818 THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE. [No. 35

REMARKS.

In the summary of agricultural statistics as given 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 1895 show a total extent of land in garden of 10,263 acres, in orchard of 21,401 acres, and in plantations of forest trees of 55,386 acres.

The total area given under the heading " Other Crops " includes—
5,525 acres in maize; produce, 232,890 bushels.
4,158 " rye and bere; " 56,169 "
6,808 " peas; " 161,831 "
6,742 " beans; " 233,350 "
778 " hops; " 7,556cwt.
5 " tobacco; " 1,599lb. dried leaf.
7,287 " mangold, beet, carrots, parsnips, and onions.
2,581 " maize cut for green food.
8,748 " other crops.

42,632

Of grass-seed, other than rye and cocksfoot, the produce of which has been given in the table, 27,651 bushels were gathered.

Every care has been taken, by means of reports from threshing-mill owners and others, to check the estimated yields of grain given by farmers, and it is believed the figures shown are fairly trustworthy; indeed, the collection was in many cases made after the results of threshing were known. Comparing the rates obtained in 1894, wheat and barley show this year higher average yields, and oats a yield lower by more than 3 bushels per acre.

WHEAT.

The wheat harvest of 1895 has been generally good throughout the colony, the total yield showing an average of 24·32 bushels per acre. But, as only 148,575 acres were sown in wheat, the crop realised was not more than 3,613,037 bushels, against 4,891,695 bushels in 1894, 8,378,217 bushels in 1893, and 10,257,738 bushels in 1892. Owing to the poor harvest in 1894, the exports of wheat and flour (in equivalent bushels of wheat) for that year were 280,326 bushels only, against 2,709,311 bushels in 1893; while the imports increased from 2,231 bushels in 1893 to 65,816 bushels in 1894.

Taking an average of eighteen years, it is found that, exclusive of the quantity required for seed, the yearly consumption of wheat per head of mean population is 7·33 bushels. It is held that this rate is at least one bushel too high (the proportion last year was 6·45 bushels) owing to overestimates in the yields returned by farmers in the past. Accepting, then, 6·30 bushels as the amount per head required for food, and assuming the mean population for 1895 to be 735,000 persons (including Maoris), it follows that 4,630,500 bushels will satisfy the actual food requirements for the year. In addition, seed for, say, 150,000 acres must be provided; this, at 2 bushels per acre (300,000 bushels), brings up the total quantity required in the colony to 4,930,500 bushels. The foregoing table shows the wheat crop for 1895 to have been 3,613,037 bushels, to which must be added the quantity grown by Maoris (estimated at 280,075 bushels) and the amount of the 1894 crop still held by farmers (259,747 bushels), making a total of 4,152,859 bushels in the colony. From this it would appear that, unless large stocks are held by grain merchants, not only is there this year absolutely no wheat available for export, but the colony may have to import more than half a million bushels of wheat (or an equivalent in flour) to supply the estimated demand.

While the wheat crop has fallen from 4,891,695 bushels in 1894 to 3,613,037 bushels this year, it is worthy of special notice that the "quantity of last year's crop remaining on hand" with the farmers has likewise fallen from 557,315 to 259,747 bushels, a decrease of 297,568 bushels, or at the rate of more than 53 per cent. Returns are to hand from Victoria showing that the yield of wheat in that colony for the current year has been 11,226,309 bushels, against 15,255,200 bushels for the year 1894.

Of 148,575 acres in wheat this year, there were no less than 107,352 acres in Canterbury and 31,653 acres in Otago. The area in wheat for Canterbury showed a decrease from 174,252 acres in 1894 to 107,352 acres in 1895, and of estimated produce from 3,407,842 bushels to 2,540,936 bushels. In Otago the land laid down in wheat in 1895 was about two-thirds of the quantity for 1894, the reduction being from 53,058 acres to 31,653 acres. The estimated yield fell from 1,161,672 bushels to 830,715 bushels.

OATS.

The crop of oats this year amounted to 10,221,393 bushels, against 12,153,068 bushels in 1894, showing a decrease of 1,931,675 bushels. Out of a total of 10,221,393 bushels for 1895, only 807,075 bushels were grown in the North Island—the crop for the Middle Island being 9,414,318 bushels, of which 5,920,187 bushels were grown in Otago, and 3,327,998 bushels in Canterbury.

The extent of land in oats grown for grain in 1895 was 351,852 acres, against 376,646 acres in the preceding year. The breadth of land in oats sown for green food or hay was 167,160 acres, which is an increase of 37,056 acres on the figures for 1894.

The average yield per acre was lower in 1895 than in 1894, the figures being 29·05 and 32·27 for each year respectively.

BARLEY.

The number of bushels of barley in the crop for this year was 1,000,612, against 724,653 bushels in 1894, being an increase of 275,959. This is mainly due to the increase in the number of acres laid down, viz., 36,519 in 1895, against 28,857 in 1894.

POTATOES AND TURNIPS.

The potato crop was also larger than in 1894 by 13,329 tons. The extent of land laid down was 25,339 acres, against 21,121 in 1894.

The land in turnips was practically the same for both years, an increase of only 351 acres being shown on the 385,437 acres sown in 1894.

TOTAL LAND UNDER CROP.

The total number of acres under all kinds of crop, but excluding land in sown grasses, was less than in 1894 by 63,947 acres, the figures being 1,157,865 acres in 1895 and 1,221,812 in 1894; but land in sown grasses increased by 130,820 acres. As land broken up but not under crop was less this year than last by 1,848 acres, there is no doubt but that a certain portion of what was formerly land under crop is now in grasses.

COLLECTORS' REPORTS.

Reports were made by collectors to the following effect:—
Auckland District.—The damage done by caterpillars has been slight, and the Hessian fly is quite unknown. Fruit-growers complain of the ravages of the codlin-moth, many orchards being completely overrun by this pest. The bot-fly is exceedingly troublesome among horses, and several cases have proved fatal.