LOWER YIELD

Waikato Times, Volume 124, Issue 20732, 16 February 1939, Page 15

LOWER YIELD

THE WHEAT HARVEST NEXT SEASON'S EXPECTATIONS BARLEY AND OATS CROPS (By Telegraph.—Press Association) CHRISTCHURCH, "Wednesday Canterbury’s wheat harvest this season is expected to yield an average of something like 3i bushels to the *cre compared with last years return of 34.88 bushels. The harvest is now well under way and in different districts there are marked variations in yield ajid quality. In a number of districts "take all" is fairly common and in two or three cases at least has caused an almost entire loss of crops. A fair amount of straw’ break has also been experienced. IVIr R. McGllflvray, fields superintendent of the Department of Agriculture, said In his opinion next season’s sowing would be greatly Increased and It was likely that the whole of 260,000 acres necessary to meet New Zealand’s requirements would be put down In wheat. With the uncertainty of prospects for mutton and lamb many farmers were turning to wheat with its guaranteed price. The Wheat Committee's estimate of the yield this season is 32.40 bushels to the acre. This figure was arrived at from returns sent in by farmers throughout the province but it fc considered by many to be too high. The position with oats is uncertain. A lot of the crop has gone into stack but it is fairly certain that with autumn-sowm oats there has been a distinct reduction in the yield. Barley promises good yields, probably only slightly under last year’s average. In Marlborough a lot of the crop will only be of feed quality as the barley was badly affected by adverse weather In January and has not filled out well.