Agricultural Statistics.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume II, Issue 299, 16 May 1889, Page 3

Agricultural Statistics.

To the tables of agricultural statistics published in the Gazette the Registrar-General attaches some general remarks. He says that the extent of land in cultivation—including grass-sown laud and land broken up though not in crop, but exclusive of gardens an d orchards—in February, 1839, amounted to 7,670,167 acres, against 7,284,752 in 1888, an increase of 385,415 acres ; 81'87 per cent of land was ;n artificial grass agajnst 81 '5O in 1888, and 10'35 per cent was in grain crops against 10'14 per cent in the previous year. The total area iu grain crops amounted to 793,866 acres, of which 403,307 acres were in the Canterbury district and 284,363 in Otago. The average consumption of wheat n New Zealand for a period of eleven years, 1877 to 1887), amounted to 8'45 bushels per head of the population, including Maoris. This includes the requirement for seed purposes, estimated at two bushels per acre. The food consumption, after deducting the necessary quantity for seed, averaged 738 bushels per head. Assuming that the area under wheat for the next harvest is'about the same as at the last harvest the wheat crop of 1889, viz., 8,770,246 bushels, should give a surp'us of 3,200,000 bushels fqr export after supplying all thp requirements of the colony. In connection with this it may be interesting to notice that the wheat crop in New South Wales was estimated at only 1,450,423 bushels in 1889, against 4,695,849 iu 1888, the yield per acre in 1889 being only 4 74 bushels. This crop, therefore, is less than the quantity required for consumption in that colony by about 5,700,000 bushels. The land in hops was 563 acres, which yielded fi2iocwt, an average of ll'o3cwt to the acre. The land in tobacco is estimated to render 28,5001 b of dried leaf. Besides the agricultural statistics the following information as to the numbqr of dairy cows was also obtained at the collection of statistical informs tion ■ Auckland, 45,314; Taranaki, 23,569; Hawke’s Bay, 9054 ; Wellington, 26, 936 ; Marlborough, 2702 ; Nelson, 7863 ; Westland, 1692; Canterbury, 29.Q65 ; Otago, 43,019 ; total, 189,214, The system of making ensilage for wintar keep appears to be gaining ground in the colony, as the returns ehow 206 silosjor ensilage stacks,