NEW SOUTH WALES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2668, 3 May 1905, Page 8

NEW SOUTH WALES.

Sydney, April 10. Since we last wrote, splendid rains have ■fallen over the whole State. Agricultural and oastoral prospects, considering lhe proximity of winter, were getting very serious; ploughing- in most districts could not be commenced, and stock from several localities were awajj on agistment. Now, however, general rains have fallen, and for four or five months, at lea3f, anxieties in regard to drought can be laid at rest. Nearly every station in the northern clisrict reported over 2in for the month; Armidale got sin, Tenterfield 6in, and Maitland 7in. Tha north-western stations so urgently wanting rain reported heavy, useful falls everywhere, with, however, the exception of the far morth-west, vrhore liardly a drop of rain fell. The central portion of the State came off with a, -very regular distribution of over an inch, bus the Eastern Riverina reported only falls of a few points. AH this refers to fha February rains, but April opened with further heavy falls of very general distribution, with the exemption of the far north-west. Ai tho stations west of Oobar had no rain at all, fltnd very dry e&ndAti*ma prevailed. How-

ever, at the time of writing further good falls of ovei- lin out west and owr Southern Riverina are reported, so that the entire State has now benefited to a very large extent.

The result of all this rain will be an <?noimous growth of winter feed, and ploughing for next year's grain crop will now become general.

The excellent drenching the wheat belt has received makes the prospects for the coming season very favourable. The Railway Commissioners while on their recent tour of railwja3&»i«spection reported that not one-fifth of last season's area will be put under wheat this year, but this estimate is questionable, as their tour was made before ploughing operations were general, and, again, it is impossible from the railway lines to giet an idea of the large areas being cultivated out back. More authentic reports lead us to believe that quite as large an area will be put under wheat this year as in 1904 ; in fact, from the great wheat districts round Narromine, Wellington, Trangie, and Dubbo extensive areas of virgin soil are this year being broken up. The official returns now to hand place last year's wheat crop at 16,463,680 bushels, and that in the face of 300,000 bushels having been lost through the December bush fires. According to these figures, the 1,775,835 acres cut' for grain have yielded an average of 9.27 bushels to the acre, as against 17 bushels per acre last year. The New England district had an average of as much as 14 bushels, and parts of Riverina as much as 10 to 11 bushels. Previous Government estimates, which have proved several million bushels or so wido of the mark, make one inclined to take a less optimistic view of the crop, but from returns to hand' it seems as if the Government estimated surplus of 5,000,600 bushels will be almost reached. ' Wheat is still coming forward in Jarge quantities, the total amount to date amounting to 1,347,596 bags, as against 1,731,223 for the .corresponding season of last year. Taking the wheat and flour together in terms of bushels of wheat, we find that a net exportation of 3,829,088 bushels compares with a net of 4,506,621 bushels- last\year. ' The prices ruling to-day for wheat and its products and those ruling 12 months ago are: —

A year earlijr prices were: — Wheat, 5s 3d per bushel; flour, £12 10s. per ton; pollard, Is 4d per bushel ; and bran, Is Id per bushel. The returns issued by the Cjhief Inspector of Stock show a very- satisfactory increase has been made in the sheep carried in the State, the total number of sheep at the end of 1904- being 33,838,571, against 28,656,501, showing a gain of 5,182,070. Thus the State has gained, since .the breaking up of the drought as the beginning- of 1903 7,926,000 sheep, which, considering local consumption and export (which, however, has rot been very great) is a very satisfactory rate of progress. Horses show a falling-off. There were at the 'end of 1904- 400,068 horses, as against 403,365 at~ the end of 1903. Cattle, on the other hand, have increased by 180,814 head. The number at the close" of 1904 was 1,868,805, as compared with 1,687,991 at the end of 1905. The regulations governing the introduction of stock into this State from Queensland, which recently expired by effluxion of time, have since been regazetted_ with several important alterations. Owing to the* spread of ticks in the southern coastal area of Queensland, the border has been absolutely closed from Tweed Heads to, and inclusive of, the Condamine Grate. Provision has ,also been made for the tick fences o.i the border to be kept in proper repair, and while additional crossing places have been gazetted, gates* not on public roads must be kept. loekedA As 'a result of the rains store stock and breeding ewes will harden in value, and fat stock should be in good supply. Lambing has already commenced in the northern districts, and will soon become general. Thej.wool shipping season is practically over, and returns show that altogether 617,04-8 bales were produced, as against 487,767 bales last year, the total increase on the nine months being 129,281 bales. In regard to exports, so far 538,695 bales have been shipped from this State since July 1, as compared with 421,626 bales for the preceding year, showing an increase of 117,669 bales. , The local woo.l market is very firm. Whatever wool is available is readily disposed of at - full rates. «• Good, bulky, f re©and attractive seoureds selt well. The first of early-shorn wool from Queensland and from the far north of this State will shortly be - putting in'an appearance -in. this market. The good rains and the high prices obtained for last year's clip justify the belief that the ram "sales to be held in. July will be attended with gTeat success. The rabbit pest is getting more in evidence every month, and with the abundance of grass which will result from the recent rains a very rapid increase of rabbits is only to be expected. Last month we mentioned that the Minister for Lands had submitted a scheme to the Pastures Protection Boards for enclosing all the rabbit districts with wire netting 1 , and so far the consensus of opinion in reply seems to be that th& scheme- is impracticable, as so many of the districts contain country far too broken to fence. In the meantime the old methods of trapping and poisoning are being carried out vigorously, and tlere is no doubt that many thousands of rabbits are thus killed each week. On one station out west 30,000 rabbits were poisoned round one tank alone, and over 600,000 on tho station during the summer. Tho Sydney City Council's annual report referring to the Hom'ebush galeya-rds says : The effect of the drought of two years ago (1902) was apparent more last year than the year immediately following the .dry period, for the reason that, while the stock . in 1903, through want of pasture, had to be sent to market, during- the last year, ' the grass having again become abundant, the squatters were restocking their holding's, and while the actual number of the sheep in the State increased considerably, yet fewer by 330,000 were available for market. The following table shows the falling-off

" There is little fear but that in the coming year, owing to tbe very favourable lambing season, recovery in supplies will result. The following is a return of the piuncipal t articles of export ftoia the post iof Sydney

during the first three months of 1905 comduring the month of March and the first three months of 1905 : —

1902 1904 Cattle. 92,948 91,675 Sheep. 2,394,62 1,452,711

iTheat (per bushel) 'lour (per ton) .. 'ollard (per bushel) trail (per bushel) .. £0 3 .. 12 10 ..0 1 ..0 1 ear. xvOi £0 0 8 4 0 1 0 3 Sh 0 0 1 0 1 0

IVool (bales) ,-« ■*« Sfcins (packages) ... „» Hides (number) .. .'. Callow (casks) .. ». Leather (packages) .» Preserved meats (cases) Frozen mutton (carcases) Frozen beef (pieces) .. Eorns (number) .. . . Butter (boxes) Wheat (centals) .. .. Flour (centals) March. 1905 30,791 1,365 6,174 3,229 611 1,851 29,590 795 98,677 38,975 575,125 36,939 3 Montna 1905. 161,298 4,115 29,261 7,178 1,660 7,057 73,370 2,368 204,118 107,143 1,859,565 153,780 3.