AGRICULTURAL DEPARTMENT REPORT.

Auckland Star, Volume XXIX, Issue 254, 27 October 1898, Page 8

AGRICULTURAL DEPARTMENT REPORT.

THE.STATE OF THE VARIOUS IN-

DUSTRIES.

(By Telegraph.—Parliamentary Reporter.)

WELLINGTON, October 18

The sixth report of the Department of Agriculture laid on the table of the House this afternoon gives a deal of information . The.foliOAving extracts; may proA-e interesting:— [ CROPS. | The harA-est of 1898 has not been \ satisfactory, in so far as the yield of grain is concerned; but the prices offering are much beyond anything ruling- for many years, and tnis, to some extent, a. ill make up for the poor yield last season. The greater j part of the growing districts of the | Middle Island suffered from drought, j which has continued Avith but slight j i intermission up to date. The area j : under wheat was .55,801 acres, and thb | ! apparent surplus 291,119 bushels, j which means that there is practically no wheat available for export, either in the shape of grain or flour. The yield has been ascertained from the threshing returns to be 17.95 bushels, and theprice ranges from 4s 6d to 5s per bushel of oOlbs. The oat crop suffered in a like manner. WHEAT. The are under this cereal' is 345,819 acres, a decrease of 17,788 acres compared with last year; the actual yield is given at 27.44 bushels, which, brings out the total yield to 9,738.391 bushels. The market price ranges from 2s to 2s 9d per bushel. The average under barley is much the same as last year, being 29,920 acres, but the actual yield is less by 4.28 bushels per acre. There is an | excellent demand for all Avell coloured j samples. j Regret is expressed that linseed is I being neglected more and more every | year. j SEEDS. ! The area under rye grass is less, ! Avhile clover and reel clover for seed ! shoAVS a large decrease, principally in j the Canterbury district. Cocksfoot j shoAvs a slight increase in acreage, but : the yield per acre is less, oAving to i the unfavourable Aveather (151 lbs per j acre, as against IGSIb- last year). ROOTS. There is an increased area under potatoes of 6412 acres, the total area i being 30,402 acres, and the yield per acre 4.95 tons. The quality is not up to the aA-erage. The Turnip crop is generally poor. NOXIOUS WEEDS. Nothing has been done to check the dissemination of Aveeds, and every clay brings proof of their eA*er widening spread, especially of Canadian thistle. SMALL BIRDS. The depredations of this pest continue to increase, and the local bodies find themselves unable to cope with the evil. The trouble is the Avant of simultaneous action on the part of ! the whole of those interested. The 1 only Avay to deal Avith the matter is either for the Department to step in or provide means Avhereby local bodies | Avould be compelled ,to take united ; action. ! HEMP. j The outbreak of Avar between Spain : and America caused a revival in the market-for this fibre, and. the demand ii likely to continue. ARBOR DAY. The 7th of July avus declared Arbor ! Day, but it is doubtful if much plantj ing Avas carried out. It is deplorable the apathy shoAvn in this direction. FRUIT. No alteration Avas made in the Orchard and Garden Pcs _•_ Acts last session, and the consequence is that considerable quantities of diseased fruit is b?:ng sent from infested districts into r. Tactically clean districts. Proclamations Avere issued in December last prohibiting the .'mportation of scale infested fruit and fruit infested with the Queensland fruit fly. All ■ shipments are noAv inspected, and infested fruit condemned. Since this has been done the quality of the citrous fruit especially has improved in a remarkable degree. DAIRYING. The output for the past season show, a considerable increase, Avhile the quality has been fairly Avell mainlainf*'.. It would'be a great advantage to have all butter and cheese placed in the stores and graded before shipment to th. United Kingdom. The prices for butter haA-e been unifcmly good, but for cheese considerably loAver than those ruling tor some t*me back. The establishment of a permanent dairy school, which it i_ hoped will shortly be started, will prove of vast importance to the industry; not only Avill it be available a'cr carrying ' out experiments, but it should aiso be able to supply .thoioughly trained managers for our factories. MEAT EXPORT. An increase over the preceding year is sb'-Avn ot 308,116 carcases--of- mutton, and 477,119 carcases of lamb. The export of lamb is being increased rapidly, and intwo or three years .vill exceea that of mutton. The prices ruling for iamb during a part of the season Avere very low, and heai-y losses must nave resulted. Lately the prices have improved somewhat. SHEEP Th? number of sheep returned at 30th April, 1897, Avas 19,687,954, an increase of £49,461 over the preceding year. It is estimattd „ that over 11,000 sheep Avere lost in the bush districts of the North Island through the iires which occurred last summer. Such a loss is greatly to be deplored, and will bear hardly on some settlers; but, on the other hand, the country Avill be much improved by being cleared of dead timber, rubbish, etc. CATTLE 'During the year . tbe inspectors h.ve examined a large number of .•attic-, and condemned all showing signs of c'isease. The- Government veterinarians have also tested several hundred wHh tuberculine. If the same close inspection had been exercised some feAv years ago the number of tuberculous animals Avould uoav be very small. With care and attention this disease could be almost eradicated from our herds in five or six years. AN EXPERIMENTAL STATION FOR AUCKLAND. The question of an experimental station in the Auckland district (reports the Secretary of Agriculture) has 'not be-n lost sight of. Several I properties have been inspected and j reported o_u in the neighboilrhood of

Auck'and, and also .the railway re.erv=, near Kamo. Tne prices asked for the land near Auckland are, in my opinicn, prohibitive. The reserve at T____no, however, .is in every Avay suitab'' for a small experimental station, principally for citrous fruits aud I think something should be done here.