ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCE.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume II, Issue 118, 16 September 1846, Page 3

ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCE.

To the Editor of the. New Zealand Spectator. ■ Wellington, 14th September, 1846. Sir, — Seeing there are so many mills in progress of operation fortbe grinding of wheat, it might not be out of place to direct attention, through the medium of your widely-circulated Journal, to the great blessing that would be conferred on the different.settlements by introducing the making of oatmeal and pearl barley — both of which articles are eagerly bought immediately on importation at very high prices. The former, if it were properly made, would be consumed in large quantities by many of the European population, and by the natives in particular as it is a species of food so easily convertible into a< usable state; and especially where men have families would its beneficial effects be experienced, both as a cheap and nutritious diet: — and .the latter, in most instances, would completely supersede the use of rice, which is merely an apology for barley. The stimulus given to agriculture would be directly felt, and many sptfs producing indifferent crops of wheat woujd yield abundant returns of these invaluable edibles ; also the better soils, that had grown repeated crops of wheat or potatoes, would be renovated by a rotation of the lighter crops. A c onsiderable sum of money, too, would be kept from going out of the country. It is to be hoped that parties who make it their business to convert the products of the earth into marketable commodities, seeing the advantages thus to to be gained, will speedily procure the requisites for making the above-mentioned articles;—and no doubt will be hailed as a very considerable improvement as regards the settlers, and a great advancement in civilisation as respects the aborigines, when the *' haletome parritch" is to be seen steeming in the cabin ot the one, and the ware of the other. I am, Sir, your's, &c, Scotis.