Wanganui Chronicle. AND PATEA-RANGITIKEI ADVERTISER. "NULLA DIES SINE LINEA." THURSDAY, 30TH APRIL, 1874.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XVIII, Issue 2419, 30 April 1874, Page 2

Wanganui Chronicle. AND PATEA-RANGITIKEI ADVERTISER. "NULLA DIES SINE LINEA." THURSDAY, 30TH APRIL, 1874.

During February of each year a considerable expense is incurred by the Government in collecting statistics relating to the state of agriculture in the Colony, which are afterwards published in the * Gazette. 1 One ot the principal objects of this expenditure, is to inform holders and buyers of farm produce of the quantity of home-grown produce likely to be brought to market, and it is, therefore, important that the statistics should be published immediately, otherwise, the information which they furnish on this point gets out of date. Hitherto, this result lias occurred ; and although exertions seem to have been made this year to secure quick publication, they have not been quite successful, and it was not until the 23rd of the present mouth that the statistics for the Province of Wellington saw the light. Full allowance must, however, be made for the difficulties of communication with many of the out districts, which cause the returns from them to come in slowly, and thus delays the publication of those from the more thickly settled parts, which can be speedily col'ected ; nor will this cause of dsHy be avoided for some years to come. Buo while the agricultural .statistics are

lof little seivice to the buyer oi* seller, they are extremely useful as records of the pi-ogress of agriculture. They disclose the fact that, in this Province, there were iv February, 1874, 276,951 Acres of laud under crcp, including sown grasses, being an increase* of 20,867 acres over the previous year's returns. In addition, 8,658 acre* had been broken up, preparatory to being sown. Wheat, this season, whs cultivated Lo about the same exteut as it was last. The returns tor 1873 j wt-re 1,770 acres, and for 1874, 1,787^ acres. The crop ot 1874 was, however, much heavier than its predecessor, being estimated at 41,738 bushels, while that of 1873 was only reckoned at 32,085 I bushels. In oats there has been a marked advance. The enumerators report that last February there were 435 acres of oats growiug for green food or hay, and 2,839 acres for grain, which, altogether, it was estimated would yield a crop of 71,996 bushels. Barley is grown to a very limited extent, the rofrarns being 130 acres, likely to yield 2,943 busheis. There were 867 acres in paddocks, and the produce was set down tit 3,532 tons. During the twelve months ending Febiuary last, more than 26,000 acres were laid down in artificial grass, and on that date there was the considerable area ot 270,679 acres in permanent artificial grass throughout the Province. The hay crop was estimated at 7,330 tons. Practically, the wholt: of the previous year's crops had been sold before the new were reaped, the stock remaining on hand being only 1,444 bushels of wheat, 1,451 of oats, and 24 of barley. The settled lands of the Province are divided into 1,624 holdings, the Wairarapa, of all the districts, containing the largest number, 422. In Wanganui there are 238, and in Eangitikei 156. 54,743 acres were under crop (the term including sown grasses) in the Wanganui district last February, and the return for Rangitikei is nearly the same, 53,096 acres. Further, 1,223 acres had been broken up for cultivation in Wanganui, and 1,857 acres in Rangitikei. The quantity of wheat grown here last season was but small, the total being 276 acres, yielding 8,120 bushels. Rangitikei had 528 acres in wheat, calculated to produce 13,308 bushels The oat crop is returned thus — Wanganui, for green food, 32£ acres ; for grain, 337 acres : estimated yield, 7,471 bushels. Rangitikei, for green food, 87 acres ; for grain 834 aci'es y estimated yield, 19,987 bushels. Rangitikei produces most of tne barley grown in the Province. The return shows 57 acres sown with that cereal, estimated to yield 1,645 bushels. Wanganui had 38 acres, yielding 724 bushels. The hay crop of Wanganui amounts to about 1,398 tons, and of Rangitikei to 1,801 tons. The two districts- have raised 1,875 tons of potatoes between them this year. This array of figures may not be inviting at the first glance, butit proves incontestably that agriculture is making satisfactory progress in the Province of Wellington.