THE AGRICULTURAL RETURNS FOR 1915

Otago Witness, Issue 3215, 27 October 1915, Page 11

THE AGRICULTURAL RETURNS FOR 1915

The Board of Agriculture (England) have issued the preliminary statement of the agricultural returns for England and Wales, collected in June last. This shows a decrease in the total area under crops and grass of 61,000 acres, of which 33,000 acres represent arable land and 28,000 acres permanent grass. Whfcat shows an increase of 363.000 acres, or 20 per cent., as compared with last year, the 2,170,000 acres under this cereal being the largest recorded since 1891; while tho increase since 1813 amounts to 469.000 acres, or nearly 28 per cent. Oats have also increased by 158,000 acres. The increases of the two most important corn crops have been obtained mainly by substituting them for barley, beans, peas, and roots. Barley shows a decrease of 273,000 acres, bringing the total under this crop to the lowest on record.

Turnips and swedes have fallen off by 113,000 to 932.000 acres, this being the first occasion on which the total has fallen below 1,000,000 acres. Hay (whether “seeds ” or meadow) has decreased by 147,000 acres.

The decrease in hay may largely be attributed to the dry spring, as the area of permanent grass reserved for grazing has increased by 102.000 acres, while clovers and seeds for grazing are about the same as 1914> The other most important crop for human consumption—potatoes—shows an increase of about 1800 acres. All other crops, except cabbage and kohlrabi, show decreases of greater or smaller extent. The live stock returns show increases among cattle and sheep but decreases among horses and swine. Horses, many of ■which have been taken for the army, have fallen in number by 112,000 (or 8 per cent.), the greatest relative decrease being among horses not used for agricultural purposes. Cows show a decrease of 50,000 from the feoord figure of 1914, but are still higher

than in any other year; all other cattle have increased, and the total number 6,064-,000 (186,000 more than in 1914), constitutes the highest recorded, j The increase in sheep amounts to 263,000; those above one year (other than breeding owes) increasing by a third of a million; but an indifferent lambing season is responsible for a reduction of 101,000 in the number of lambs.

The decline of 61,0C0 in pigs is mostly among breeding sows; but the total is well above the 10-year average.