Agricultural Statistics.

Manawatu Herald, Volume III, Issue III, 8 April 1890, Page 3

Agricultural Statistics.

We give below a summary and a comparison between this and last year of the most important crops' supp ied to us by the superintendant collector for the district, including the counties of Rangitikei, Manawatu Oroua, and ■Horowbenua. The number of holdings this year aye 2,080, showing an increase over last year in Eangitikei of 58 ; Manawatu, 10 ; Oroua, 95 ; and Horo-whenua, 57 ; or a total increase of 220. In wheat this year, there were, 6,37q acres, with'a yield of nearly 25 bushel* to | thfc acre, being an increase of 666 i acres, and nearly 2 bushels to the acre. In oats this year the average wa? 9,007 acres, yielding a little over 87 bushels, showing an increase of 3,728 acres, and more than S bushels ; to the acre. Barley is hardly worth mentiouing. them » oins 1 only 349 acres, with a yield of about 28 bus. hels. In potatoes theio were 797 acras, yie'ding about 7J tons, or an increase of 178 aer->s and nearly trwo tous to the acre In a'l the minor j crops' there is very Uitle difference ! between the two years.* In grasses. after land having been broken up, 1 there were this year 711,792 acres, or | nearly the same as hist year. In grass sown lands not previously ploughed the increase is very marked being 19,883 acres this year the acreage being 367,862, as again3t 847,981 last year. U'he total number of acres under crop were this year 468,807, and in 1889, 444,739, shoeing an increase of 25,068. On the who* the progress in the four counties h,s been vory satisfactory, both as regards the increased acreage under crop aud also the yield. In addition to agricultural statistics, tbia year the number of horned cattle of all ages was taken, and the result is as follows :— Bangi - tikei, 17,585; Manawatu, 16,197 ; Oroua, 24,903 ; and Horowhenua, 2.993 ; being a total of 61,478. Of this Dumber 17,563 are breeding cows. If other parts of the colony can show a similar result, there will be an abundant supply for freezing purposes for along while to come. This return, of course, does not include the number of cattle in possession of the Maoris, winch, must be pretty considerable. The Go* v eminent this year also wished to obtain information respecting the flax industry in the co'ony, and for the four counties above mentioned the information supplied is ns fol" lows: — Theru are, or were within the last month, Go mills in operation i and (approximately ) the number' of acres in flax is 26,215. How many mills are now cosed we do not know. There appears to ba plenty of material to work on for many years to come, and if only some cheaper and more effective process for converting it into fibi*e can be discovered, the quautityof available via oridl will be a source of great wealth to these districts in the future.