Fall Shown in N.Z. Primary Production Last Season Except in Butterfat

Wanganui Chronicle, 30 December 1947, Page 6

Fall Shown in N.Z. Primary Production Last Season Except in Butterfat

Falls in the Dominion’s wheat yield, oats yield, potato crop, cattle population, sheep shorn, and dairy cows in milk are disclosed in a supplement to the Monthly Abstract of Statistics, giving agricultural and pastoral statistics for the 1946-47 season in comparison with the 1945-46 figures. There is an increase in tliejsmall decrease was recorded in the i ,4. <• . i . 'onion crop (11,019 tons in 1946-4/, Dominion s butterfat production, compared with 11,996 tons in 1945-

There were new records made during the 1946-47 season in lambing percentages, the area under tobacco, and the acreages harvested for grass and clover seed, and in imports of some lines of farm machinery. The total number of cattle in the Dominion on January 31, 1947, was 4,633,800, compared with 4,666,782 in 1946, when a record total was recorded. The 1947 figures is the second highest on reconi. Dairy stock fell from 2,600,309 in 1946 to 2,585,810 in 1947, while beef stock fell from 2,066,473 in 1946 to 2,047,990 in 1947. Although the i tr.oer of dairy cows in milk dur' ig the season fell slightly (from 1,661,944 in 1945-46 to 1,657,690 in 1946-47), butterfat production increased from 374,000,0001 b in the 1945- dairying season to 408,000,0001 b in the 1946-47 season, better climatic conditions prevailing during the latter season. The number of sheep shorn in the 1946- season totalled 30,214,772, compared with 30,475,740 in the 1945- season, while the number of lambs tailed fell from 19,561,458 to 18,642,298, a reflection of the drought conditions prevailing in th e summer and autumn of 1946. RECORD LAMBING The 1947 lambing percentages, 92.47 in the North Island and 93.94 in the South, were records. The yield of wheat in the 1947 harvest season was 5,368,120 bushels, a decline of 70,921 bushels below the total yield the previous season. The acreage harvested fell from 161,049 acres in 1945-46 to 141,407 acres in 1946- —a decline of 12.20 per cent. However, the yield per acre (37,96 bushels) was the second highest on record, being exceeded only in the 1944-45 season (38.02 bushels), with the result that only a comparatively small fall in aggregate yield was recorded. The acreage under oaU also showed a decline—in this instance from 57,278 acres in 1945-46 to 55,297 acres in 1946-47, while the aggregate yield fell from 2,796,877 bushels to 2,686,211 bushels. The acreage of barley threshed showed a considerable increase from 48,646 acres in 1945-46 to 53,041 acres in 1946-47, while the yield rose from 1,872,316 bushels in the former year to 2,026,786 bushels in the latter year. j The potato crop in 1946-47 totalled 115,762 tons, a decras of 24,490 tons below the 1945-46 harvest; while a

The area under tobacco increased from 2883 acres in 1945-46 to 3091 acres in 1946-47 —a new record acreage under this crop. In addition to this area a quite considerable acreage is grown within borough boundaries. Record acreages of grasses and clovers harvested for seed were also recorded. The acreage of perennial rye-grass rose from 58,345 in 1945-46 to 71,833 in 1947 —the yield rising from 20,600,0001 b to 30,700,0001 b. There has, however, been some slackening in exports of grass and clover seeds, exports for the year ended June 30, 1947, totalling 7007 tons, compared with 9428 tons in the previous June year. The improvement in the area topdressed in 1945-46 continued in 194647, when 4,259,994 acres were topdressed. The highest acreage topdressed recorded to date was in the 1940-41 season, when 4,649,000 acres were topdres-sed. Owing to wartime shortages of fertilisers topdressing fell away, in the next three seasons, but since 1943-44 a very substantial improvement has taken place—the latest figure being the second highest on record. Increases in all the more important types of farm machinery are revealed by the 1947 statistics. The number of electric motors (82,721), milking plants (32,596), agricultural tractors 21,156) and shearing plants (14,564) are all at new record levels. The decline in the use of horses is continuing slowly but steadily. In 1947 there were 41,512 farms totally dependent on horse power, compared with 43,285 in 1946. Al)-trac-tor farms increased from 3429 to 4427, and mixed tractor and horse from 13,577 to 15,045. A total of 124,386 persons worked on farms, as at January 31, 1947. As an indication of the volumne of work of the 1947 worker, as compared with tfie 1930 worker, the following percentages show 1947 increases over 1930 figures:—Number of farm holdings, 1.5; total area cultivated, 4.9;area topdressed, 60.7; dairy cows in milk, 21.1; sheep shorn, 11.9; lambs tailed, 25.2. There is a decrease of 10.6 in the area under crops. The effect of mechanisation is not overlooked. Since 1930, electric motors on farms have increased 402.7 per cent., tractors 443.7 per cent., milking machines 59.7 per cent., and shearing machines 97 per cent.