The New Zealand Times (PUBLISHED DAILY). THURSDAY, JUNE 12, 1879.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIV, Issue 5679, 12 June 1879, Page 2

The New Zealand Times (PUBLISHED DAILY). THURSDAY, JUNE 12, 1879.

A volume of Australasian Statistics has recently been issued l?y the Government statist of Victoria. In it we may see ourselves as others see us, and it may be worth while to summarise a few of the facts to bo gleaned from a careful study of the contents of the volume. While doing so we shall in the present article confine any comparisons which it may seem advisable to institute, more especially to particular products. We desire to devote our attention to the agricultural returns which have been made, to point out the large amount of grain produced in' this colony. While doing so we shall take the opportunity of bringing the comparison down to 1879 as far as New Zealand and Victoria are concerned whenever the figures appear to render such a course desirable. Wo believe that the information to be derived from the analysis which we propose will more than repay the labor attached to the undertaking. Two other colonies are returned by the Victorian authority as having more land under tillage than New Zealand, the figures given being : : : ■ 1877-78. • 1878-79. Acres. Acres. Victoria 1,420.503 .* 1,604,024 South Australia.. .. 1,823,115 *. New Zealand .. .. 959,523 .. . 1,134,185 Before proceeding further, we may as well state that although the second column in this table is calculated according to the example set by a high authority, we assert

that, it by no means does justice to this colony. Mr. Haytek practically admits this,;as he states in a foot-note "that "land under permanent artificial gras3 in "New Zealand amounting to 2,503,749 "acres, of which 1,034,304 acres had " been, and 1,531,385 had not been, previously ploughed, is not entered as " green forage or included in the total " area under tillage as in the other colonies." The following table shows the place which might fairly be claimed by Now Zealand in the above table for 1877-78 according to the statistical returns. For the year 1878-70 we have shown the land under tillage, both inclusive and exclusive of the land previously ploughed, which has been returned as under artificial grasses. We think that the latter, i.e., the smaller area, ought certainly to be included in the land under tillage, and are at a loss to understand upon what plea it is excluded from Mr. Hayter'.s Australasian tables of statistics. LAND UNDER TILLAGE.

From the above table it will be seen that relatively to population New Zealand holds a high if not a leading position as an agricultural country among the Australian colonies. "We are quite prepared to admit that much of the surface-sown land included under the heading " land not pre- " viously ploughed," has no right to be regarded as under artificial grass. But a considerable portion of this area is land now under gras3 which was formerly bush, and such land probably produces more green forage per acre than any other class of land. The above tables, however, do not thoroughly exemplify the claim which we put forward for New Zealand to be regarded as almost, if not quite the leading grain-producing colony of the Australasian group. The quantities of grain actually produced will afford even more convincing testimony of the agricultural advancement of this colony. We have therefore prepared the following tables showiDg the acreage and yield of wheat and oats in the three chief grain-growing colonies in this group —barley and other grain has been excluded for the sake of simplification, although New Zealand grows more than her neighbours:— LAND UNDER WHEAT AND OATS, SHOWING ACREAGE AND ESTIMATED PRODUCE OP EACH CEBEAI*

From the above table it appears that in 1877-78, New Zealand grew 12,265,000 bushels of wheat and oats, Victoria 9,058,000 bushels, and South Australia 9,454,000 bushels. In 1878-79 New Zealand grew 14,427,000 bushels, and Victoria 8,062,000 bushels. Barley and other grain affect the result so slightly that we prefer to confine our attention to the consideration of these two cereals only. It is worth noting that in 1878 the whole of the Australasian colonies only produced 8,978,000 bushels of oats, iu 1879 New Zealand alone produced 8,357,000 bushels ; being an increase on the previous year, according to the Registrar - General's returns (which differ slightly from Mr. Haytbb's) of 2,427,000 bushels.

We find that in 1878 Victoria' produced 12'4 bushels of wheat and 19 - 3 bushels of oats per acre. In New Zealand the returns showed in 1877-78 26 - 0 bushels *of wheat and 31 - G bushels of oats per acre. During the present year the yield per acre was somewhat less in New Zealand, as by calculation we find that the average produce was estimated at 22’5 bushels of wheat and 30'1 bushels of oats. From a careful consideration of the facts disclosed by the above figures we are led to believe that whatever may be said about New Zealand as a wheat-growing colony, enough oats were grown last season to supply almost the whole of the Australian market. The production is simply enormous, and the astounding increase of nearly two million and a half bushels during the past year proves what giant strides agriculture is making in New Zealand. At the present time the proceeds of the sale of this grain will help to relieve the monetary pressure, but we do not .regard mere grain-growing as a sign of agricultural prosperity in itself. A large area (158,000 acres) of laud, which had been previously under the plough, was brought under grass during the past year in New Zealand, and we regard this is as evidence that much of the land yearly broken up is only cropped •with a view to laying it down under artificial grasses. Few people are aware that New Zealand now grows considerably (about a third) more grain than either Victoria or South Australia, and it grew almost as much oats last season as were grown in all Australasia the year before.

1877-78. Acres. Per head of population. New Zealand 3,525,277 8'44 Victoria 1,420,502 1 1-05 South Australia 1,828.115 772 1878-79. March, 1878. New Zealand, includln gland previously ploughi ■d .. 3.818.M4 9-2 Ditto, excluding ditto 2,317,203 fc'5 June 30, 187S. Victoria 1,504,021 1'8

W ieafc. 1 Oats. Victoria New Zealand . South Australia 1878-79. Victoria New Zealand . 664,664 7,018,257 105,234 2.040.4SB 248.408 0,336,380190.344 5,920,962 1,163,646 0,034,692 3,515 42,039 65S.413 5,715,465133,403 2,347,997 264,577 6,070,590 2(7,547 8,337,150