The Southland Times. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 1872.

Southland Times, Issue 1543, 27 February 1872, Page 2

The Southland Times. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 1872.

The agricultural prospects of the season, aLttkou.gb.. mueU ..batter. tlxatL. . was? at one time anticipated, are nevertheless far from being encouraging. The reports to hand from Otago proper, speak of the cereals and staple root crops as being much inferior to the yield of previous years. Encouraged by the results of last year's operations, it is well-known, that^in Southland the breadth laid down in oats is greater than it has been oa any previous occasion. The loss on this item alone will be rather heavy. In many places the crop is so light that it will be cut for hay, and at best the yield per acre will be far below the average. The cost of labor, on the other hand, is higher than usual, and although the price of both wheat and oats is expected to rule high, it will hardly compensate the farmer for the seasonal and other drawbacks that have been experienced. As a separate branch of the pursuit, dairy produce is equally discouraging; although it must be noted that late accounts from England are more promising. Still, the export trade for either grain or dairy produce ia by no means well established, and it is very questionable how far we are interested in either of these products beyond providing for local wants. An exceptionally good season may raise our hopes and expectations in that direction, but so long as the labor market maintains current rates, grain cannot possibly become a profitable article of export. In illustration of the present state of the market, we subjoin the annexed account sales of 300 bags of oats shipped to Melbourne last month : — |

being at' the rate of 3s lid per bushel, including bags. The charges on the above were : — Freight, £22 10a ; entries, 5s ; weighing for duty, 10s ; duty, £22 10s 5d ; wharfage, £5 7s ; cartage, storing, weighing, and delivery, £5 15s ; commission and guarantee, £9 2s 9d ; making a total of £Q7 Os 2d. Deducting the amount realized as shown above, the proceeds are £115 16s 3d, or Is l|d charged ia Melbourne per bushel. Iq addition to these charges, we have the I expenses incurred for shipment on this side. These have been supplied to us as follows : — Cartage to railway station per bushel ... O^d Railway carriage to Bluff, 2 Bluff wharfage dues, 0£ Marine Insurance, ... 0£ Loss on bags between 15s cost and 10s realized in Melbourne, ... ... ... 1* 4id which, added to the charge3in Melbourne, makes a net sum of Is 6d per bushel. Deducted from the amount realized, this leaves is 7|d per bushel to the producer, or, as in the case of the above consignment, the Invercargill merchant by whom the oats were purchased at first hand. It should be further stated, that circumstances combined in this instance to make the outgoing freight to Melbourne exceptionally low. Under ordinary circumstances, not more than Is Gd, or at most, Is 6 id, could be relied upon. On the

part of the grower, it is maintained that he cannot produce the article and store it in town at less than Is 9d, so that we have here a positive loss of between 2^-d and 3d per bushel persented to us. The difficulty is felt in other parts of the colony. In" dealing with the question, a Christchurch contemporary writes: — " Hitherto, grain-growing has beenlooked upon as the main staff of farming in Canterbury, and when we consider how eminently adapted our plains are for all labor-saving appliances, we cannot wonder that it has been so generally followed, especially as prices have been more or less remunerative until within the last two or three years ; and even now it is not so much low prices that render graingrowing unprofitable, but the fact that the yield is by no means up to the former average. In many instances the land has been Overcropped. One straw crop is made to follow another, [and often two of the same sort in succession, until the land produces very little but straw, or more frequently sorrel, or some other equally obnoxious weed. In most seasons there is blighfc in ovp/rcropped land, drought is sure to affect it, and in our climate a summer without ita periods of drought is the exception and not the rule." The conclusion at which our neighbors in Canterbury have arrived, is one whieb agrees in every respect with the opiniot we have already expressed on the point viz., that it is very necessary that more attention should be devoted to the rearing of stock, more especially sheep. In a recent issue we notified the fact that the opening up of a direct trade in wocl between New Zealand and America had already resulted in wool grown south of the Molyneux being pronounced most suitable for that market, and that in future it was expected to command extreme rates. That is a highly encouraging prospect for the flockowner, and if no other reason could be advanced it ought to attract serious attention to the subject. Other reasons howeyer do exist, and as these affect the whole question o 7 tillage, we cannot commend them too strongly to the study of agriculturists. They are detailed by a contemponry as follows: — "There should be a certain amount of grass land on every faro, and the green crops worked in to fin sh off sheep or cattle for the market, and with the view of preparing the land for the grain crop that should follow. We often hear of land being clover sick, and that it will not produce English grasses. Howcan it, when it has been robbed of its fertility by a succession of grain crops ? In all such cases the only remedy is to fallow, get a crop of rape if possible, and then lay down with grass. Many farms, already enclosed, and a large breadth of land yet to be taken up, will, when laid down after grain crops, become stunted and filled with poor native grasses after a Jew years. On all such farms, at least a fourth of the acreage should be kept under crop to provide winter fodder for cattle and horses, and green crops for sheep — the latter in abundance both after fallow and stubble, as the fertilising matter from sheep-folding would render this almost equally productive with firstclass land. And as this refers to light land generally, the extra labor would not be a serious item. Two and three furrow ploughs could in most cases be worked to advantage, and in most seasons farming operations could be carried on without loss of time. Many of our farmers are wisely turning their attention to sheep feeding and breeding, the results of which must be favorable, paying in the mean time more than any other class of stock. One very desirable object is gained, that of folding and manuring the land without the cost of carting from the farm yard. Horse and cattle breeding, too, may be made profitable ; in fact, stock keeping, here as at home must be studied, and will eventually become the main- stay of successful farming.

AMOTTNT BEALIZED IN JIEISOTTBITB. 894 36-40 bushels, @2s lid, ... £130 10 0 228 bags @ lOd 9 10 0 2SI 4-40 bushels @2s lOd, ... 39 16 5 72 bags @ lOd, 3 0 0 £182 16 5