AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS.

Waikato Times, Volume X, Issue 617, 4 May 1876, Page 2

AGRIC ULT URAL STATISTICS.

To-DAT we are enabled to publish a return of the land in cultivation m Otigo, and of the agricultural produce thereof. The figures supplied fulJy sustain the estimate we raado a few days ago — when discussing the question of " what shall we do with onr harvest 1" — of the very gicat probable increase in returns. In every particular there has been a largo increase iv the estimated yields. In oats wo have an increaso of 30,033} bushels, but it should be noted in connection with thus that the quantity of last year's crop ©n hand was the "\ cry large amount of 3t)9,028 bushels ; the wheat stock has been increased by 113,178 bushels; birloy. by 83,253V bushels; potatoes by 2,51 tj tons^a-nd thj number of holdings has increased fio.ji 3,809 iv 1575 to 4,172 in 1876. Taking tho total returns for the present season oi'tho two great provinco^ (Canterbury and Otago) we have the following figures ; —

It will b« thus seen th.it in theao two pro vinces there has been a very large decre.ist in wheat, proportionately ; and in the (act of an increase of over two millions oi bushels of outs in aU the provides last year, and a steady decrease in price, tin increasoof otts iv Ofcago and Cauterbur alone has amounted to over half a rnillioj of bushols — .1 very unprouming feature in the face of ruling prices — viz., la 7d to 1--8 d per bu&hel. Iv bsrley there has been a very large increase — 50 per cent. ; bu there is always a good colonial market fot this. Potatoes have shown a fairly proportionate "increase, but tho demand from the North Island for sapplies Will b greater this year tJfex last, owing to the failing crops in tiro llawke's Bay and Auckland provinces. It is to be rogretteil that we bave no means of estimating the returns of dairy produce. The increise in the product of butter, bacon, haras, and clieoao, does not evidently keep p.ico with that of tho growth ©f cereals, otherwise we might look for some reduction upon tne very high rates at present tilling There is a tine opening both in Canterbury and Otago for an improvement iv the supply of ihe provincial markets with dairy produce. Tne wonder w that it has not been ttfken advantage of ere this.

Mabokic. —-lUmbers of the Bfasflnio Lodge Beta will meet iv tha Lod^e room, Uamiltoa But, to-morrow erening, at the usual hour.

L.O.L. — A. meeting of th« Hamilton aad N(jaruawahia Ladies — No 9. Som of Uliter, LOL, End No 17, L 0 L— is oonveaed for Saturday night nart, to bs held at tho Viotoria Hall Hamilton West, at 7 o'clock.

Thk BiNK or Nbw ZBAtiiro and tub GoYBBNWtfNT AccotrtCT. — Wo learn that tbo directors of the B&nk of N"*w Zealand tv6ro the only tenderers for the Oorernments aooount, io that their Under has boen aooepted, On the oouditioni published some timo tgo. j

AircrnoK Sale.— Thos» desirous of obtaining* good piano may have a ohanoa of doing io by attending the tale to bft held to-day 'by Mr Knox at Ngaruafahia, when a pianoforte will ba •old tinder diitreta warrant. The instfamerft, we understand, it a vary exoellont one.

Education JUTt.--.Mr Be&l, oa Taeiday, obtained judgment againtb defaulters for non-pay, mont of th» Education Kate in the Waikato district! as foflowi, the cost* ia eioh cake being £3 It 3d :-wThomas Clemeuy, William Cullen, John II Chtiliira, floory gougb, tad two «ipfil«

Nativb Lasd Court. Ngabcawauia. — His Honor Judge Fenton Hill hold a Native Land Court at Ngaruaivakia on Saturday twxt, tlis 6 th DSt. '

r - .Rhidbnt Mioiitratb's Cocbt, Ha.stii.ton. , Ttye rogular sitting of this Court takes pl»ca to-v d^y. The* are, we uaderitnnd, » number of Cases on th» cause lilt.

i The Natite Land Cotter, Cakbiisoi. — HU Honor Judge Monro opened (he Native Lauds Court yestercby, at Cambridge Tho cm»6 »re likoiy to occupy some daya in th« hearing.

Licensing Notice.— The Quarterly litenwng Court will sit at Newcastle on the 6th proximo for tht transaction of basin csi in the Newotttlt, Whangape, and Rangiriri district* ; »t Hamilton on tho Bth proximo, for the districts of Hamilton and Kirikiriroa; and on the 9th proximo, at Cambridge, for baiineM within that district— eaoh daj at noon.

Tan PiiKTuro.— The titnt for planting trees for fruit, ornament, and ihelttr, is now eontmencing and Mr Mason, of Hamilton West, whose extensively planted nurstry gardens on the Ngaruawahia road juit beyond the No I Bridge, must be known to many of our readers, it praparod to execute order* »t Auckland prices, bo that there ti no need for intending planter! to tend out of the district. Mr Mason who was tt ono time a member of the well-known firm of Mmson Brothers, of Parnell and Ponionby, has a large and varied stock of trots and shrubi ia *U stages of growth.

Kihikihi EirriiiTAiNiteiT.— Th» dramatio entertainment and danco in aid of the Kihikihi and Rangiaohia ichooli, which ia adrertiied to tnko place on Tuesday eroning, u likely to bo well patronised, if wo may judge from th« interest taken in getting it up and making it a thorough auoceai by both the committee and the performers. There will be & good moon on Friday if the night is fine ; and, taking into consideration the object for which tho entertainment it held, and the pains taken in preparing it, tbe attendance is likely to bo large. The price of adminion too, we tee, is only a shilling.

OniNiNa Guxs.— We offer the follovring hint to sportsmen, which will be of all the more value now that khe shooting season has commenced :— « The " Soientitio American " state* that guns or rifles may be cleaned in a very simple manner by quiokailver. If a muzzle-loader, stop up the nipple or communication hole wibh a little wax, or, if a breech-loader, insert a cork in the breech rather tightly ; next pour tome quicksilver into the barrel, and put another cork m the muzile, then proceed to roll it up and down the barrel, •hairing it about for a few minutes. The merourj and the lead will form an amalgam, and leavi the barrel as clean and free from laad at the firti day it came out of the ibop. The aame quicksilver can be used repeatedly by ttraioiag i 1 through vrash-leathor ; for the lead will be lefl behind in the Itather, and the quicksilver wil be again fit for uio.

SUBBIDHS TO BO AD BOAEDg.— Th« B*l© of W*ikato confiscated lands which took plaoo yostorday brings to our recollection a diitmct promise made by the Premier (Sir J. Vogel) curly last year, that one-fourth oi the proceeds of such land tales should bo handed orer to the local Board of the district in wkioh auch land is situated for road purposes, as tlw memorandum of th« 30th Juno states, " with thi view of benefiting such lands as far ai possible.' 1 This provision was to come, into force from the Ist January, 1874, tho memorandum stating that " the Government has determined that all sums received in respect of sales since the Ist January, 1874. shall be distributed in the manner and in the proportion following— namely, as we bare said before, by the granting one-fourth to the looil Boards. Now, waat may have been done in the case ot land sales in the Waikato, if any, held subsequent to the Ist of January, 187 i, previous to the mananagement of the Tims hiving fallen into its priient hands we cannot say, but certainly the provisions of the Colonial Secretary's memorandum are applicable to yesterday's land sales, and wo reoommend the chairmen and nemberi of the sererat Wtikafto Highway Boards interested to look to this matter.

I IhmigbatioN. — Wo are not sorry to learn 1 from tho letter of the London correspondent ol ' one of our Auckland contemporarias that "nc emigrants are now being sent out by the Government to New Zealand." It ia an well that omieration ahould bo so arranged th<\t there ■hall be a» few new arrivals as possible during the winter months, when ncconarily there is lei; demand throughout tho oolony for out-door labor than during the remainder of the year. In t> very •hort time one source of employment m W*ik»to — the reclamation of swamp land— will ba brought to u itandstill, and this wilL throw manj hand* upon the labour market in this district, though not necessarily out of employment, for there is an increasing rigor in ordinary farm operations generally throughout the district, whioh prom nes to absorb such labour as will be thus set at liberty. While, therefore, we have in this district no apprehension thai the in-com-ing winter will bo one of more than uaual depression in the leoal labour market, we are noae the lest glad to think that our settlers will not be called upon to meet the strain of s> steady and uncheokod influx of new labour for sows.< months to come.

Mantfil/'b list.— Tho " funny mau" of the House has not lost hit old hubiti. It appears that ererj day Sir Julius Vogel is to bo teen in thelunehean room of the club, st Wellington, enjoying a salad, whioli dith forai *he chid piect dc r distance of the meal. Attention had bean drawn to the Premier's penchant for saU<l, and Mr Mantall entering the room on* day with ft friend while Sir Julius was thus engaged Asked the) former what linet in Milton's account of the oreation the Premier put him in mind of. His friend ga/e it up, whoa Mr Man tell quoted as followi : — 11 Eaoh day upon the green and tender liorb The gentle d«w (jew) descends."

Royal Hotbi/, Hamilton East. — Tho itoek i in trade and furniture of Mr Bnrke is, it will | b6 ieen, adyertised for sale by Mr Kennedy Hill 1 for the 13th insfc, Mr Burke, w whose Issue x>{ the house has expired, is retiring from business and « ill be sucoeeded by Captain Dawson, who takes over the hotel about tho 15th insfc. There are none amongst us who will not with thii gentleman every iuccois iv bis new venture. His character it a guarantee that the bniineu will be carried on with credit to the diitriot and to himself.

, The SroiTiva Seasoh a. Tkuvroumaxr. — Under th« abova heading tht Atxokland "Herald "of Tuesday bewails the empty bags with which Auokland men returned from the country oa tht evening of the Ist instant. When oar contemporary include* Waikato in tho are* of disappointment it oan only pouibly refer, at that date, to so far as th« railway reaches. Our own local sportsmen make no great complaint. Tho "Heral&" says:— "The sporting Mason oommenced yesterday, but for once ■portimon had been too •anguine. Promises had been mad* to tupply the dealers early in the morning to theet the demands of customer*, bat the promises were not kept. As wm expected by some, the birds are this year far from numerous, and * great mstDy of those verj small, so much so that it Would have boon far better this year to have postponed the shooting season for another month. The reason of this disappointment is that a great number of nests were dostroyed daring the incubating season by tho very heavy rains then experienced, and only a vwy few broods were hatched. The hens, however, soon recommenced their maternal duties, but the hatching prooess was so late in the season that the young ohirperi have not yet had time to prepare ■themselrei for the spit. Tho old birds hay* been considerably thinned, and but very few fell yesterday to tho sportsman's gun. Better ■port 'will, howerer, be experienced later in the season when the young birds have grown a little, A few decent bags were brought in last night, but one knight of tho trigger declared with disgust that out of hit whole bag he could not find a bird as largo as a lump of chalk. A very l»Kgo HutHber of sportsmen, are in tho field, both in the suburban districts and in the Waikato, but 'tta tame oompUiat com«i ftoiu §}! quurUra,' 1

S7h-?at (bsh) 3i*ts (buls) „ Bar.^v (bils) L'otatotg (tons) 187R 2,738,7-10} 5,920,014 97+ 39 ) 8S S2SV Pecrcano. 87,517 i Incrc iß.' 698 2 3 •17f>,(iSJ7,157'