THIRTY YEARS OF BRITISH AGRICULTURE..

Otago Witness, Issue 2481, 2 October 1901, Page 7

THIRTY YEARS OF BRITISH AGRICULTURE..

The British agricultural returns for 1900 "are more than usually interesting to New Zealand farmers, who may glean from them lessons bearing on the agricultural conditions in the colony. Major Craigie'S review of the situation is singularly comprehensive, for he takes the figures since 1870, and ingeniously shows the gradual evolution of the changes in British agriculture during the 30 years, his position as secretary to the Board of Agriculture affording tim all facilities for summarising the most important details. If the figures do not bring out anything new to the British, public, they certainly present startling facts in a fresh light. The area of arable land In Great Britain was returned in 1870 as 18,335,000 acres, and in 1900 as 15,708,000 acres. There is thus a big decrease in the arable acreage between the two periods. The area under permanent pasture in 1870 was 12,073,000 acres, and in 1900, 16,729,000 acres. These figures indicate a withdrawal during the thirty years of 2,600,000 acres from arable culture, and an extension of the area under permanent pasture by 4,600,000 acres. These broad facts' are clearly brought out "In a 'diagram in which Major Craigie shows, .among other important details, the actual area .under wheat in each year, with the] ..variations in> the number of cattle and sheep. The arable area was at its highest in 1872, and at its ljywest in 1900, the descent being certainly gradual, but very -steady. The area under wheat was at its .{highest in 1874, when its acreage was over 3,500,000, and at its lowest in 1895, when the acreage was less than 1,500,000. On the other hand, the area under permanent pasture rose steadily from 1870 till 1891,

' since which date there has been a gradual 1 decline^ until in. 1900 the area stands at almost the same figures as in 1884. The Quotations in the numbers of cattle and sheep during the same period • ai*e ! equally noteworthy. The numbers of cattle I increased steadily, by about three-quarters ;of a million from 1871 co 1874 ; there was a slight decrease for a year, and then the maintenance of a steady level until 1883. After that year there was a steady rise until 1886, then a steady decline until 3889, and next a uniform rise until 1892. Thereafter came a steady drop for two years, and since that a steady advance. On the whole, cattle have ,kept wonderfully uniform throughout the period, and at the end of the 30 years the bovine population is as high as it has been at any time over that period. ,JWith sheep the case is entirely differed. The fluctations in the sheep population during the 30 years have been remarkable. Twenty-eight million was the total in 1870, and in 1874 it was 30.000,000 — the highest figure attained. In 1882 the lowest figure, 24,000,000, j was reached, and after various ups and , downs, but with a general upward tendency, the next highest point was reached in 1891 and 1892, wlien the figures were , 23,500.000. Thereafter there was a rapid ; descent for three years, and since 1895 the ' tendency has been upward, although in 1900 there was a considerable reduction on the figures foi 1899. This is supposed to have been due to the very bad turnip crop of that year. ' In with the crops in detail .Major Craigie brings out some important , points. First of all, the -wheat recovery of 1898 has now gone by the board, and the t crop area for 1900 wa*s less than for any i year during the three decades., with the •tyro exceptions of 1895 and 1896. The maximum year for the wheat crop was 1869, when' the area under it v, as 3.688,000 acres, and the minimum year was 1895,' when the area was 1,417,000 acres. In 1900 the area was 1,845,000 acres. Barley remained practically stationary, but oats in Scotland <tad Wales showed a decrease, i Potatoes, for some reason or other, were in the ascending scale in 1900, the advance • bfing equivalent to 2£ per cent, over the preceding year, and the area practically the same as in 1896. The increase in Lincolnshire alone was 10 per cent. Perhaps the most significant feature in the returns is the evidence borne by them of the waning • popularity of the turnip. In seven years j the acreage under this crop has fallen 14£ per cent., the figures for 1893 and 1900, respectively, being 1,975,000 and 1,689.000 acres. Various reasons are assigned for this, '"but there can be little doubt that the real one is a growing disposition not to I regard the turnip crop as the chief end of ' agriculture. Some who ought to know maintain that of all farm crops it i^ the most expensive and lea&t profitable." i