NORTH ISLAND FARMING

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 2325, 10 January 1890, Page 3

NORTH ISLAND FARMING

(" Wellington Post") The present year will witness a somewhat new departure ia regard to the distribution of agricultural produce in the colony. Hitherto the North Jsland has been a profitable and large customer to the Middle Island for all kinds of cereals. Grain has only been grown in very small quantities in my part of the North Island, and the people have been mainly dependent on their bouthern neighbours for their food supply, so far as wheat and flour are concerned, but this is not likely to be much longer. There is a very large area of country in the southern portion of the North Island admirably adapted for growing gram, esptcialiy wheat. In fact nearly the whole of the Wairarapa district and the Hawke's Bay province are suitable for this puipose, and so is a large extent of country on the West Coast. This year a considerable extent of land in the Wairarapa and Hawke's Bay has been sown in wheat, and magnificent crops have resulted. For the first time, we believe, wheat wi'l this year figure as a considerable item of export from both Napier and 'Wellington. Already we learn that arrangements have been made in one quarter for the shipment Home of some 1600 s*cks of Wairarapa grown wheat of veiy superior qtialiy, and there will be a considerable surplus, available for shipment from Napier. The North Island climate is better suited to the production of high-class milling wheat than perhaps the Sotth, while the soil is undoubtly richer than that of most of the Canterbury grain-growing land. The North Island farmers should be able to compete successfully with those of the South in the production Of wheat, at least,. Whether they c<tn do so in regard to oats and barley remains to be seen, __