USE OF THE LARD

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 136, 9 May 1940, Page 10

USE OF THE LARD

PASTURES NEARLY 90 PER CENT. OCCUPIED AREA INCREASES. (By Telegraph—Special to Standard.) WELLINGTON, May 8. New, Zealand’s occupied lands amount to 43 million acres, divided into about 86,000 holdings, and the official annual survey of land utilisation shows that 19,721,000 acres are under cultivation. The 1938-9 figures show that the occupied area has diminished by 259,000 acres, though the holdings have increased by 301, Grass is the dominating crop of the country, for our pastures cover per cent, of all occupied land. This grassland has increased by 118,467 acres, and the total is 17-J million acres. Field crops come next in importance. They require nearly a million acres, comprising 4.7 per cent of the total area. Plantations represent 4) per cent of areas under cultivation, and other items of interest are the 81,481 acres required for private gardens and grounds; 21,753 for orchards; 7806 for market gardens; and 2673 acres for tung trees. Tobacco is a highly productive cron, 1807 acres producing 1,402,0001 b of leaf. Unimproved land, 23,179,000 acres, represents 54 per cent, of the occupied areas, and nearly 14 million acres carry tussock or other native grasses. Standing native bdsh or forest has dropped by nearly 100.000 acres to a total of 2,923,000 acres.

All classes of farm machinery rose in numbers in the year under notice, except for cream separators. The greatest relative increases were in agricultural tractors (20 per cent.) and electric motors (11 per cent.L Milking machines increased by 2.75 per cent., and this method of milking now applies to 82 per cent, of the cows milked. Shearing plants also showed progress to the extent of 4 per cent., the number of plants in use exceeding 10,000. Freehold and leasehold tenures almost balance, the proportion of freehold being 49.59 per cent. This tenure showed an advance during the year of 52,782 acres, while leasehold declined by 249,417 acres.