delivery bnngs bij money, end those who have it to disposi of are well advised to accept the price. Even supposing it should go up to £6 or iA later on the seller will be a gainer in many ways— money in hand, and perfect weathei for cutting and carting, against /io rise in price and having the work of delivery to do in slush and mud. It- seems to me a« if buyers are taking a very pessimistic view of thp future. Admitted that grass H scarce to-day in most districts in the 3North Island, there is still plenty of time for grass to grow and give really K oo^ a u * ur ? n feed However, there is little benefit to b« sot by discounting the future, and it la well to be prepared for the worst. Farmers at tlv- present iuncture are well advised not to oversell either oats or chaff, and to retain at least sufficient and a bit over for their own needs.

Highlv-coioured reports have appeared! from day to <lay in the T?n«lt press as to the losses by Fires. hush firos. Doubtless ther<> • have been some heavy individual losses in thf» upper bush districts, bufe taking the SVost Coast from Wellington to Wanjranui. with the Rnahine Ranges inland as a boundary, and as far north as Maneaweka no great damage has been done, inafires were confined to the higher bush country settled, say, during the past 10 or 15 years. Although some fencing andgrass have been destroyed, the ultimate benebt wih be great. We cannot expect sufferers to look at it in this light, but in a year or two they will admit such is the 'case, as others have done before them. »« me exa ?" gerated accounts have been published. One says- "The country between the Rangitikei