New Zealand Times. (PUBLISHED DAILY.) FRIDAY, MARCH 23, 1877.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 4992, 23 March 1877, Page 2

New Zealand Times. (PUBLISHED DAILY.) FRIDAY, MARCH 23, 1877.

Thej importance of the^corn-trade of the world-is. ndw so' universally recognised that jit needs only to be mentioned to be at;on9e.-ajdjiiifited./.The; ■> necessity.,of a T regji/ar K and•, constant evidenced; if evidence'were neeessary, by _the ract.that whenever a scarcity js to occur in 'any part of the''world'si^afket, 1 i or any of the great sources of supply .are likely to'fail,'even |he,,whole commercial equilibrium is disturbed, and the disturbance is in exact to the magnitude of the failure, and the area over which it extends.p T ln pbedience.-to,«. a laWfWhichrer ' the" operations'\o£^ the

current of trade immediately'Seta in to .restore the balance, and fill up the void. Let there be a failure of the- crops in any extensive area in our Indian Empire (a thing by the way of not unfrequent occurrence), and distant lands and remote countries axe affected by it. America, Europe, and even Australia are mqre.,orJess Jnflqenced.by the intelligence th'at'ia flashed along the wires. >lt is interesting-;to,observe how much' importance was attached to this matter in the of our race, when man had not advanced (at least according to authentic records) beyond the nomadio state. The. great progenitors of. the Israelitish nation were more than once compelled to go to Egypt for a supply of corn when their own stocks ran short by reason of the famine which prevailed in Palestine and the region of Aaia Minor. It is true our information respecting this period oi the. world's history is of the moat meagre kind; and we are left to draw largely on the imagination, or to depend upon circumstantial or inferential evidence to fill up the gaps. It is not our business- to enter the domain of the theologian, but viewing things in the light of the antiquary, and supported, as we are by our recently acquired scientific knowledge, we are led to the conclusion that Egypt had attained to a state of comparative civilisation long before the surrounding nations had emerged from a state of primitive barbarism. In this view of the case it may not be out of place to say that the traditions and hieroglyphic records of that people respecting their high antiquity, hitherto considered legendary and fabulous, may be truthful and consistent with fact. Important and interesting as this matter may be, it scarcely comes within the province of the ordinary newspaper, and we only refer to it by way of illustrating the subject now under discussion. With Egypt, as an ancient nation, we have nothing to do, but as the granary of the ancient world it is interesting to refer to it. We have been led to these remarks by a consideration of the com supplies of the Australian, colonies, and the important part which New Zealand is destined to play in providing for the wants of their ever increasing population. To give an instance of the influence which this colony already exercises on the grain markets of Australia, we may mention that no sooner was.it known there that the crops in the South Island had. sustained more or less injury by the recent floods, than the price of grain rose rapidly in .New South Wales. The harvest in Victoria just gathered is, according to the most reliable authorities, much below the average. In Riverina too, an important district of New' South Wales, across the Murray, the yield of wheat has sadly disappointed the farmers. This state of things has been brought about in those countries by the want of seasonable rains. This is an occurrence that has frequently happened in. Australia, and is most likely to occur again. Many causes combine to render the rainfall in Australia fitful and uncertain. The" absence of. great moun-, tain ranges, which in other countries intercept the raincloiids and compel them to discharge their moisture, is a characteristic feature in Australian-scenery. The comparative scarcity of forests, together - with a - semi-tropical climate, and the frequent hot winds so fatal to vegetation. The result is that the annual quantity of corn varies considerably,jn' , most of the colonies, and is likely io do so.' Up to the present time, South Australia has taken the lead of all the colonies in | agricultural r pursuits,~-althQugh :? Jier= average yield per acre.ia very'small, not . being more jthan„seven .bushels per_acr.eNevertheless. she has been far. in advance of her neighbors in the -aggregate quantity produced, by reason 1 of the 'immense acrpage■ underi: cultivation. Tasmania, stands next, in -proportion to her population - arid -the- fotal area '-of; her surface. TSe'y/ South 'Wales, bin the other, hand, has pajd the least attention to agricultural operations, and has been,'and is still _likeJy.JtQ_be,. a.Jarge_.custoiner_.for t hesft products; Victoria buys!, largely of the 1 Tasmanian . and but-For- the suicidal protective duties now in- fdrce there, would do so to a still greater extent; to the evident' benefit' of both' colonies. The ostensible object. for which these duties were imposed was the protection of native _industry ;_but_jthe.real-object. that underlaid all this was her desire for territorial: aggrandisement. The Victorians; thought, that byahutting out'-Tas-manian produce fromi-their- markets they would compelithe latter colony- to sue for amalgamation-with- Victoria.- But the Taaltrianians, struggled long; arid", bravely against'their adverse fate,;and ribV that thVraineral resources are. being developed, and theirj .fortunes , once more ;in.theascendant, Victoria will consult her own interests .., by .abandoning: the ■ ignoble-strife.-.-j Already .we may see the-begin-•ning of the end, in the formation of a powerful'" Free-Trade League, whose ramifications extend throughout the colony ._ Much has been said of__late in these "columns about the extraordinary capabilities of New Zealand : as/ a home forithe agriculturist, and as a corn-pro-ducing .colony. best of our judg-, ment we have advocated the extensive' adoption of those pursuits, which are moat likely to conduce to the material ' well-being of the people.. To what has been already said we have but little to addi Suffice ~jt to say that we know of nothing to prevent these islands from 'Occupying a. prominent ..position among.. ithe cprn t :.,prqducing : , countries: .of the Southern Hemisphere*. , Our.-productive -spil,l magnificent climate, with the amount and iregularity, of the rainfall, give us an immense7adyantage,"over: our less "fprtu-" 'nata neighbors, * and' .indicate our, true: positio^a'^dJdes,tiny,'; ,/AV'few w'eeks since we.drew.attentibn,': to an that is fast gaining ground in'Australia,, aa^o.the necessity of sqiiatjerSjtpayipg m.oreatten-i tion I thariijheretpfore: to j the cultivation of their lands, in order prevention of diseases among 1 sheep, which are Supposed to > arise; from over-stocking and jlong continued feedingolp'on the sanie ..plan, byrour flock-owners, wherevelrjii'acticable, wouldJtend greatly increase \inder.. and: <pf consequence: the amount of agricultural produce availr able for home consumption or exportation. A word-to- farmers- generally close. If agricultural scierice'has of'-Jate years taught ,us anything' more, than.another, it is ; the necessity for a regular, course of cropping, or, .other words', a regular_rotati6h_bL.crc)psl. _ Tha-Secretary-oftb,e Department of Agriculture in Vic- ! toriaj has recently put this' forward 'most prominently,'and ; the : people-are* becoming 4liveto •itr'"importance. Experience has taught "us tluitTJ^ndiqlipwever good,j will nb't cohtinbe to'proauce'the same cropifor a long series of/years f at thergame average ; yjeld pei?!,'apr.e ; Rpdiilie t 'raason.jia i < The .chemical of. the'soil arcftaken/upi.by the'crdpsj-'ea'chTi plant taking those'; and only those;* which:' are most suitable to its !> 'sustenance. 1 Land that ia f regularlyjput',is7 f '^t l ii,the, jSame cfpp^^ , ih'*/cQurje'/oJ^ J tirie J exhausted of_the"ingredients.iiecessairy/jj;o

produce that particular kind of crop,* Land reqvyjes frequent change and rest at not -distant intervals. We conolude by quoting'some statistics which we have at hand, showing the value of tr|e export trade in corn 'of the various colonies.' —ln 1868, New South Wales, £218,271, principally maize ; 1870, Tasmania, ,£50J.00,.j 1872, New.,Zealand, £181,429 ; 1873, South Australia, £1,711,982 ; 1874, Tasmania, (£113,305; 1875; Zealand, £221,&99. ' Owing to the difficulty of procuring- for brie year extending over the whole of the Australasian colonies we have been obligedto fall back on the above. '