The Timaru Herald.

Timaru Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 3302, 28 April 1885, Page 2

The Timaru Herald.

TUESDAY, AFBIL 28, 1885.

The agricultural statistics for the whole of New Zealand are now nearly completed. The little army of enumerators who have been riding up and down the country, getting trustworthy data as to the progress of cultivation and the particular direction m which agricultural energy has expended itself, have collected their figures, tabulated the results, and sent them to the RegistrarGeneral. More than this, the bulk of these have received the imprimatur of that functionary, and have appeared m the Gazette. Our ably-conducted little contemporary the New Zealand Trade Review and Wellington Prices Current has been at the pains to analyse the returns which have hitherto appeared, and from its summary we get some interesting facts. The returns at present published, we learn, comprise about j 85 per cent of the total as shown by the previous year's returns. The accounts so far exhibit an increase of about 5 per cent of land under grain as compared with last year, bub with considerable variations m the proportion devoted to the different classes of grain. Wheat shows a reduction of about 25 per cent on last year, oats an increase of nearly 40 per cent, and barley an excess of about 33 per cent. In our own district (South Canterbury) it will be remembered the figures exhibited some disparity from this general average. Speaking roughly there was a decrease m wheat of about 30 per cent, an excess of about 21 per cent m oats, and an increase of about 50 per cent m barley. With so large a proportion of the returns m print, it is of course possible to estimate very closely the total result of the harvest. The Trade Review considers that of wheat there will be 288,282 acreß, yielding 7,335,770 bushels, as compared with 377,706 acres and 9,827,136 bushels last year. Of oats it estimates there will be 375,111 acres, yielding 13,137,700 bushels, as against 262,954 acres and 9,231,339 bnßhelß m 1884. Barley it sets down at 43,666 acres, producing 1,315,643 buahelß, sb compared with 32,907 acres, 964,456 bushels last year. The average per acre is nearly 25i bushels for wheat ; fully 35 bushels for oats, and 30 bushels for barley. The returns afford a striking proof -ot the compensating influence which low prices exert m restricting production. New Zealand, will have about 2£ millions of bushels less wheat to export this year than ifc had last year. The same influence has been going on m other countries producing a similar effect, and it seems very hard indeed if, m the ordinary course of events, we shall not soon see a steady and material riae m the wheat market. If war is declared with Bussia, there will, of course, be a steep and sudden jump. The recent increase m prices, caused mainly by the stringency of the diplomatic relations between the two countries, was sufficient to show what would be the effect of an actual outbreak of hostilities. There would be that dire calamity to the poor m England, " a dear loaf," but the holders of grain would be weighed down with wealth, while farmers who had to a large extent given up the growth of wheat this year, m despair, would be wringing their hands, more disgusted than ever with that fickle jade Fortune.