WHY NOT WHEAT?

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 535, 19 May 1933, Page 9

WHY NOT WHEAT?

OUR LAND SUITABLE GQOD RESULTS IN PAST. ENCOURAGEMENT ADVOCATED. Mr. E. F. H. Knowles makes a pertiiient inquiry as to why the growing of wheat has been dropped in this district. He decjares hoth soil and climate are admirably suited to the profitable growth of cereals. WHY is it wheat_ is not grown in favourahle parts of this locality? Here we have a district emiinently suited to the production of first-class grain, for the following reasons: — The clearness of the atmosphere — that is, little or no humidity — good frosts in the winter, very few ground pests such as caterpillars and grassgruhs, and laek of heavy gales as are experienced in Canfcerbury, which tend to thrash the high-grade milling wheats, such as Pearl and Bordiere, hefore they can he gamered; and, more important still, we have land very nearly ddeal through having a large silica and potash content. Here it is interesting to note that the wh'eat plant, and with islight variations, the oat plant, is made up of, approximately, 46 per cent. silica, the next highest dngredients being potash, ahout 15 per cent., and phosphoric acid 12 per cent. Drought would never affect the crop to any great extent, -owing to Ihe deep rooting nature of wheat, which has been known to penetrate soil to

a depth of foufi feet six inehes at a rate of nearly two inches per day. There is also the fact that the pumiceous nature of the soil would tend to conserve moisture more so t-han other soils. It is common knowledge that, many years ago, wheat was grown and milied on the shores of Lmkes Rotorua and Rotoiti, also at Te Wairoa, with, as far as one is led to understand, success, and if these lands could grow good wheat then, what could they grow now, after years of stocking putting more and more nitrogen into- the soil. Why Discontinued. " ' I have yet to find the reason for the discontinuance of wheat-growing here, possibly it was the advent of the railway, but I -expect it was the.appearance of smut and rust. These two diseases appeared all over New Zealand, but have been success fully de&lt with for years by pickling the grain

hefore sowing in a solution compqsed mainly of biuestone; quite a simple thing to do. Some will say, if we grow wheat here, "what ahout the reaping and threshing." .Well, there are a number of reapers and binders in the district already and if the crop warranted, a combine would surely be sent here; if not, I understand there as a threshing machine in the district suitable for turing out fowl wheat, for which there would he an instant demand. Any^surplus could be bagged and sent to the mills for riddling and grinding. Proiit from Cereals. It is curious in these times of extremely low prices for butter, wool and stock that faamers have not turned to cereals, even an small areas, on an experimental hasis. Oats are not grown in the quantity they should be for local needs. "Why are wheat, oats, straw and ehaff imported into' Rotorua when our farmers could save the cash going out of thet district?" How -is our -old friend, the horse, getting on? I have grave suspicions that very few h'orses in the district know what it as to be bedded down durdng the winter, or to have good daily "binders" of chaff and oats. Now that the. hunt club is getting on so well, the appearanee of trotters in the district and the trend baclc to the horse for general purposes, it looks as if a good demand would he created if straw, chaff and oats were procurable locally at a figure not loaded with freight and other overhe'ad charges. Our "farmers, too, if persuaded to grow cereals, would' help our local poultry industry and also, in a small way, eertainly (hut nevertheless a help), a new industry developing in the Dominion, and that is the manufacture of bags, etc., from New Zea--land- flax. Encourage Growing. If I might he permitted to make a

suiggestion, I would say that here is a position where the Rotorua Agrieultural and Pastoral Association might exercise one of its functions by encouraging farmers to, at least, experiment. Instead of increasing prize moneys at the shows for the time being, I would suggest that the association select farmers who are willing to crop and supply them with wheat and pickling pmterial. Areas for sowing should he selected at, say, Ngongotaha, the back of Rotorua, towards or at Te Ngae, and possibly Reporoa. Autumn sowing would be the most suitable, for apart from the benefit of winter, grazing, the crops would not tend to go to flag, that is, become very leafy, as spring sowing would surely lead to, in the wonderful igxowing climate We have here. A sum of £50 should purchase sufiicient seed and pickle to deal with ap-. proximately 150 acres. I will he very pleased indeed if this article will he the means of giving the slightest help (not necessarily on the lines laid out) to our farmers and to the district.