AGRICULTURE IN NEW ZEALAND.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume III, Issue 700, 9 May 1916, Page 12

AGRICULTURE IN NEW ZEALAND.

REVIEWED BY MINISTER. Discussing farming operations throughout the Dominion with a "Poverty Bay Herald'' representative, the Hon. W. D. S. Mac Donald (Minister of Agriculture) stated that up to December 31 116,718 bales of wool were catalogued at the various centres, as compared with 127,513 bales for the corresponding period in 1914. The shrinkage in the offerings was partly due to the weather conditions aad partly to the fact that a large number of private buyers have been operating very freely, offering farmers comparatively high prices. The value of wool exported during the year ended December 31, 1915, was £10,387,875, as compared with £9,318,114 for the same period of 1914. The lambing for the whole Dominion for the season was lower than in 1914. Slaughtering for export was in full swing at the majority of North Island works throughout November arid December, and the principal South Island works commenced immediately after the New Year holidays. Stock slaughtered at meat export works for the quarter comprised 34,107 cattle, 436,122 sheep, and 564,466 lambs, compared with 44,858 cattle, 610,824 sheep, and 509,494 lambs. The value of frozen meat exported during 1915 totalled £7,794,395, as compared with £5,863,062 for 1914. Prices for sheep and cattle had been almost phenomenally high. At Addington yards recently some special lines of heavywoolled wethers sold as high as £3 per head, and shorn entries up to nearly £2 a-piece. These, however, were exceptions. The general health of live stock had continued fairly satisfactory, and no abnormal epidemic of any disease was reported. Touching on the poultry industry, the Minister mentioned that the high cost of poultry food had had a serious effect upon the industry, forcing many out of the business. Generally speaking, it had also brought about a drastic culling out of stock, consequently the number of birds hatched and reared last year throughout the Dominion would be considerably less than in the previous season. There had been an excellent "agricultural season in the North Island generally, Southland, and South Otago. Good rains had fallen in the dry districts during the past month, which, although too late to affect the grain crops, had been of immense value in giving the turnips, rape, and forage catch crops a good start, besides freshening up the pa'stures. Returns for the current season showed that farmers made a practical response to the call for more tillage and greater production, all the main crops showing substantially increased acreage, especially cereals. Whilst the average yields for the Dominion had been very much reduced, owing to the droughty conditions in Canterbury, the estimated production of wheat anil oats was ahead of last year's, being: Wheat 7,309,020 bushels, oats bushels. In spite of the record heavy exports of mutton and lamb, the Minister stated that the 1915 returns showed an increase of over 100,000 in the flocks of the Dominion, which stood at 24,901,421 head. The rapid development of new country, however, demanded a. greater rate of increase in the sheep stock, and greater prudence should be exercised in the selection of stock for slaughtering. Sheep, he concluded, maintain a pre-eminent place in the wealth-producing economy of New Zealand. In 1915, out of total exports of New Zealand produce of £31,000,01)0, sheep were responsible for over £17,000,000, representing wool, meat, skins, tallow, etc.