Agricultural Statistics

Feilding Star, Volume VI, Issue 133, 25 April 1885, Page 3

Agricultural Statistics

We have received from the superintendent collector, the agricultural statistics for the present year for the district, including the counties of Rangitikei, Manawatu, Oroua and Horowhenua. The following is a precis of the returns. The total number of holdings this year is 1,296, being an increase of 180 over 1884. The number of acres in wheat this year was 6,805, witha yield of 111,251 bushels, or slightly over 16£ bushels to the acre. This shows a decrease of 187? acres in crop, and about 1 J bushels per acre in yield. In oats there were this year 7,755 acres, as compared with 4, 172 in 1884, or an increase of 3,583 acres. The yield, however, in proportion, is considerably less, there being but a little over 19 bushels to the acre this year* to about 29 last year. In barley this return shows 535 acres, averaging about 20 bushels to the acre. In this crop there was also a decrease of 126 acres in extent, and nearly 14 bushels per acre in yield. As far aa cereals are concerned, the returns cannot be said to be encouraging. ' There can be no doubt that the very wet spring and summer are accountable to a great extent for this result. Coming to gr iss sown land, we find there were 67,580 acres in grasses after the land having been broken up, or an increase of 9,331 over last year. In grass sown land not previously ploughed, there wero 262,420 acres, as compared with 200,646 of last year, showing a very satisfactory increase of 61,774 acres. In potatoes and other minor crops, the difference is immaterial. We regret to find that sheep fanners, as a rule, etill pay little attention to turnips; there being in the whole district, of the four counties, only 4,868 acres <sf this valuable crop. The total number of acres under crop, including sown grasses, in the district this year is 351,253 acres, showing an increase over last year of 73,209 acres. !