New Zealand Times. (PUBLISHED DALLY.) FRIDAY, JULY 13, 1877.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 5087, 13 July 1877, Page 2

New Zealand Times. (PUBLISHED DALLY.) FRIDAY, JULY 13, 1877.

We are in receipt of,, the Agricultural Statistics of the Colony of Victoria for the year 1876-77. The returns are made up to 31st March. After a careful study of the' document two facts present themselves vividly to the mind, namely, the immense number of small holdings, both owned and rented, as compared with the returns of other colonies, and the comparatively small returns per aero as compared with this colony, and indeed with other colonies generally considered less prosperous thaq either. Taking the average yield of wheat per acre in the three most prosperous colonies, in an agricultural point of view, the figures stand thus : New Zealand, 3H bushels ; Tasmania, 18),- do ; and Victoria, 13| do. We exclude South Australia, as, although, vast areas of that country are devoted to the production of wheat, the average produce per acre is so small as to put that colony out of the race. But to return to Victoria. There are special reasons why Victoria, all other things being equal, such as quality of the soil, climatic influences, &c., should be far in advance of her neighbors. That the rulers of that colony have aimed at this there can be no doubt. We have no desire to find fault with them in their attempts to make the soil produce abundantly. The object which they sought to attain was laudable and patriotic, whatever the motive might have been. That they have failed to put Victoria in the front rank as an agricultural province of the empire is no fault of theirs, and arises from circumstances over which they have no control, and which science has hitherto failed, not only in Victoria,, but elsewhere,.entirely to remove. .For the last four or five years Victoria has had her Department of Agriculture ostensibly for the dissemination of information, and for instructing the farmers in matters that intimately concern them, such as the best and cheapest manures to suit various sorts of soils; the soils in which various cereal and other crops are most likely to succeed, and so forth. The secretary of this institution is a gentleman of extensive experience and great scientific knowledge, possessing high credentials from agricultural colleges in Europe' and tho United Kingdom. But in the face of these great and special advantages which Victoria has enjoyed, she has failed to do more than make a tolerably respectable show. Tasmania has maintained a respectable lead, New South Wales is close upon her heels, the average yield in that colony being only four-fifths of a bushel per acre less than Victoria, while she has been completely distanced by New Zealand, our average yield being, as before stated, 31);- bushels against 13| bushels in Victoria, .or considerably more than double. The same remarks apply to the other great cereal crops, such as barley and •oats. The question then arises, why this comparative failure in agricultural enterprise in Victoria ? It is clear our neighbors have done their best. They have not been wanting in enterprise. In fact they have shown a spirit and determination in that direction worthy of tho highest commendation, and of the emulation of their neighbors. To us the cause is clear. The Victorians have inferior land, that is, taken as a whole, and the

climate of the country presents difficulties of no ordinary magnitude. There are extensive tracts of land in that colony of excellent quality. But these wore for the most part occupied by the early settlers. These pioneers absorbed the cream of the country, and were loud in their praises of its productiveness. Tho absence of largo forests, too, presented facilities for early occupation seldom obtained in a new country. It was no uncommon thing for the Victorian selector to have nothing to do than plough his land, sow his fields, and reap his harvests. From this tho colony came to bo considered a sort of Utopia, a place where men had only to till the ground and got rich. But, as popur lation increased, settlement extended farther and wider, and it became necessary to occupy inferior lands. By consulting the map of Victoria, our readers will observe an extensive district in tho

north-west, bounded on the east by the Avoca River, on the north by the Murray, and on the west by the colony of South Australia, and known as the Wimmera District. This region embraces 14,000 squares miles, or about one-sixth of the whole colony. To tho early settlers, this was a terra incognita, and known only as a country of salt lakes, deserts, and sand hills. Of late years attempts have been made on a large scale to bring this into cultivation. As might be expected, this attempt has not been successful, and the settlers there are said to be on the point of starvation. A project is now on foot in Melbourne to form a company to supply the settlers of this district with seed, and the means of subsistence until the capabilities of the country have been thoroughly tested. Another project is also mooted, that is, to irrigate the district from the Murray by means of canals. We admire the indomitable perseverance which characterises the Victorian colonists. They certainly exhibit a bold front in grappling withgiganticdifficulties, from which others may learn many a useful lesson. Another difficulty with which the Victorian farmer has to contend is the ever-varying seasons. Continued long droughts and intense heat of long duration are of frequent occurrence. In 1871 such a period occurred, and the average yield per acre throughout the colony was little more than ten bushels, and oats fifteen bushels. To return to the year just past (1876-7). In 1876-7 there were 80,016 more acres under wheat than the previous year, whereas the aggregate yield of the latter only exceeded that of the former year by 300,816 bushels. The figures are : Land in with wheat and aggregate value: — Acres. Bushels. 1875-78 321,401 .. .. 4,978,914 1878-77 401,417 .. .. 5,279,430 The statistics show that not only in wheat, but in all other crops, the agricultural operations in that colony were less prosperous than in 1875-76. We now propose to compare these statistics with, those of New Zealand for corresponding years, and the result will compare well in favor of this colony. VicroniA.—Acreage under 'cultivation in various crops Wheat. Barley. Oats. Potatoes. 1875-76 .. 321,417 31,508 124,100 30,801 New Zealand—--1875-70 .. 90,840 27,050 30,833 14,060 Victouia—Aggregate .produce in various crops, in bushels:— Wheat. Barley. Oats. Potatoes. 1875- 4,078,394 700,005 2,719,795 124,377 New Zealand—--187- .. 2,863,027 993,219 108,252 71,599 The above figures, comparing the relative aggregate produce with the respective areas in crop in each colony, show an immense margin in favor of New Zealand. The brief - history of agricultural enterprise in Victoria which wo have given should teach us an important lesson. Much has been done in that colony under difficulties which- farmers here are not likely to encounter. We have tens of thousands of. broad acres, which only await enterprise to yield their increase.