New Zealand Gazette – 1897 – No. 11

Page 278

✨ Agricultural Statistics



278
THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE.
[No. 11

"The Agricultural and Pastoral Statistics Act, 1895."—Interim Return, 1896–97.—Notice No. 474.

Department of Agriculture, Wellington, 27th January, 1897.

THE following figures show the areas under cereals and quantity of grain on hand at 10th November, 1896. The complete returns are not yet available; but it is not likely there will be any alterations to seriously affect the totals. Every endeavour has been made to get as correct a return as possible of the quantity of grain in the hands of farmers, millers, and others. Under the heading of “Wheat on hand,” there is shown a very large increase over return for last year; the increase, however, is more apparent than real. The returns for last year were not collected till January, or from six weeks to two months later than the present ones. During this period a considerable quantity of wheat—estimated at from five to six hundred thousand bushels—was milled or otherwise disposed of.

Taking the quantity on hand for last year at 608,364 bushels, and adding, say, 600,000 bushels as above, would give a total of over 1,200,000 bushels on hand, or within 110,000 bushels of that shown in present return. The actual increase of grain on hand over last year’s figures may therefore be estimated at 110,000 bushels.

An estimate of the probable yields of wheat, oats, and barley has been obtained; and although in some districts the crops are hardly far enough advanced to enable a close calculation to be arrived at, yet with favourable weather the estimates should be realised. The figures are as follow:—

Provincial District. Wheat. Oats. Barley.
Acreage. Estimated Yield. Total Bushels. Acreage. Estimated Yield. Total Bushels. Acreage. Estimated Yield. Total Bushels.
Auckland 5,647 20 112,940 7,703 22 169,466 521 25 13,025
Hawke’s Bay 1,037 25 25,925 5,189 31 160,859 1,535 35 53,725
Taranaki 2,069 30 62,070 4,842 30 145,260 548 34 18,632
Wellington 9,488 29 275,152 21,565 32 690,080 621 26 16,146
Marlborough 5,136 25 128,400 4,376 25 109,400 3,431 15 51,465
Nelson 4,262 29 123,598 5,584 28 156,352 3,841 25 96,025
Westland* .. .. .. 10 .. .. .. .. ..
Canterbury 189,638 24 4,551,312 138,082 27 3,728,214 11,479 26 298,454
Otago 63,491 28 1,777,748 205,628 32 6,580,096 7,932 26 206,232
280,768 25 7,057,145 392,969 30 11,739,727 29,908 25 753,704

*Not included in averages.

The dry weather which has continued for the past two months has had a most disastrous effect on the corn crops, consequently a considerable area originally intended for threshing will now be cut for chaff. The following figures may therefore be taken as the more accurate:—

Wheat. Oats. Barley.
Acres. Estimated Yield. Total Bushels. Acres. Estimated Yield. Total Bushels. Acres. Estimated Yield. Total Bushels
280,768 .. .. 392,969 .. .. 29,908 .. ..
22,461* .. .. 23,578* .. .. 1,495* .. ..
258,307 25 6,457,675 369,391 30 11,081,730 28,413 25 710,325

*Estimated will now be cut for chaff.

The quantity of wheat to be handled for the period 10th November, 1896, to, say, 10th November, 1897, may be estimated as follows:—

On hand at 10th November, 1896 .. .. .. .. .. 1,310,027
Estimated yield, harvest, 1897 .. .. .. .. .. 6,457,675
Total .. .. .. .. .. 7,767,702

The complete returns will be published at an early date, and an estimate of the actual yields of grain will be obtained from the threshing returns.

JOHN D. RITCHIE,
Secretary.



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VUW Te Waharoa — PDF NZ Gazette 1897, No 11




✨ LLM interpretation of page content

🌾 Interim Agricultural and Pastoral Statistics

🌾 Primary Industries & Resources
27 January 1897
Agriculture, Cereals, Grain, Wheat, Oats, Barley, Statistics, 1896-97, New Zealand
  • John D. Ritchie, Secretary