The Temuka Leader TUESDAY, MARCH 11, 1884. NEW ZEALAND AGRICULTURE.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1149, 11 March 1884, Page 2

The Temuka Leader TUESDAY, MARCH 11, 1884. NEW ZEALAND AGRICULTURE.

Those who complain of hard times and entertain only gloomy hopes of the ultimate prosperity of this colony ought to read the report of Mr Griffin, American Consul at Auckland. From this report it appears that in 1883 the average produce per acre of wheat was : —Victoria, 9.40 bushels ; New South Wales, 14.69 bushels ; Queensland, 8.41 bushels ; South Australia, 4.57 bushels ; Western Australia, 7 bushels ; total Australia, 6.96 bushels ; Tasmania, 18.88 bushels ; New Zealand, 22.69 bushels ; total Australasia, 8.84 bushels. In England the average is bushels per acre. Mr Griffin in commenting upon the above fact, says :—“ The pro duction of wheat in France is 16.2 bushels per acre ; in Saxony, 22.5 ; Belgium, 26.2 ; while in Russia it is ns low as 5.5 bushels. The figures- I have giv<m are sufficient to show the proud

position New Zealand occupies in wheat production per acre ; still I must mention that farming is done here on the rotation plan so universally practised in England. Besides changing the crops every year, or allowing the land to rest, the farmers of New Zealand import annually about 5000 tons of bonedust and 2000 tons of guano for the purpose of enriching the soil. In all the crops the superiorly of New Zealand to the other Australasian colonies is conspicuous, The mean average of the seven years in New Zealand for oats was 33.42 bushels to the acre, while Victoria gave 19.57 bushels, New South Wales 16,44, and South Australia 13.07, The average of potatoes to the acre was:—ln New Zealand, 5.13 tons; in Victoria, 3.27 tons ; in New South Wales, 2,96 tons ; in Queensland, 2.45 tons ; in South Australia, 3,85 tons. In this connection I will mention that New Zealand oats have won great reputation in European markets on account of their superior quality. It i s perhaps not generally known that there is a very great difference in this kind of grain, and that much depends upon the weight per bushel. While one bushel of oats will weigh only 241 b., another bushel will weigh 481 b. It is seldom that New Zealand oats, and especially those grown in the North Island and in the northern part of the South Island, weigh less than from 40lb. to 481 b, per bushel. It will be well enough for the New Zealand farmer not to lose sight of the extra weight of his oats, for it is the custom in the European markets to buy by the quantity and to sell by weight. The quality of wheat in New Zealand is also woithy ot praise. There are several varieties peculiar to the colony, and which have been successfully introduced into Victoria, New South Wales, and South Australia, among which I shall mention the celebrated New Zealand Sharman wheat. flhis variety is a bearded wheat, free from red rust and smut, and yields a small but plump grain. It has a thin, lim'd, wiry straw of a peculiar brightness, about 3ft 4in in height, bearing heads from Sin to 4in in length, and containing Irom 50 to 60 grains each. Dr Schomburgn, who is an authority on agriculture in Australasia, classes the Sharman wheat along with the celebrated American brands, the Defiance and Champlain.” Thus it will be seen that not alone is New Zealand far in advance of any of the other Australian colonies, but that she ranks amongst the best gram producing countries in the world, although agriculture is carried on in a very indifferent manner compared with the way it is attended to at Home, This, we think, ought to give farmers courage to go on. They ought to think themselves lucky that they are in one of the most productive of all countries. And there is yet another point in which their position is superior to any of the other Australian colonies. Droughts, which destroys the flocks and herds in the neighboring colonies, are unknown in this, so that from every point of view our position is superior. IRRIGATION. Apropos of the question of irrigation by the construction of water races in various localities in this district, we have been handed for publication the following remarks on the suject relative to its beneficial effects :

Irrigsflion is one of (he methods employed for fertilising soil. There are many suggestions as to the exact method in which to carry out this groat object, but there can be little doubt that it is a combination of many means, some of which are pre-eminent in one locality, others in another. Some authorities on the subject consider that the good effects of streams of watei; running through land are produced purely by mechanical means, others that the means are chemical, ami others that they are a combination of both. When a muddy river overflows adjoining fields, the soil is usually found to be improved. This is due to the deposition of mud, which produces a rich alluvium, containing many valuable essentials of soil m a state of most excellent mixture. Running water, however, need not be muddy to contain fertilising materials, sugar and salt dissolve in water, become invisible, and leave the solvent quite clear. So river and spring water contains in solution many salts, such as lime, potash, phosphoric acid ; and these are deposited on evaporation ot their solvent. Evaporation, however, need not take place ; clay itself has the power of extracting these materials from water. Those substances —valuable ingredient s of grass and crops —are thus left in the soil in a state of fine. division deposited by natural moans, and thus in the best possible manner, and admirably fitted for absorbtion by plants, and as we have seen in such a condition that they can bo dissolved by water. Irrigation appears also to exert some influence, by awakening the inert store of plant food within its reach, and by so doing, it improves vegetable growth.

Another benefit of water seems to be that it keeps the ground at a higher temperature. The specific gravity of water mcreases till it reaches 4deg, C,, then it is densest ; after passing this point and approaching zero its specific gravity decreases, or in other words, bulk tor bulk, it becomes less weighty. Thus the cold portion floats at the top, and the warmer being of greater density remains beneath. In this manner the ground will be maintained at a higher temperature, and it is not so subject to excesses of cold as it would be, were it perfectly dry and no stream running through it.

Another fertilising agency is that of opening up the soil, making it more porous, thus giving freer access to the air, which destroys organic matters and converts various materials in the soil into ones more beneficial than they would otherwise be, and enabling the roots of plants to penetrate further and with greater ease.

Another benefit derived from irrigation is, that the water, as required gby nature, dissolves out the food of plants. This is a most important function and one which water-races are calculated to carry out on a grand scale. The affording vegetable growth a constant and regular supply of the invaluable solvent to prepare its food, we think, would in itself be a very great aid in producing healthy and excellent fodder, and were this the only benefit produced by irrigation it would quite justify the construction of any number of waterraces. The case is somewhat analagous to that of ourselves drawing water from a creek or stream. The flow is constant and we take just what quantities, and when, wa require. We don’t —not in the country, at least— lay up a store every time rain falls, and be thus constantly running short. Townspeople find it an inconvenience to have to keep water in tanks, and so they make water-races by which they convey to town for themselves a constant, regular and fresh supply. So .it is with the plant. It has to wait till rain falls, when the land is not supplied with streams. When a drought occurs, the herbage, unable to obtain moisture or food that it receives by the aid of water, begin to decay. Rain may or may not fall. If it does not, the pasture becomes useless ; if it does, it takes the plants all their time to recover their healthy condition. But when a good supply of moisture and water is afforded by means of streams running through land, look at the different result ! The herbage is green, succulent, sweet to the cattle, 1 and furthermore, the short droughts that we sometimes experience here are easily withstood if an efficient irrigation scheme is carried out. This effect of water-races—namely, affording a regular and constant means of preparing plant food—seems to be a great benefit indeed.

And yet another benefit of irrigation is pointed out. It is a means of conveying away from the roots of plants the excretions of itself and its neighbors. These excretions have an injurious effect on adjacent plant growth, ;;ml it was Rennie who pointed out that probably one of the greatest benefits of running streams through land was due to the removal of these poisonous matters, thus cleansing the soil and facilitating the watering of growing vegetation. Treating of soils best suited for irrigation Messrs Morton and Scott write : “ Light porous soils, and particularly gravels and sands, are most improved by irrigation. Ternaceous and clay soils are seldom benefitted by it ; never except in connection with thorough draining,”