GRAIN ON THE RAILWAYS.

Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 1236, 3 April 1880, Page 2

GRAIN ON THE RAILWAYS.

The amount of- grain carried on the Oamaru-Timaru section of railways on Friday, and remaining at the several stations and sidings, was as follows; — Forwarded. Bags. Bags. Temuka ... ... 1000 107 Arowhenua 248 Pleasant Point ... 512 320 Albury 406 j St. Andrew's 234 360 Normanby 70 Otaio 180 80 Malcikihi 672 480 Hook ... ... 800 22 Waimate ... ... 254 Waimate Junction ... 300 99 Waiho 227 160 Waitaki North ... 362 85 Ngapara Maheno 120 358 Herbert 150 Hampden 215 Black Point 160 Uxbridge 204 Gibson's siding ... 60 —- Papakaio 300 Totara... 160 Tean.eraki 627 Windsor 240 Totals... ... 7031 2296

POTATOES. " A Small Fartner " writes to the Lytlelton Times as follows : I have gjown potatoes for 24 years, 10 years in England and 14 in this Colony, and it is my opinion New Zealand is capable of producing millions of tons of excellent potatoes, and I think that if our lands were properly prepared and manured, we should be able to beat ' all the world at growing potatoes. The district of North Canterbury alone could easily export annually half a million pounds' worth of potatoes ;;but the present low prices and uncertain market make potatogrowing very much like a lottery, and the high price of railway carriage . prevents the. successful growing of potatoes at a greater distance than 12 or 14 miles from Christchurch: -

It does not pay to grow potatoes at 30a a ton in those districts where it costs 15s a ton to send them to town. The Ellesmere arid-'Ash-burton districts are capable of producing immense quantities of potatoes, but the high price of railway carriage effectually prevents the growing of potatoes in those districts for exportation. Now, if the farmers were sure of getting a fair price, say 50s per ton, for their potatoes, the cultivation would greatly increase, and thus create more work for the unemployed. Much can be said in favor of growing potatoes, the small birds cannot pull them up and devour them ; potatoes are not liable to be destroyed by wind or fire like corn is ; and the planting, hoeing, and lifting of potatoes can be done at those times when the corn crops require but little attentiori. By'growing potatoes the farm work would be more even throughout the year, and a good rotation of crops would be possible. By making observations and experiments for several years I find that the following is a good rotation of crops for small farms in Canterbury : —lst year, wheat; 2nd year, potatoes manured with bone dust, ashes, or farm yard manure ; 3rd year, wheat or barley, sown down with rye grass, cow grass, and white clover; 4th, sth, and 6th years, in grass ; and the 7th year commence with wheat again ; and by dividing a farm into six paddocks, one paddock can be broke up, and. one sown down every year j but the great drawback to this rotation is the want of a good market for potatoes. Now I consider that it is the duty of the merchants to find new markets for the increasing produce of the farmers ; and if the merchants do not do it, the farmers will do it for themselves, and leave the merchants out in the cold. I saw in your last Monday's paper that the South_ Australian potato-growers were seriously thinking of exporting potatoes to England, and I myself have often thought that it would pay to send New Zealand potatoes to the London market. I know Mr. Wetblanket will say that they will spoil on the voyage, but I recollect the time when he said that our wheat would have to be kiln dried before it would stand the voyage to England. I think that if a large bulk of potatoes in a ship's hold could be ventilated just enough to prevent them from heating, they would not deteriorate any more in a ship's hold for three months than they would in a pit in the same time.

I suggest that those persons who are interested in the matter should join together and send, as an experiment, a few tons of good ripe potatoes to London, it would not be a costly experiment and it might be a profitable one, as it is well known that two=thirds of the potato crops in the United Kingdom were destroyed by disease and the wet season of 1879. New Zealand potatoes would make a splendid change of seed for the farmer at home ; but, unless they were sent home by a steamer, they would not arrive in time to be used for seed. I am quite sure that potatoes entirely free from disease would be eagerly bought in the London market. I think that the day is not far distant when the exportation of potatoes will be successfully combined with the exportation of-fresh meat; of course it would not do to freeze the potatoes, but I think that the cold air, after it has passed the meat chamber, could be utilized for the purpose of reducing the temperature of a large mass of potatoes to somewhere about 40 degrees, and that would prevent them from heating or sprouting, while passing the tropics.