THE HARVEST IN NEW ZEALAND AND NEW SOUTH WALES.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1499, 5 March 1887, Page 3

THE HARVEST IN NEW ZEALAND AND NEW SOUTH WALES.

The Sydney Mail has the following : — The grain harvest m New Zealand is practically over, and the result is rather above average. From 170,000 acres ofwheat land, the estimated return is rather above five millions of bushels i and the available supply of oats will bd fully twelve million buehele. Experience '• &hows thnt his will leave about 1,250,000 • of bushels of win at and 8,000,000 I of bushels of oats over and above the consumption of the colony iteelf, and < therefore available for export. Tho re- ' suit is interesting to this colony ' (New South Wales) both from a practi- : cal and theoretical joint of view. Our ; practical interest arises from the fact [ that tho grain not required m New , 7ealand is likely to be wanted here, and that it will be supplied cheaply because ; we are the nearest mirket. The season i has indeed been an exceptionally favor- i able one for the growth of grain m New ' South Wales ; but the late succession of ' heavy rama and floods have done much : to lessen if not wholly to do away with 1 this advantage. The needs of our ! population for food cannot be far short ! of six millions bushels for this year, J while probably from three-quarters of £ million to a million bushels of wheat will be required for seed. Judging from past experience, and allowing that the rains have nearly served to equalise the production this year with the average of other years, we shall have grown at least three million bushels of wheat leas than we shall require. In respect o*f oats, we have never been large producers of that grain, our climate being apparently unsuitable, and it may be found that the loss of much of the maize crops, owing to the floods, will make it of more than üßaal importance that we should have a - large and cheap supply readily available. Time from a practical point of view, it is a matter of great interest to this colony, and one on which she may reasonably congratulate, herself, that New Zealand will have a considerable surplus of grain to sell which New South Wales will require to buy.