AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXII, Issue 4606, 10 March 1902, Page 7

AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS.

AREAS UNDER CULTIVATION. The complete agricultural and pastoral returns for the colony as on October 15th, 1901, are published in a supplement to the “Gazette." The interim returns for the period appeared in the "Gazette” on December 19th. On account of the dry season deductions have been made as follows from the areas of wheat, oats and barley returned as “for threshing'”:—Wheat, 3100 .acres; oats, 4300 acres; barley, 1600 acres. The actual areas under different crops were.— Wheat for threshing, 163,462 acres, a decrease of 43,003 acres on the previous year; for chaffing, ensilage, etc., 4012 acres, an increase of 2393 acres for the year. Oats for threshing, 405,924 acres, a decrease of 43,610 acres; for chaffing, ensilage, etc., 199,508 acres, an increase of 8001 acres. Barley for threshing, 26,514 acres, a decrease of 4317 acres; for ensilage, feeding down, etc., 6541 acres, an increase of 2035 acres.

In other crops the following show increases, tho increases being given within parentheses:—Reas, 7689 acres (1666 acres); beans, 3505 acres (568 acres); vetches, 436 acres (33 acres); linseed, 2880 acres (2165 acres); other com crops, 1524 acres (1205 acres); potatoes, 31,259 acres (2735 acres); imangolds. 8249 acres (908 acres); beet, 515 acres (130 acres); carrots, 1684 acres (57 acres); private gardens, 13,787 acres (44 acres); market gardens, 3897 acres (229 acres); orchards, 26,294 acres (1039 acres); vineyards, 543 acres (21 acres); grasses, 33.950,805 acies (685,937 acres). The following crops show decreases, the acreage of which appears in parentheses: —Wheat, 167,474 acres (40,610 acres); oats, 605,433 acres (35,609 acres); barley, 33,055 acres (2282 acres); rye, 2840 acres (819 acres); maize, 14,892 acres (1359 ' acres); hops, 844 acres (206 acres); turnips. 398,508 acres (5825 acres); rape, 123,334 acres (984 acres); other, green crops, 4226 acres (303 acres); fallow land, 55,947 acres (11,800 acres); plantations, 48.770 acres (624 acres) The land dealt with in the season 19012 was 35,507,889 acres, an increase of 596,316 acres on the previous year. It was cultivated as follows:—Corn crops, 610,071 acres (decrease 75,248 acres;;, grasses, etc., 33,950,805 acres (increase 685,937 acres); green crops, 567,775 acres (decrease 3282 acres); fallow land, 55,947 acres (11,800 acres); plantations, orchards, etc., 93,291 acres (increase 709 acres.)