RURAL NOTES.

Waikato Times, Volume XXIV, Issue 1978, 12 March 1885, Page 3

RURAL NOTES.

L\xr>ivNK\v South Wales.— The area of the whole colony is estimated to be 323, 43S square miles, equal to alnut bo 7000,00') acre*. Up to the 30th of Euptembei 18S3, 3f»,5."53,41G acrps had been ■henated, leaving up to that date 170, 14C>, H4 acres nnalionated. Mr Fan oil iaifl he rli'l not a^ert that the whole of the [and \\.is-,uitablefor:igiicultural 01 pastmal piirpos"-. Home uf it is quite bmen, but much of it had a grcitt-r value than th.it which wo ild attach to its n»e for past >ial or ajfrictiltui.il purpose*. There is under pantoial lea.se 12"),<M8,00'i acre, prcemptite lease Id O~)S,K(j'l acres, and .mction lease 2,."i«1, 130 acres, iV total of 148,380,00") acres 'under ptst'iral occupation. This represent* 431') pistouil nun, 17,035 preemptive leaxe, and 3")42 auction leases. The total nuinbei and area of conditional purchases up to the 30th of September 1883, wai 132,364, containing an area of 16,354,089 acres. Of these there are now 121,975 conditional purchases in course of completion of the conditions, or completed and bearing interest, or instalments payable on an area in the aggiegate of 15,416,007 »cres. The b-ilance payable to the Government on this area is £11.562,005. Chkk'sf TtiPoiirATTONS iv 1884.—' Checue lia« been imported,' nays the Grocer, • more extensively than in 1883, and it in expected that the total for the past twelve months, when officially completed for the United Kingdom, will not fall far short of 2,000,000 cwts., or 100,000 tons. This is an immense W t i"lit of supply, especially when we conBider that fully three fourths of the above quantity comes from the United States and Canada, and even at only moderate market rates represents a gross sterling value of over i"J, 100,000. The prices paid for American cheese in the latter half of 1884 have no doubt partly compensated for the vary reduced rates that were accepted in April and May. Then, from 70s down to 30s weie the ruling prices ; but latterly the commoner qualities have become very much deaier, while the finer grades have declined, and quotations have come closer together at fiom 45s to 65s per cwt. Gouda and Edam cheeses have been dealt in at Ivarying prices, those in the early part Ihaving been rather high at 54s to 08a, and Ithe nearest rates since quite reasonable at Hbout 40s to 60h. Besides the enormous B&antities of foreign imported, there have fbeen very large supplies of English cheete, I which maintains its old reputation for Isuperionty, the common and medium oualities, as a rule, fetching more money than the bests kinds of other sorts ; and the nrices pain in London have been regulated chiefly by those that have been current at the springtide and autumnal fairs in different parts of the kingdom.

Ownen of dogs in the boroufjh of Hamilton are directed to a notire in another column Menr* John and Richard Bosanko, farmers, To Awarautu, have dissolved partnership.