The Evening Star MONDAY, DECEMBER 30, 1872.

Evening Star, Issue 3077, 30 December 1872, Page 2

The Evening Star MONDAY, DECEMBER 30, 1872.

The time lias arrived when speculation as to the probable result of the coming harvest engages the attention of a considerable section of the community. A thoroughly reliable estimate can scarcely yet be made out; still it it satisfactory to know that reports from every pg.r.t of tins aud the North Island are very favorable. The crops generally look well, but rani is badly wanted, particularly on all the high and lighter lauds. Should all go well during the next six or seven weeks, an abundant harvest may be secured. One cannot, however, help looking loin aid with some degree of anxiety to a scanty supply of labor when the harvest lime arrives. Labor is now more scarce and expensive than it has X’cou. tor many years past. Every branch o£ trade is very active, public works, on an extensive scale, are being constructed in every part of the country, and the goldfields are prosperous. These varied sources of employment require and absorb every batch of immigrants as they arrive. The inference is that, when the harvests come to be gathered in, >y;igcs will be excessively high, wliiie the supply of labor will not be at all ccjual to the demand. During the next quarter of the yeti’, Otago could easily absorb ten times (hi; number of people likely to arrive, and oven then our requirements would not he met. It is, however, pleasant _ to reflect that, with the prospect *;,f increased r-ost of labor, the farmer hav every .likelihood of obtaining good print fur Ids produce. Already wc learn that the harvest in Great Main has been a failure, wlule in [Spain and 1 ranee it has been nnusuaiby v bmulant. Inparts of Germany and northern Europe it. has been considerably below -the average, but in America —particularly m. California —it has been good. Information regarding the crops in South Australia, Victoria, and New South Wales Ik, as usual, somewhat indefinite, but as a rule reports are favorable. The former Colony is the principal wheat-growing country, and has this season about 800,000 acres under crop. The yield is .estimated at from twelve to fifteen bushels per .acre. The former estimate, though somewhat below that of last year, would give a total yield of about li), 000,000 bushels, or about thirteen bushels per head for the entire population, .thus leaving a considerable margin for export. In Victoria the people arc sanguine as to results, and anticipate that the yield will meet all requirements of the Colony. But even should Victory or any of the neighboring Colonics not require a single bushel from South Australia, the latter will find a ready market in England. It is assumed with some show of reason that,'instead of eight to nine million quarters (O’4,(XH},t)oO to 72,000,000 bushels), which has for years past satisfied the latter, she will have to import at least fifteen or sixteen million quarters this year —that is 120,000,000 to 128,000,000 bushels. Therefore, although New Zealand has tliis season an increased acreage under wheat of 30,877 acres, securing chiefly in

Otago ami Canterbury, there is not much cause for alarm. This )eai Otago has 108,323 acres under gram crons; of this 33,1U50 is under wheat, thus showing an increase of breadth of 10,840 acres over the hist season. With an avora ,r e of twenty bushels to the acic, 01 four bushels per 'acre less than last year, the gross vield would be about / 00,000 bushels. Tu the Provinces of the North Island the proportion of wheat crops to the total acreage under grain crops is as low as between two and three per cent.; but in the Provinces of this Island the proportion ranges between eleven anc fifteen per cent. The aggregate wheat erop of this harvest has been nsiimatcc by the Pogistrar-Gcneral at 3,<118,203 bushels, which gives an average oi a little over nine bushels for every individual in the country. These figures, of course, are somewhat conjectural, and must be taken for what they are worth. They are, however, based on the calculations of former years, and therefore form a fair ground for estimating the quantity j of wheat we shall likely have to spare tor export. Prom the above figures it will be seen that, while the greater portion ot the season’s yield will he required for home consumption, a ready market will be found in England for the surplus.