AGRICULTURE.

New Zealand Gazette and Wellington Spectator, Volume V, Issue 354, 24 July 1844, Page 2

AGRICULTURE.

The expenses attending clearing land in New Zealand have been so variously stated, that the following account by a practical farmer, occupied in clearing land in the valley of the Hutt, will be allowed to be useful and may be relied upon. This statement refers to land the most heavily timbered of any with which we are acquainted in this colony.

We find that a settler, cultivating near Auckland, named Paton, has stated in evidence before a Committee of the Legislative Council, that the average yield of land, per acre, in that district, is 13 bushels and that the farmer will need at first ten shillings pci bushel for his wheat, and never less than five shillings. We suspect that Mr. Paton will find that he has considerably under stated th" yield of the land, and over stated the expe.i&e* of cultivation, or agriculture will not be a very profitable pursuit in the north of this island :—: — Expenses of Clearing and Cultivating Timber Land per acre. I*2. year. £ s. i. Felling and burning fit for crop 5 0 0 Chipping in wheat and packing up rubbish 2 0 0 One and a half bushels of seed wheat at Bs., 125. ; sowing Is 0 13 0 £7 13 0 Reaping one acre of wheat 0 15 0 Cartage and stacking 0 10 0 Thrashing out 40 bushels, at 9d 110 0 £10 8 0 Proceeds. 40 bushels of wheat at 7s 14 0 0 3 tons of straw at 203 3 CJ) £17 0 0 2nd, year. Grubbing one acre and collecting roots . 410 0 Harrowing in one acre at 5a 0 5 U One and a half bushels of seed wheat at Bs., 125. : sowing Is °J__! £5 8 0 Reaping one acre 0 15 Cartage and stacking ° In a Thrashing out 40 bushels, at 9d 1 10 « £8 3 0 Proceeds. 40 bushels of wheat, at 7s 14 0 3rd. year. Ploughing one acre 1 ". q i Harrowing in seed « ° One and a half bushels of seed wheat „ at 83., 125. ; sowing Is __!__-- £2 8 0 Fxpenses of harvesting as before 2 15