WHEAT GROWING IN AUCKLAND.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 462, 12 April 1890, Page 2

WHEAT GROWING IN AUCKLAND.

“ A Mangkrb Fakmek ” supplies the. Herald with the following estimate of the. cost of wheat—growing in Auckland : With the price of wheat at 2s 94 and outSj at Is Gd per bushel, the cost of producing both these ciops must be a subject of some interest to farmers in the Aueklandidistrict. I have ventured, therefore, to giy.e. you some figures, the result of my mvu, experience. These figures, with a - light-, alteration, viz., an addition of 1«« to the cost of seed, and 3- to the eo>t of thresh-. jug, apply equally well to the cost otg rowing 4nt«. Nothing is eharged forrent, nor is anything allowed for the vain*, nf the straw, hut it may perhaps be 3!>timated that the one will balance the other. The re-ult is, therefore, that on u crop ofwheit oE 30 bushels to the acre there, remains a profit of Is p*-r acre. On a crop of oats of 45 bushels there will he a loss, of IBs an acre. I believe that tho average of the crops round Auckland will be considerably below 30 bushels wheat, and 45, bushels outs this season. .We all know;that “Hope springs eternal in the human, brenst,” and possibly we may have better luck next year, but for our own part, look-, ing to present values, it remains something of a mystry as to how we shall carry on till then. The estimate is as followf

Dr. , £ 8; d. Two ploughings, at 7s 6d per aere ... 0 15 0, Disc harrowing twice, at Is 3d per acre .. , ... ..0 2 6, Tooth harrowing 3 times, at Is per acri& ' ... ... ... 0 3 0; Drilling ... ... ,.026 Rolling ... ... ..006 S«ed • 2 bushels wheat at 4s .. 0 8 0, Bonedust, 2cwt at 7b 6d • • .. 0 16 0 Freight from town and carting do, qq to the land .. • « ..0 1 0, Reaping, binding, and storing .. 0 9 ft Carting and stacking ... , 0 6 Q> Threshing .. •• ... 0 8 ft, Bags .. .• ..04ft Freight to town .. ... ... 0 6 0 Sundries scuh as sulphate of copper for pickling, &c. .. ... 0 1 0 Cost of growing wheat ... £4 1 6 For oats add4a .. ... Q Cr. £ a d By 30 bushels wheat at 2s 9d ... 4 2ft 45 bushels oats at Is 6d ... 3 7 6 Result: la wheat, 18s loss on the oats-