GROWING CEREALS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 80, 28 August 1914, Page 3

GROWIN G CEREALS.

pof>rnox in riilo south.- '■ APPEAL MADE TOO LATE. By Telegraph .—Press Association. Dunedin, August 26. .In respect to the Prune Minister's a'ppeaj to grow cereals, inquiries lrmdeamong *fie settlers of the Taieri Plain go to show that of the 30,000 acres of fertile land suitable for wheat cultivation, only about one-sixth' of the area will be sown wife wheat.' The war-broke out'too late''fdr. the, majbrity til the 'Taieri farmer's tfo"' respond to .Mr. Massey's appeal..-' "Here' and there a few fiinuel-s had uncon-' sciously anticipated the outbreak of war and had increased, their -'areas for the growing, of wheat, but,the majority- of' agriciilUiralisteon the Plain',are: not.in a ppsition 'to grow wheat in apprroiable quantity. Wheat there is autumn'sown, as is proved by the tender greeiitiess of the ..areas so cultivated. Jn ordinary however, tho Taieri is not recognised as 'a wheat-growing district. Representative farmers say the Plain is tricky for wheat-growing. The. land is [too heavy, and a big portion'o-f j it- is liable to flooding and late frosts. Wheat is only grown in favored localities, .. ■ )

Even if the appeal for extensive pro'duction of; cereals had been made sooner, it'is doubtful whether the Taieri Plain, as a whole, could ihaVe been utilised for, that purpose. Extensive cropping, of, the rich land has .been, steadily going out of favor, it is-'a great and goodly Janil for live stock; essentially a dairying, district. Then the markets for dairy produce and fat cattle have for yearsbeen very satisfactory, and many agri-, eulturalists have changed their methods. to meet the altered conditions in the oversea markets.; Land that-was-.oncfi, cultivated for the harvest has been laid down" in pasture. This has led to care-.. i'ul selection of dairy herds and ,liyc, stocky ivith the -result, .that the majority of the" .farmers' in the''Tafori'icould. not afford to alter their, methods': at a, Topr meritfS ; notice; and pnt their,leas : to.the ploiigh ; *afld : th'v sd'wer.i'.