810 THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE. [No. 41

NOTES TO TABLE ON PRECEDING PAGE.

† 16,587 for green food, 113,489 for hay.

† Including—5,116 acres in maize, produce 224,539 bushels; 4,856 acres in rye and bere, produce 73,693 bushels; 5,665 acres in peas, produce 146,225 bushels; 5,973 acres in beans, produce 224,208 bushels; 778 acres in hops, produce 7,665cwt.; 4 acres in tobacco, produce 2,290lb. dried leaf; 7,020 acres in mangold, beet, carrots, parsnips, and onions; 2,206 acres in maize cut for green food; and 5,290 acres in other crops. Of grass-seed other than rye and cocksfoot 12,655 bushels were gathered.

NOTE.—In the returns of agricultural statistics, as summarised in Table I., gardens, orchards, plantations of forest-trees, holdings of 1 acre or less in extent, and holdings occupied by aboriginal natives are not included; but the returns for 1894 show a total extent of land in garden of 9,939 acres, in orchard of 21,088 acres, and in plantations of forest-trees of 39,819 acres.

Every care has been taken, by means of reports from threshing-mill owners and others, to check the estimated yields of grain-crops given by farmers, and it is believed that the figures shown are fairly trustworthy. Compared with the results of the collection made in 1893, wheat and barley, this year, show lower average yields, and oats a yield nearly 2 bushels per acre higher.

In addition to the agricultural statistics, particulars as to the number of cattle and breeding-cows were likewise obtained. The totals for provincial districts are as follow:—

Provincial Districts. Cattle. Breeding-cows
(included in foregoing).
Auckland .. .. 238,674 .. 80,281
Taranaki .. .. 137,072 .. 51,501
Hawke's Bay .. .. 66,097 .. 23,171
Wellington .. .. 171,611 .. 63,285
Marlborough .. .. 9,406 .. 3,753
Nelson .. .. 31,555 .. 11,346
Westland .. .. 7,780 .. 2,965
Canterbury .. .. 77,982 .. 31,237
Otago .. .. 143,914 .. 60,073

Totals .. .. 884,091 .. 327,612

The returns show also that at the time of collection there were 255 silos or ensilage-stacks in the colony.

Reports were made by collectors to the following effect:—

North Island.—Around Auckland the damage done by caterpillars has been slight, and the Hessian fly is quite unknown. Fruit-growers complain of the "black spot," and apples are also seriously affected by the codlin-moth. The bot- or gad-fly is exceedingly troublesome, especially among young unbroken horses, and several cases have proved fatal.

At Coromandel and the Thames the damage caused by weather has been very small, and no complaints of Hessian fly or other pests have been reported. Caterpillars are said to have destroyed from 9,000 to 10,000 bushels of grain in Waikato. In Taranaki caterpillars and small birds have been very destructive, some farmers reckoning their loss of grain at about 15 bushels to the acre, chiefly caused by small birds. From Hawera to Wanganui the caterpillars appear to have been most destructive to grain-crops, the damage by these pests being estimated at nearly 10 per cent.; the potato-crop has also suffered from the same cause.

The Hessian fly has done a little damage in some parts of the Rangitikei County, but the greatest loss is due to the caterpillars. Small birds are also reported a great nuisance in this county, as also in Oroua and Manawatu.

From Wairoa and Hawke's Bay there are no complaints of the Hessian fly, but the bot-fly is reported to be pretty general, and some losses have been sustained through it. Small birds and caterpillars are complained of, and in some parts of this district the crops suffered severely from the heavy floods in the early part of the summer. The fruit-crop was seriously injured by the codlin-moth.

Middle Island.—Collingwood County: No Hessian fly. Small amount of damage by caterpillars. Low yield of wheat owing to loss through blight and rust caused by wet weather. Oats and potatoes have also suffered from excessive wet. The heavy gale of the 2nd February caused damage to the hop-gardens estimated at 20 bales.

Waimea: At Motueka and Riwaka the Hessian fly has done great damage to the wheat- and barley-crops, causing in some instances a total failure. The loss in hops on account of the gales is estimated at fully 5 per cent. In the Moutere the hops suffered considerably from the storms, but the general yield is not far below the average. Here also yields of wheat and barley are very low, partly owing to the "weevil" or Hessian fly. At Stoke the Hessian fly has done little or no damage; but wheat and barley have suffered to the extent of about 10 per cent. from bad weather. In Richmond the "leech" is reported to have done considerable damage to the late barley-crop. In Wai-iti the Hessian fly is not nearly so common as formerly, but small birds are said to have destroyed about 25 per cent. of the wheat crop. In Motupiko and Wangapeka the Hessian fly has not been noticed, and the hops have been but little affected by the gales of February and March.

Grey and Westland: In these counties a horse-fly (not the bot) is reported to have made its appearance, and is proving a source of great annoyance to horses. The fly is the same shape and size as the common house-fly, but of a somewhat duller black in colour.

Caterpillars, rust, and hard weather are responsible for the low averages in the North Canterbury District. The Hessian fly has not been noticed. The small crop of grass-seed in Akaroa County is attributed to bad weather and the prevalence of "Yorkshire fog," which grew up with the more valuable grass. In South Canterbury caterpillars have been a little troublesome; no Hessian fly is reported, but some farmers complain of a grub amongst the grain crops which destroyed the sap in the stem.

In Otago and Southland the Hessian fly has not made its appearance; but considerable damage to grain-crops in the northern parts of the district has resulted from wet weather and hard gales. A great deal of grass-seed was also spoilt by the rains. The small-bird nuisance is complained of generally, and the codlin-moth has in some parts proved very destructive in the orchards. In the Dunstan Riding of Vincent County all the apple-trees are reported to have been destroyed by this pest.