GRAIN RETURNS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XCVII, Issue 11180, 30 January 1897, Page 6

GRAIN RETURNS.

STATISTICS POE THE YEAR. FPer. 'Press Association.] WELLINGTON, Jan. 29. The following figures show the areas under cereals and the quantity of grain on hand on Nov.- 10, 1896. The complete returns are not yet available, but it is not likely that there will be any alterations to seriously affect the totals. Every endeavour has been made to get as correct a return as possible of the quantity of grain in the hands of farmers, millers and others. The returns for last year.were not collected till January; or from six weeks to two months later than the: present, ones. During this period a considerable quantity of wheat, estimated at. .from 500,000 to 600,000 bushels, was milled otherwise disposed of. Taking the quantity-on hand for last year at 608,364 bushels, and adding, say, 600,000 bushels as above, would give a total of over f;200,000 bushels on hand, or within.llo,ooo toushels'of that shownln the present rotiu'n.,. The actual . increase' of grain on hand over last year’s figures may, therefore, be estimated at 110,000 bushels. An estimate of the probable yields of wheat, oats and. barley has been obtained; and, although in some districts the crops are hardly far enough advanced to enable a close calculation to be arrived at, yet, with favourable weather, the estimates should be realised. The figures are as follows

■ The dry weather which has continued for the past two months has had a most disastrous effect on the corn crops, consequently a considerable area originally in T tended for i threshing will now be cut for chaff. The following figures may therefore be taken as.more accurate:

— Wheat Oats. I3AELET. Provincial District. Acreage. Estim*t*a| Yield per Acre. Total. Acreage. Estim'fc'd Yield per Acre Total. Acreage. Estiin't'd Yield per Acre. Total. Auckland ... ■ 5,617 bus. 20 bus. 112,940 7,703 ~:bus. '. 22 bus. 163,460 521 25 . bus. 13,025 Hawke's Bay 1,037 25 • 25,923 5,189 31 160,859 1,535 '35 53,725 Taranaki 2,069 30 62,070 4,842 30. 145,26) 54S 34 18,632 Wellington... 9,488 29 275,152 21,665 32 C90.0SO 621 26 16,146 Marlborough 5.13G 25 128.4C0' 4 ,'76 25 103, -tro 3,431 15 51,165 Nelson 4,262 29 123,598 5,524 28 156,352 3,841 25 96,025 Canterbury... 189,638 £4 4,551,312 138.0S2 '.;■ 27 3,729,214 11,479 26 298,454 Otago 63,491 23 1,777,743 205, 6ES 32 0,5:0,096 7,932 25 203,232 Totals 280,7-8 25 7,057,145 39?,959. 11,739,727 29,908 ' 25 753,704

1 Acres. 1 Estimated 1 Average ( Yield. Total. . . ■) Wheat 280,708"] Lass estimated -258,307 25 0,457.675 ' chaff ... 22,461, Oats— 392,969"' Less estimated 369,392 30 11,081,730 area cut for cliatt' ... 23,S"8, Baulet ' 29,908" Less estimated 28,413 710,325 : area cut for chaff ... > 1495,