AGRICULTURAL AND STOCK STATISTICS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 17105, 10 September 1917, Page 7

AGRICULTURAL AND STOCK STATISTICS.

Hie figures in the' agricultural and stock statistics prepared by Mr Malcolm Fraser (Government Statistician) aro valuable in a sense, bat the details available arc not sufficient to • onablo a careful comparison being 1 made with those of past years and so permit of an analysis or stock-taking account being taken. A rough comparison with the figures of somo past years gives food for reflection as conveying some idea of the progress which tho Dominion is making. A few comparative figures are given below which may prove of interest. The years taken for comE arisen had no special features. Tho gures just happened to be convenient, and appeared to go back to the period when the tendenoy to give up cropping and go in more for sheep and cattle raising was becoming apparont. We may first glance at tho comparative figures of the production oi wheat, oats, and barley, as follows:— WHEAT. Dominion of N.Z. Yield. Acres. Bushels. 1902-03 134,355 7,457,916 1916-17 '.. _ .. .. 329,207 7,108,310 Increase 185,852 — Decrease — 849,555 Otago. Canterbury. Yield. Yield. * Acres. Bushels. Acres. Bushels. 1903-03 .. 42,688 1,600,188 136,316 5,349,130 1916-17 .. 32,148 907,716 178,545 3,960,182 Increase .. — — 42,229 — Decrease.. 10,540 692,472 — 1,388,948 OATS. Whole Dominion. Yield. Acres. Bushels. 1902-03 483,659 21,766,708 1916-17 .... .. .. 212,688 7,653,208 Decrease .. .. „ .. 270,971 ,14,113,600 Otago. ■ Canterbury. Yield. Yield. Acres. Bushels. Acres. Bushels. 1902-08 .. 230,082 9,841,325 82,607 2,067,451 1916-17 .. 83,496 3,050,196 45,277 1,627,754 Decrease .. 146,686 6,791,129 118,074 7,774,136 BARLEY. Dominion. Otago. Canterbury. Acres. Acres. Acres. 1303-01 .. 34,681 4,969 12,343 1916.17 .. 80,204 6,617 9,013 Decrease .. 4,477 — 3,830 Increase .. — 1,648 —

The figures show that "while there was a substantial increase in the area under wheat last year for the whole Dominion, the yield was deficient by "549,555 bushels. Apparently no special effort was made in Otago to grow wheat, as the area under that crop decreased in a dozen years by 10,540 acres and the yield by 692,472 .bushels. In Canterbury, on the other hand, the area in crop for thrashing increased by 42,229 acres, but the drought proved so disastrous that the yield was less by 1,388,948 bushels—a ■ serious loss to farmers. Growingoats has seemingly gone out of fashion. The area under this crop in the whole Dominion decreased in a dozen years by 270,971 acres, and the yield fell by 14,113,500 bushels. The figures show that the decreases in both area and yield in both Otago an<i Canterbury about account for the total falling off. '

The figures concerning barley show no great variation. Less land was devoted to this crop in the whole Dominion, but Otago increased? the area slightly. • The growing of maize in the north for ensilage may be left out of account in this comparison. I As less attention was given to agriculture, J naturally a large increase in stock might be anticipated. "But the figures below require some consideration:— SHEEP. • Dominion. Otago. Canterbury. 1903-04 .. 20,342,727 3,965,242 4,933,681 1916-17 .-. 24,788,150 4,627,625 4,377,407 Decrease .. — , — 556,274 Increase .. 4,445,423 662,383 — It will be noticed above that the number of sheep increased by nearly four and a-half million. Of this increase Otago shows only a little over half a million. Canterbury's poor showing of an increase of only 204,171 in a dozen years is largely accounted for by the drought of, the past two years. But. even so, in view of the large numbers of sheep taken into Canterbury of recent years from both north and .south,- there is an uneasy suspicion that that province has been over-killing and over-exporting, tempted by the high prices. The following table of the figures for the Dominion as on April 30, 1903, and April 30, 1917, shows where the increases have taken place:— SHEEP. April 30, April 30, 1917. 1902. Increase. Auckland .. 1,792,176 904,681 887,493 Hawke's Bay 5,061.553 4,606,322 455,231 Taranaki .. 983,822 552,833 430,989 Wellington .. 5,473,850 4,222,510 1,251,340 Nelson .. ... 456,991 279,953 177.038 Marlborough.. 1,017,629 849,168 168,461 Waatland .. 62,271 28,232 34,034 Canterbury .. 4,377,407 4,933,681 *556.274 Otago .. .. 2,911,057 3,965,342 661,733 Southland .. 1,716,568 Total .. 24,788,150 20,342,727' * Decrease. CATTLE. Dominion. Otago. Canterbury 1903-04 .. 1,593,547 212,932 120 750 1916-17 .. 2,417,491 246,622 146,782 Increase .. 823,944 33,690 26,026 HOUSES. Dominion. Otago. Canterbury 1903-04 .. 298,714 59,051 53,220 1916-17 .. 371,331 72,849 69,348 Increase .. 72.617 13,798 16,128 PIGS. Dominion. Otago. Canterbury 1303-04 .. 226,951 24,618 43,513 1915-16 .. 297,501 22,805. - 36,339 Increase .. 70,910 — — Decrease .. — 1,813 7,174 The increase of 823,914- head of cattle in the Dominion is satisfactory, and is due no doubt largely to the development of the dairying industry . in the north. Although that industry, like the frozen meat industry, started in the south, it has not advance* by leaps and bounds as in the north. As the figures for Southland were included with those for Otago in 1903, it is impossible to say whether the increase of 33,690 which has taken place in Otago has been mainly in Southland, where dairying has taken a much firmer hold than In mi? • P 1,0 ™ 110 * 8 : 1 district of. Otago. The increases in the number of horses is somewhat surprising when it is remembered that large numbers have been sent away for army purposes, and, further, that the roadster and trap and coach horses have been superseded by the motor. It is satisfactory to find that there is a fairly substantial increase in the number of pigs m the Dominion; but the falling off _in Otago and Southland would seem to indicate that our farmers have no longer to depend upon "the gintilman that pays the nnt._ He pays well; but then he is only a side-line and not considered to bo worth trouF'ng with. The figures concerning turnms and mangolds indicate that more attention is now p i to --mu Production of winter feed for stock. Those concerning potatoes and grasses call for no comment, as the details concerning the total areas in grass are not available. POTATOES. Dominion. Otago. Canterbury. Acres. Acres. Acres 1903-04 .. 31,408 5,600 ' 9 408 1916-17 .. 29,809 5,102 1^579 Increase .. — 2171 Decrease .. 1,599 498 '_ TURNIPS. ' Dominion. Otago. Canterbury. Acres. Acres. Acres .1903-04 .. 408,659 185,387 139144 1916-17 ..572,138 234,999 122;219 Increase .. 163.479 49,612 —- Decrease ... ■ — _ 1G)925 MANGOLDS. Dominion. Otap;o. Canterbury. Acres. Acres. Acres 1903-04 .. 7,808 961 3,664 1916-17 ... 13,046 1,493 1,466 Increase .. 5,238 532 — Decrease .. — — 2,198 RYEGRASS. Dominion. Otago. Canterbury. Acres. Acres. Acres. 1903-04 .. 27,881 15,516 4 827 1916-17 .. 43,095 21,372 48,061 Increase .. 15,214 5 856 43,234 COCKSFOOT. Dominion. Otago. Canterbury. Acres. Acres. Acres. 1903-04 .. 27,884 178 23,163 1916-17 .. 13,293 564 11,579 Increase .. — 386 — Decrease .. 14,591 -- 11,584