AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS FOR 1893.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXX, Issue 9221, 8 June 1893, Page 6

AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS FOR 1893.

Dcjuno the months of February and March this year, as for many years past, the Government have, at much labour and expense, collected a considerable quantity of information respecting the present condition of agriculture in the colony. Various protions of these returns have been published at intervals in the Government Gazette, and a month or six weeks ago we published the leading features of the agricultural returns obtained respecting several counties in the neighbourhood of Auckland. Since then the remaining portions of the returns have been published in the Gazette, with the qualifying remark, however, that the returns of some of the districts will be subject to revision before the returns are published in permanent form in the annual volume of statistics. The information now placed before the public by the Government is highly satisfactory in nearly all points. It is evident that steps are being taken with greater or less energy in all districts of the colony for increasing our exports, and substantial evidence is obtainable that the grazing interest is being rapidly developed. This is a most hopeful sign, for though gross may be regarded as among the lowly plants of the earth, it is one on which a new country mainly depends for prosperity. And when we remark that the lands sown with artificial grasses" have increased during the year between 800,000 and 900,000 acres, it will be acknowledged that very substantial progress has boon made in reclaiming the wilderness. Though very substantial increases have been made to the grassed lands in the Southern districts of the colony, it is beyond doubt that the lesson the returns teach us is that the drift of new settlement is Northward, though not in such a marked manner as was indicated last year. With these preliminary remarks we pass the several sections of the returns before us under review :— HOLDIXGS. The extension of settlement is clearly manifested by the increased number of separate holdings of one acre and upwards. During the year a very substantial addition has been made to the rural holdings in the colony. When the returns were collected it was found these numbered 42,768, or an increase of 1544 holdings over thoco returned in 1892. This is a rate of progress almost equal to five new homes established every working day throughout the year. The progress, however, is not equal throughout the colony. The provincial district of Auckland heads the list, with an increase of 384, while Taranaki follows very close with 303 new homesteads. Canterbury comes next with 294, followed by Otago with 290. Westland also shows well with 122, while Wellington is contented with 90, Nelson with 68, Hawke's Bay with 20, and Marlborough with 4. Thus it will bo seen that thero are none of the provincial districts of the colony but show some increase in the settlement of the uncultivated lands of the Crown. Putting the provincial districts in the North Island against those in the South Island, we find that though the North Island has a considerably less area than the South Island there were 797 new holdings in the North Island against 778 in tho South Island. This section of our rural settlement may, therefore, be regarded as decidedly satisfactory and hopeful.

LAND BROKEN- UP BUT NOT CULTIVATED. • Though the returns show the area of land that has been ploughed daring the year but not cropped, they do not indicate for what purpose the breaking up has taken place. Such an operation may be performed on land for the first time, thus preparing it for cultural purposes ; or it may be that land previously in grass has been reploughed for the purpose of either cropping it or renewing the pasture. In the one case it would indicate that an additional area of land had been put under the operation of the plough, but in either case it may be taken on an unmistakable evidence of progress of advancement. When this section of the returns for the North Island is contrasted with the corresponding section for the South, it will be seen that the settlers in the North Island show the greatest activity in this respect. In the colony it was found that there were 154,254 acres pldbghed but not cropped, which was an increase of 13.800 acres over 1892. Of this increase over 1892 no less than 10,958 were in the Auckland provincial district, 1882 acres in Hawke's Bay, 1358 acres in Wellington, 505 acres in Marlborough, and 1467 acres in Nelson. The provincial districts of Taranaki, Westland, Canterbury, and Otago showed decreases aggregating 2370 acres. Although Canterbury and Otago showed a decrease as compared with 1892, the areas in a state preparing for cropping were far greater in those two provinces than in any other provincial district in the colony. WHEAT. The low price of wheat in the London market and the protective policy adopted in New South Wales are having their effect upon our wheat cultivation. The returns this year show an enormous shrinkage upon tho returns for 1892. The total area under wheat in the colony during the last season was 381,245, estimated to yield 8,378,217 bushels, which show a decrease of 21,028 acres and 1,879,521 bushels as compared with the returns for 1892. This is a large shrinkage upon the money value of the crop, even at the low price which wheAb at the present commands, and musb considerably restrict the spending power of those who have hitherto depended upon the wheat crop as their chief item of revenue from their farms. The South Island is the great wheat-producing district ih the colony; for though Canterbury had 270,780 acres in that crop, and Otago 81,174 acres, Auckland had only 6733 acres, and the total area devoted to wheat-growing in the North Island is only some 17,000 to 18,000 acres against the large areas in the two Southern provincial districts. But, judging by the yield obtained in various portions of the colony, there does not appear any reason why there should be so little attention paid in the North to the production of the staff of life. In Canterbury the average yield was 20*95 bushels per acre ; in Otago the yield was higher, 26*13 bushels per acre; while in Auckland it was 25*72 bushels. Taranaki had a yield 'about the same as that of Auckland viz., 25*87 bushels, while Hawke's Bay and Wellington had respectively 25*11 and 22*04 bushels per acre. These are good returns, and should cause more attention to bo devoted to

1 wheat • growing* in the North than ■ has hitherto been the case, for the expense of cultivation in the North cannot be so very much greater 'than in the South as to account for the,great difference between the two. sections of the colony. Canterbury produced 67-70 per cent, of the wheat crop in the colony, Otago 25*31 per cent,, while/Auckland's proportion was only 2*07. Taranaki produced less than a half per cent., and Hawke'e Bay not quite a quarter per cent., while Wellington slightly exceeded Auckland with' 2'31 per cent. For the first time in the colony an attempt has been made* to collect information respecting the prevalence of certain kinds of insects or fungoid diseases among the crops in the colony. Owiiag largely no doubt to the wet season, caterpillars appear to have been Widely prevalent, and to their presence a good deal of injury is attributed. We also learn tbab the bot fly is very prevalent both in the South and North Islands. The Hessian fly also appears to have been troublesome in several Southern districts, only one .place in the Auckland district having reported its pres-Buce, the Mangatawhiri Kiding, where about one-half of the crop is said to have been destroyed by it and rust caused by wet weather. This statement we would feel inclined to question. Had the Hessian fly been prevalent, as reported, in the Mangatawhiri Biding of the Manukau County we are sure thab some . one of the settlers who found their crops . affected would have communicated the information to us long before the agricultural statistic collector went his rounds, and it is more than likely that a careful re-examination of the evidence will 'show.'the" loss was caused by something . else than the' Hessian fly. In several districts of , the South Island it appears to havo been troublesome, and in the Masterton,*district,the loss caused by this insect is\ put down at from three to twenty-five bushels, per acre. This is evidently an over-eatimate, for a loss of twentyfive bushels per acre would practically mean the total destruction of the whole crop. It is eta ted that in several places in the Carterton district loss has been sustained from this cause owing to the settlers having neglected to burn the stubble of the previous season. ■ In districts where this troublesome • fly is present some of the measures which have been at different times recommended in our columns for its abatement should be used to check its progress; but, as there are several natural parasites to this insect in the colony, it is not likely that it will ever attain serious proportions if care is taken by the farmers themselves.

TOE OAT CROP. It would appear as if the oab crop during the past season . bad not been a success. The area devoted in the colony to oats grown for green food or hay was 132,140 acres, an increase of 13,656 acres ; and for grain production 326,531 acres, an increase of 3023 acres over 1892; but notwithstanding this increase of area the yield is returned as 1,115,031 bushels less than the previous year. To what extent small birds are .responsible for this reduction it is impossible to say, but the collectors in several districts report upon the destructiveness of small birds. To this crop Auckland farmers devoted 18,563 acres for green food and hay, and only 6260 for grain purposes. The grain yield in the several provincial districts are as follows Auckland, 28*17 bushels per acre Taranaki, 38*60 bushels Hawke's Bay, 28*28 bushels ; Wellington, 31*54 bushels; Marlborough, 24 22 bushels ; Melson, 21*94 bushels ; Canterbury, 26*30 bushels; and Otago, 33*04 bushels per acre. It will thus be seen that Taranaki shows the heaviest average yield in this crop, though the proportion of the crop grown there was only equal to 1*57 per cent, of the whole oat crop in the colony. BARLEY. Barley also shows an increased area and a decreased yield. In the colony 24,906 acres were devoted to barley production, being 638 acres more than in 1892, but the estimated yield showed a decrease of 34,452 bushels. This crop is grown sparingly in the North Island, save in Hawke's Bay, where 2229 acres were grown, yielding 66,741 bushels. Auckland's share of the production was 702 acres, with 18,572 bushels. The average yield for the colony was 26*27 bushels per acre, varying from 16*79 bushels per acre in Marlborough to 29*94 bushels per acre in Hawke's Bay.* The avorage yield in Auckland was 26*46 bushels per acre, slightly in excess of the average yield of the colony. MAIZK. Maize showed a considerable decrease both in area and quantity as compared with 1892. During tho past season 4491 acres were devoted to this crop (of which 4266 acres were in the Auckland district), showing a decrease of 956 acres and 67,085 bushels. It is only in the North Island that this crop is grown at all.' The average yield in the colony was 38*22 bushels per acre, while the Auckland crop averaged 38*47 bushels per acre. Of this crop Auckland produced 95*61 per cent, of the whole, no doubt owing to the more genial and mild climate which prevails in the northern portion of this colony.

RYE AND BERK, PEAS, ETC. These are crops that nob much attention ie demoted to. Rye and bere are grown to the extent of 6737 acres, peas to the extent of 4779 acres, and beans 4402 acres. Considering the importance of peas and beans as food for horses, it is surprising that more attention is not devoted to these crops. Rye and bere gave an average quite of 14*97 bushels per acre, peas 26*02 bushels, and beans the good average of 35*73 bushels per acre. The highest) average yield of beans was obained in Hawke's Bay, where it was '14 bushels per acre. However, as with wheat and some other grain, the bulk of this crop was produced in Canterbury, where 89*85 per cwt of the whole crop was grown. FOTATOES. Notwithstanding the enormous yields which have been reported from several districts of this crop this season, due no doubt to the moist character of the weather, the average yield is not quite equal to that of former years. The colonial average is found to be 5*68 tons per acre, as compared with 5'94 tons per acre last year. The highest average yield is in Hawke's Bay, where it is 7*lo tons per acre, while Wellington follows close up with "09 tons per acre. The average yield in Auckland is under the colonial average, being 5*02 tons per acre. This crop was grown to the extent of 18,338 acres in the colony, being 8228 acres less than the crop in the previous year. HAY CROP AND SOWN GRASSES. This section is the most cheering of the whole of the agricultural returns. In February last it was found that there were in sown grasses, after the land had been ploughed and broken up, 3,611,363 acres, and in surface-sown grasses 4,650,652, making a total of 8,262,045 acres in artificial grasses. , This is an increase of 856,164 acres over the area so utilised in the previous year, . and is a substantial increase, and shows that the foundation is being laid for a large increase in our sheep and other farm stock in the near future. Of the above area 61,811 acres were devoted to the production of hay, and though the season was all that could be desired for the hay crop, an average of only I*sl tons per acre is returned. This is evidently an underestimate. The highest average yield is in Hawke's Bay—l*7B tons per acre. The area of land sown down with artifical 1 grasses in Auckland now stands at 1,230,951 acres, there having been an increase of 126,666 acres during the past year. Indeed, in all the provincial districts there is a very subsantial increase, save in Westland, where it would seem some big blunders have been made. There it is shown that during the past year 2039 acres of grass land which had previously been ploughed have disappeared, together with 4480 acres of surface-sown grass lands which had nob previously been ploughed. The other sections of cultivation in this provincial district give no clue to account for the disappearance of such a large area of grass-covered land. This is made the more puzzling seeing thab an increase in the number oi moldings is reported. TAB ORCHARDS. There is now returned an area of 20,085 acres in the colony devoted to fruit production. This shows an increase of 453 acres over the returns of 1892. The increases are small in various districts. The Auckland portion of the orchard area is 8662 acres, an increase of 82 acres over that of the previous year. This is one of the rural industries which is yearly increasing, and if the Government would let ib alone, and prevent the introduction of any fresh species of infection by fruit brought from infected countries, ft few years more would

see this industry on a firm and permanent basis. It is an interesting thing to notice how the orchards are distributed. All the northern areas show that in the future they will be the orchards of thft colony. ■ Already the North Island contains about two-thirds of all the orchard areas in New Zealand ; in other words, in the North Island are to ■ be found 13;374 acres of the 20,085 acres devoted to orchard purposes throughout the colony. v This may be taken as a fair indication of the location of this industry in . the future. In several cf the northern counties, if the returns are to be trusted, a decrease is shown as compared with last year. This we do not think is likoly to be the case, bub whether the errors be in this year's 'rtturns or in those of the past year, ib is impossible to say ; but those who are conversant with the northern districts will agree with us that the reduction of the area of our orchards has not yet begun. The largest orchards in the colony are to be found in the North. Taking the counties containing orchards of 500 acres and upwards in extent, and we find them located as follows —Whangarei County contains orchards aggregating 937 acres; Rodney, 865 acres ; Waitemata, 1346 acres; Eden, 599 acres; Manukau, 1472 acres; Waikato, 509 acres; Waipa, 630 acres; Oroua, 592 acres; Waimea, 1080 acres ; Selwyn, 978 acres ; and Geraldine, : 601 acres. So that out of eleven counties having orchard areas exceeding 500 acres, no fewer than eight of them are situated northward of Cook's Straits. MINOR RURAL INDUSTRIES. The tobacco culture, from which so much was hoped at one time, and from which no doubt good returns will yet be derived, appears ! to be languishing from some cause. Only four acres are returned in this crop, and the yield is set down at 22121b of dried leaf, equal to 5531b per acre. Hops also do not appear to progress. The area devoted to this crop is 706 acres, and the estimated yield is placed at 7059cwt; say about lOcwt per acre. This should be satisfactory. The area devoted to plantation of forest trees is 40,401 acres, of which the largest areas are to be found in some of the counties in the South Island. Gardens do not appear to receive much attention. For a number of years this area diminished year by year until last year, when it was returned at 9608 acres. This year shows a slight increase, the area being 9763 acres, an increase of 155 acres. THE TOTAL CULTIVATIONS. The total area of cultivated land in the colony, including sown grasses and garden and orchard areas, is a total of 9,589,439

acres, m against 8,752,771 acres In the previous year. This is a satisfactory feature, and shows that the area of cv'iivated land in New Zealand, to the unit of population, is far greater than In the Australian colonies. While there ; are so many satisfactory Indications iof r , progress all around is suprising, considering the moist character of the season, that greater advantage had not been taken of that circumstance, by storing up the abundance of grass in silos or in silage stacks. The collectors found only 254 of these stacks or silos in the colony. 'Considering the easy way of saving grass for food in the winter season by this process, it is surprising that out of the 42,768 holdings in the colony, only 254 ensilage stacks or silos should have been found to be In existence. v

FARM STOCK. ' Though this is nob the year when the census is taken, it appears than an effort) has boon made to learn the number of homed cattle existing at the time the returns were collected in the several counties. ■ The following is the result computed by provincial districts, which shows that Auckland stands at the head of the provincial districts in this description of farm stock. The numbers are as follows:—

t From the above table it will be seen by far the' greatest number of dairy cows are to be found in the North Island settlements, showing that here will be the - great sphere of the dairy industry. Auckland stands at the head of the list with 73,666 milk-giving cows, and in tho North Island there are 199,470 breeding cows, against 105,800 of the same class of stock in the South Island. In all the provincial districts an increase in the number of breeding cows has taken place during the past year save in Nelson, where there is a small decrease; and in Marlborough, though there is a very slight increase, the number may be said to have practically remained ttationarf.

Subjoined is a table giving the details of cropping for the counties in the North Island, and in the remarks above the totals for the colony are disclosed, so that a careful perusal of it will give the reader a full picture of the extent of oar present agricultural operations so far as the various crops are concerned:—

Cattle 1 Ofwhichar® wltw /breeding cow*. Auckland .. .. 221,4*1 73,666 Taranaki .. .. 120,700 47,479 llawke's Bay >• 64,241 20,467 Wellington.. M 155,141 67,858 Marlborough .. 7,060 2,972 Nelson .. .. 31,024 10,467 Westland .. .. 7,711 2,970 Canterbury.. .. 67,850 SO.&S . , Otago .. „ 138,612 69,038

In all i Acres. re. . eluding ' previously (for of -- ■ ■ (in Prod.(bush) j ~ 7. I 76 81 30 &188 6 26 17 18 ... 2.090 78 304 1,460 10 49 42 23 I 7 8 44 01 18 61 17 17 4 3 78 7 4 56 447 741 151 47,459 134 142 347 34 .. 79,797 1,807 . 1,638 17 48 2,143 6,091 82 163 11 . 65 261 1 I 8 165,640 233 1,175 27 21,647 34,605 492 33,871 I 44 1 158 40 8 13 28 1,340 8 7 1 97 7 *" 64 I . "* 30 1 16 . 10<1 606 747 2,357 " I 150 7,221 1,864 4 10,135 472 14,340 45 „ " 47 44 ** 3 49,148 " 8 1,746 10,424 476 . 1,834 Patta.. 717 4 153 887 11 1,770 78 454 144 I 2,418 37 . 220,133 " 4 Maisawatu 89 1 101.608 Hotowbenua 64 - 119 £■?»•• " 44 34 196 1 South.. 181 2,830 772 37 SI 424 6,417 Wairarapa 87 17 . * 00,717 87 814 I 28 880,482 1,370 8,474