FARM AND DAIRY.

Taranaki Daily News, 23 May 1919, Page 6

FARM AND DAIRY.

WHEAT AND OATS. THRASHING RETURNS The Government Statistician reports that returns of actual thrashings received up to April 19 from thrashing-mill owners show that 1,443,570 bushels of wheat and 1,333,732 bushels of oats have been thrashed out. The average yields per acre in cases where particulars of areas were furnished work out at 33.07 bushels for wheat and 38.59 bushels for oats.. The following table shows, by land districts, the quantity of wheat and oats thrashed and the yield per acre in each case: — Wheat. Quantity Av. Yield | thrashed, per acre. I Land District. Bushels. Bushel/. | Auckland 1,110 34.M j Hawke's Bay ~. 8,425 36,fi3 i Taranaki 610 35JK Wellington 24,577 32.M \ Nelson 8,748 ZS.K I Marlborough ... 14,834 26.98 ] West' Sand ■Canterbury .... 1,189,886 33,1" \ Otago 195,333 33.24 ! Southland 224 48.80 j Totals 1.443,570 33.07 j Oats. I Quantity Av. Yield | thrashed, per acre, j Land District. Bushels. Bushels, j Auckland 144 48.00 | Hawke's Bay ... 14,859 43.07 | Taranaki 3,301 48.71 Wellington .... 43,202 38.72 | Nelson ...: 8,437 28.63 Marlborough .... 9,114 27.66 | Westland i Canterbury 1,009,710 37.85 Otago 238,093 42.29 Southland 6,812 45.11 Totals 1,333,732 38.59 FARMING LN VICTORIA. Melbourne, May 20. ' The Government Statistician's figures show that during 1918-19 5,402.315 acres of land in Victoria were cultivated—a reduction of nearly 300,000 acres as compared with the 'previous year.—Press Assn. CANTERBURY PRODUCE MARKET. Christchurch, 'May 20. There is practically no change to report in the grain markets. Oats are inclined to he firmer, owing to the difficulty of obtaining supplies, as growers refuse to sell at the prices at present offered at country stations, Oatsheaf chaff is also firmly held, although more cutting is now being done. It is now quoted at 45 10s to £5 15s per ton at country stations. There is no change in prices of potatoes, white varieties being still quoted at £5 10s per ton at country stations and Dakota Reds at £5 9a. Onions are firm, and'are now worth £7 5s per ton at country stations.

Mr Mann, a Smithfield authority who is visiting the Dominion, informed a Gisborne Times reporter that he had not seen any reliable data which went to show that there was any shortage of stock. It had to be remembered, he said, that the high prices of meat which had been ruling would prove an enticement to the farmers in the South American States, and in South Africa in particular, to launch out very considerably in the capacity of meat growers. Those countries were unlike these oversea Dominions, in that they were without such serious industrial unrest, and consequently a very great deal of capital was flowing in their direction. "There is," he added, "nothing like capital as a driving force, and if to-day a country with plenty of capital at the back of it had only poor quality stock, that defect might speedily be remedied."