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The Pamphlet Collection of Sir Robert Stout: Volume 61

V. Agricultural Development

V. Agricultural Development.

The agricultural development may be tested in two ways: (1) by the area of land alienated from the Crown; and (2) by the area brought under cultivation. The area of land alienated in 1864 was 7,759,954 acres; in 1884 the area alienated, from the foundation of the colony, was 17,692,511 acres. The area of land under cultivation in 1864 was only 382,655 acres, which included under crop 110,532 acres, and in sown grasses 272,123 acres; whilst in 1884 there were no less than 6,391,075 acres under crop and sown grasses—viz., 1,132,241 acres under crop and 5,258,834 acres in grass.

Then it may be tested by its products. In 1864 we exported almost no agricultural products, and we imported, as has been stated before, much of our food-supplies; but in 1884 we exported 2,706,775 bushels of wheat, valued at £436,728; 128,450 bushels of barley, at a value of £25,138; 51,311 bushels of malt, valued at £14,665; and 2,474,613 bushels of oats, at a value page 26 of £267,286. We also exported £33,324 worth of flour, £53,536 worth of potatoes, and 254,069cwt. of frozen meat, at a value of £345,090. The value of hides exported in 1861. was £11,972; in 1884, £38,199. In 1864 £1,865 worth of tallow was exported, as against £234,829 in 1884. During the last year, through the fall in the price of wheat and the export of frozen meat, the export of grain has somewhat decreased, as will be seen from the following::—

1875. 1876. 1877. 1878. 1879.
Flour, tons 636 497 960 4,031 1,278
Wheat, bushels 548,095 686,059 859,795 1,701,011 2,518,457
Barley, bushels 91,622 218,558 107,675 102,476 106,692
Malt, bushels 6,885 3,524 1,746 5,951 2,546
Oats bushels 630,325 1,263,957 354,694 302,776 842,649
1880. 1881. 1882. 1883. 1884.
Flour, tons 553 3,220 10,932 6,119 3,606
Wheat, bushels 3,120,463 3,761,258 3,188,621 4,897,540 2,706,775
Barley, bushels 476,520 494,911 113,334 144,923 123,450
Malt, bushels 35,330 60,531 29,345 61,076 51,311
Oats, bushels 1,908,132 1,499,260 979,684 1,619,764 2,474,631

Agriculture is now seeking other outlets: orchards are being planted, tobacco is now produced, and linseed is grown.

Treating the forests as a branch of agriculture, it may be noted that the export of timber has largely increased, as the following table, giving the value of the timber exported, will show:—
£
1864 24,771
1865 12,725
1866 24,319
1867 16,110
1868 15,653
1869 22,338
1870 18,610
1871 20,114
1872 27,373
1873 44,039
1874 44,450
1875 40,046
1876 49,847
1877 50,901
1878 39,074
1879 35,735
1880 51,225
1881 71,328
1882 114,700
1883 149,256
1884 152,471

A Forest Department has just been started, and attention is to be directed to the conserving and properly utilizing of the existing forests, and to the creating of new forests. The area of forest lands is about 20,000,000 acres; and of this area about 9,000,000 acres contain useful timber trees.

page 27

A large amount of planting has been done, and 5,804 acres planted have been subsidized or aided by Government; and, in addition to this, in the Lake and Maniototo Counties large quantities of trees are raised for distribution in the treeless districts of Otago. There have been almost no manufactures of forest products, save timber-ware; a little charcoal has been produced, but it is so small as not worth recording. The same danger that has threatened other countries in the treatment of the forests has been felt in New Zealand. Valuable forests necessary for the maintenance of an equable climate have been destroyed to make way for the farmer or stock-raiser. It is hoped that the evils that have resulted in other countries from such a course of procedure will be sufficient to ensure attention being paid to tree-planting, and to make forest preservation more popular in the colony than it has yet been.