GRAIN GROWING IN OTAGO AND CANTERBURY.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIV, Issue 5662, 23 May 1879, Page 7

GRAIN GROWING IN OTAGO AND CANTERBURY.

(From the Otago ITi'fdfss.) Although the agricultural statistics for the whole colony are not yet complete, we have the results which are most important to those engaged in the produce trade, namely, the figures for Canterbury and Otago. Taking the two provincial districts together, premising that Otago includes Southland, we have a smaller crop this year of wheat by 370,000 bushels, and a larger crop of oats by two million bushels, while barley shows a slight increase, and potatoes are nearly exactly the same as last year. The total grain produce of the two rival agricultural provinces sums up to the astonishing aggregate of thirteen aud a half million bushels. Canterbury claims seven millions aud a quarter of this total, and Otago six millions aud a quarter ; Canterbury growing the largest quantity of wheat, and Otago the largest quantity of oats, and Otago shows by far the largest yields per acre in both wheat and oats. The value of all this grain is unfortunately, on the average, not much over half-a-orown a bushel, taking wheat and oats together ; but even at that low valuation it is worth about £1,700,000 sterling. Of wheat we ought to have nearly three millions of bushels for. export after providing for our own wants, even supposing that no Australian flour were imported' Our prices must therefore be entirely ruled by the English market. Oats will equally be ruled by the Melbourne market ; but we have no means of measuring our local consumption of these. Barley is comparatively an insignificant crop, aud shows little sign of increasing to any large extent ; and potatoes, in round numbers, represent fifty thousand tons for both years; hut these are grown also in other provinces extensively, and the crop for the whole colony will be much larger than this. We shall defer further comment till the grand totals are published, and will only now add that we think the Registrar-General and his subordinates have this year taken their time about these very important statistics.