PRODUCE EXPORT.

Mataura Ensign, 11 July 1906, Page 3

PRODUCE EXPORT.

The leallet issued by the Agricultural Department showing the quantity and » value of certain of the principal exports of the colony for the month oi Juno is now to hand, and from it it is possible to make up a comparison between last month and June, P.MIS, and also between the figures for the first quarter of the current financial year und those for the corresponding quarter of IUOS. Taking the months first, the following position is shown : June. 1900. June, l'Jva. £ £ flutter »2,538 1,7-15 Cheese M 3 '2,130 Frozen beef 19, , ->~'" 15,475 Frozen mutton ... 136,05> 111,8-:!) Frozen lamb 100,111 135.61:! Wheat 40 15,J37 Oats -2,031 4,12!) Potatoes 139 472 liemp 57,35'.) 17,'.>5! Total £-120,009 C335,1J9 These figures show un increase" for the month just past of £S7,SC<>. Of course, -a comparison extending over a month is only di value as showing how one year's operations vary from those of another. The delay of a steamer may throw shipments that Mere made in May, 1905, into June of 1906, and in that particular, case the comparison for May would show a striking decrease, while that for June would naturally show a large increase. A better comparison can beover a longer period, and we may now give the figures in the items mentioned above for the first quarter of the financial year. April-June April-June 1900 1905 £ £■ Butter 100,225 53.222 Cheese 75,»il 43,2.5s Frozen beef 121,372 74,290 Frozen mutton 435.C57 338.030 Frozen lamb ... 722,221 197.502 Wheat 019 15,479 Oats 31,013 17,919 Potatoes 851 1.000 Hemp 215,7179 192..021 Total £1,799,211 £1,210,357 These figures show an increase {or ■the first quarter of the current year of £u52,-i»4, and as this is spread over , nearly the whole of the colony's producing industries, it must be regard.'.! as exceedingly satisfactory. The butter export trade shows a phenomenal increase in value, -as does the trade in frozen lamb. A heavy increase in the exportation of mutton was of course to be expected, us a result of the large increase that took place in the flocks of the colony lust year. Oats also show a large increase, which is specially satisfactory to this part of the colony, as the Bluff is the principal exporting port. The shrinkage in the export of wheat from £IS,OOO to £Ol9 is somewhat remarkable. On the whole the figures for the first quarter promise an exceedingly prosjuTous vear for the producers. THE ILVRVKST. The last issue of the 'Gazette' brought particulars of the actual yield from the harvest of 1906, and some interesting information ran be derived from an examination of the figure* and « comparison between the harvest just completed ami that of last year. The total yields for the two years mav be compared as follow : 1903-0 1901-.5. Bushels. Wheat 0.795,'.)31 9,123,073 Oats 12,707.9<2 1t.553.01l r- Barley 1.f»1,ni5 1.125,10 l Ryegrass ... !'-57,212 70"'.357 lb lb Cocksfoot ... S.s'.:ii.7T.j These figures betray the cffrcls of the unfavorable season that was rxperiencccl in nearly every district in the colony. The wheal yield was less by two and a-half million bushels, although the area under crop was only 36,000 acres less. The oat crop was nearly two million bushels short of that of the previous year, and this notwithstanding that the area sown was greater by over 12,000 acres. In barley the area sown was practically the Eame, but the crop was less. The ryegrass yield shows a notable improvement, as the area, rropiicd was a thousand acres less and the harvest was 230,000 bushels more. The cocksfoot yield was practically the same as that for the previous year, allowing for a decrease in the area sown, of 2700 acres. The difference between the two seasons can Ik- even more effectively displayed by a comparison of the average yield per acre, us follows : 1905-0. 1901-5. Bushels. Bushels. Wheat 30.00 35.30 Oats 35.50 12.53 Barley 31.51 :!5.26 Ryegrass 32.23 23.95 lb. lb

Cocksfoot 237.1'1 ±>:!.'.H) I The yield in wheal here shown is tin: . luwrst since I'.HH, iinil with tin- cxcep- | lion of that year it is the lowest since The »ul yield, which particularly affiils Southland us the largest oat growing district, lias not liven bclow W bushels since J«»7. The year ]'.M>l, with :i~ bushels, was a compurativclv poor venr, as the average from J>!»»\o I!«>5 was over 10 bushels. This year's liguri-s, therefore, show a severe drop. Jtarley, though below the average of the last two years, is a fair *crop in comparison with the yields of the past ten year.=. The ryegrass yield establishes a record, the previous highest being "AVI"2 in VJW.. Although unfavorable to cereals in general the season apparently favored the ryegrass crop. Oat growers in this district will t-' «loublless be interested to learn how the yield, per acre of oats in Southland compares with that of other districts. The figures in the "Gazette" -* enable us to state the relative position of the different parts of the colonv as follows : '' 'Auckland district, JH bushels :II nwke's Bay district. U bushels; Wellington, % bushels ; Taranaki, IS bushels-. Marlborough. •!! bushels : Xelson. 311 * bushels : Canterbury. 3n bushels : • .Southland, 311 bushels. Of course, in *tht> northern districts the aggregate ; yjelds are insignificant in comparison Vhh that of Southland. The whole Wl Auckland only produced 10 v 5-")- \ bushe|s last year, und the other northern districts, including Marlborough add Xelson were hardly more important from an oat growing point of view. Canterbury, however, claim* v several very large oat growing districts, notablv Akaroa, I,<:!)!»,•-':« bushels: Ashburtin. I.li-',712 bushels: and Waimate, 1.J27.731 bushels. The Southland crop uas I.!)!«, 170 bushels.