NEW ZEALAND FARMS.

Auckland Star, Volume XXIV, Issue 140, 15 June 1893, Page 8

NEW ZEALAND FARMS.

The agricultural statistics for the year 1893, for the colony of New Zealand, are now published in the Government "Gazette." The information placed before the public with regard to tho progress of New Zealand in the cultivation of the soil, and all matters pertaining to agriculture is very satisfactory. The grazing industry is being rapidly developed,as is proved by the fact that the lands sown with artificial grasses have increased during the year between 800,000 and 900,000 acres. This shows thab bush-felling and clearing is going on apace, and thab very substanbial progress is being made in reclaiming tho wilderness.

Separate, holdings of one acre and upwards havo increased very largely throughout the colony during the year. When the returns were collected, the rural holding numbered 42,768, or an increase of 1,544 holdings over those returned in 1892. Tho provincial district of Auckland heads tho lisb, with an increase of 384, while Taranaki has 303 new homesteads. Canterbury has 294, followed by Otago with 290. Westland has 122, Wellington shows 90, Nelson 63, Hawke'a Bay 20, and Marlborough 4. Though the North Island has a much less area than tho South Island, thero are 797 new holdings in tee North Island against 773 in tho South Island. In the colony ib was found that there v?ero 154,254 acres ploughed bub nob cropped—an increase of 13,800 acre 9 over 18*32. Of this increase over 1892, 10,95 ft acres are in the Auckland provincial district. In thi3 respect Auckland is vory far ahead of the other provincial districts. The total area of land under wheat in tho colony during the last season wai 381,245 acres — estimated to yield 8,378,217 bushels — a decrease of 21,028 acros 'and 1,879,521 bushels as compared with tho returns for 1892. Thia shows that tho wheat cultivations have undergone an enormous shrinkage—farmore finding it more profitable to raise wool and mutton for export. The yield from the lessened area1?, however, was good. In Canterbury the average yield was 20-95 bushels per acre, while iv Auckland it was 25*72 bushed per acre. Canterbury produced 67-70 per cent of the whole wheat crop in the colony, and Auckland's proportion was only 2-07 per cent. The Hessian fly is stated to hare been troublesome amongst tho wheab in the South. Tho area devoted to the cultivation of oats for grain production in the colony during tho paat year was 326,531 acres—an increase of 3,023 acres over 1892. Notwithstanding thia increase in area, however, the yiold is returned as 1,115,031 buohola leas than the previous year. To this crop Auckland farmers devoted 18,563 acres for greon food and hay, and only 6,260 for grain purposes. The Turanaki crop showed the heaviest average yield of oafcs. In barley, alao, there was an increased aroa and a decreased yield. In the colony 24,906 acres of-land were devoted to barley, being 638 acres more than in 1892, but tho estimated yield showed a decrease of 34,452 bushels. Auckland's share was 702 acres, with 18,572 bushels. There haa been a considerable decrease in the cultivation of maize, whioh is grown only in tho North Island and nearlyall in tho Auckland provincial district. During the past season 4,491 acres wero devoted to maize (of which 4,266 acre? were in the- Auckland province), thus giving a decrease of 9ij6 acres and 67,085 bushels. The Auckland crop averaged 38-47 bushels por acre. Of tho maize crop, Auckland produced 95-61 per cent, of the whole. Rye and here are grown to tho extenb of 6,737 acres, poas to the extenb of 4,779 acres ; and to beans 4,402 acre 3 are devoted. In potatoes the average yield is nob quite equal tv those of former years. Tho colonial average is found to be 568 tons per acre, as compared with 5-94 tons per acre lasb year. The average yield in Auckland was under the colonial average, being 502 tons per acre. Potatoes wero grown to t,ho extenb of 18,338 acres iv the colony, being 8,228 acres less than tho crop in the previous year. Iv February last there were in sown grasses in the colony 3,611,363 acres, and in surface-sown grasses 4,650,652 acres, making a total of 8,262,045 acres in artificial grasses. This is an increase of 056,164 acres over the area so utilised in the previous year. Of the above aroa, 61,811 acres were devoted to the production of hay. In Auckland there are 1,230,951 acres laid down in grass, there having beea an increase of 126,666 acros during the year. There are now 20,085 acres in the colony devoted to fruit production. This is an increase of 458 acres over the returns of 1892. The A uokland portion of the orchard area is 8,662 acres—an increase of 82 acres over that) of the previous year. Thero are in the North Island, 13,374 acres of the total area. The largest orchards in the colony are to be found in the North. ! Whangarei county contains orchards aggregating 937 acres, Waitemata, 1,346 acro3, Eden 599 acres, Manukau 1,472 acres, Waikato 509 acres, Waipa 630 acres. With regard to tobacco, only 4 acres are •returned as being under thecrop, giving a yield 2,2121b of dried leaf. There are 706 acres under bops in tho colony. Tho area devoted to plantation of forest trees is 40,401 acres. Of gardens there are 9,767 acres, an increase of 155 acres. The total area of oultivated land in the colony, inclndiv? sown grasses and orchard and garden areas, is a total of 9,589,439 acres as against 8,752,771 acres in the previous year. Of farm stock, there are 221,481 horned cattle in the Auckland district, of which 73,606 are breeding cows. In Taranaki there are 126,700 cattle, auoi in Wellington 155,144. Auckland is at the head of the list. In tho North Island there ore 199,470 breeding cows, as. againsb 105,800 in the South Island.