igs 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[September i, 1883. 



grants are made. Ceylon men who thiuk of trying 

 farmint; in New Zealanrl should consist in my opinion 

 only of those wlio know somethinf; about it, and 

 whose wives are capable of helping. About openings 

 independent of agriculture, I was told that if a man 

 had "his he.id properly screwed on," was steady, 

 could 'ifTord to w.^it till he had got a footing, he might 

 do well. All .agreeil, however, in pitying the new 

 chum during the lirst year of his rcsidenci-. Besides 

 theatmg^le to get anything suitable to do, colonial ways 

 are so "d'ifferciit, thit. the new arrival ia apt to lo3'3 

 heart. It this .applies to those from home, how much 

 more therefore to those from Ceylon. Self-help is 

 the rule, and to enjoy life in New Zealand one's 

 wants have to be reduced lo the fewest, and on 

 must be able to do everytliing for oneself. Thi.s state 

 of things pre.'-S"S very hard upon the ladies, for dom- 

 estic servants are diliioult to get, and often not worth 

 mueh when they have been got. " You have got 

 to serve them," said a lady to me while speaking on 

 this subject; ' -so, without talking of the high wages 

 they demand, I would fir rather do the household 

 work myself than be bothered with them." So they 

 toil and moil, doing their own cooking, their own 

 washing, their own everything; and the true eolouist 

 wonders what there is to grumble about, being to the 

 manner born. It may be that residence in the East has 

 maie me reg.ird labour with a less favourable eye than 

 I (hould do, but I did think that many ladies in the 

 middle class in New Zealand, if not drudges— were 

 viry near it. I got into conversation with a lady in 

 the railway one d.ay. She told me she had been many 

 years out, and she said: "It is no phaee this for the 

 middle class. It suits working folks. If I had known 

 what hardships were before me I never should have 

 come." With the freedom of colonial life— Jack there 

 is not only as good as his master, but bettfr. A man 

 fitting opposite, miner by profession, struck in with : "If 

 I had known what kind of place New Zealand was, 

 I would have been ftfteen years sooner." Both I am 

 convine ed gave a true report of the land audits suit- 

 ability for the classes to which they belonged. This 

 drudgei-y of the wives and daughters will mend in 

 time — is mending now, but it is a thing which Ceylon 

 pl'iuters who thiidc of going to Nevv Zealand with their 

 wives and families have to consider. I may re.id some- 

 what comic iu the land of dhobies, and the handy Rama- 

 eami, of the work ladies have to do when they 

 elect to make a no jv country their home ; but that is 

 only in the reading, the reality is stern and serious 

 enough, there being very little romance bending over 

 a washing tub, or cooking meals at a hot lire. 



Schools .are good as a rule, and are iirovided by 

 Government. Wherever the settler is, there yon find 

 the schoolm.TSter and the three " Rs " being taught. 

 Those, however, who desire better education for their 

 families, drift into the towns if they can manage it, 

 or if not employ a governess. 



Living is cheap, and clothing not much different 

 from what it is at home. To give an idea of the 

 price of provisions I copied from a New Zealand p.aper 

 the following rettiil rates : — Fresh butter Is. to Is. 3d. per 

 lb., cheese lOd. to Is., eggs is. 6d. per doz., bacon 

 8d. to lOd. per lb., ham Is. per lb., fowls .33. to 4s. 

 per pair, ducks l.s. do., flour 1001b. 13s, Oatme.al 100 

 11). )Ss, milk 4d. par quart, briad 5d. to (id. per 4R> 

 loaf, beef 2d. to Gd. per lb., mutton 2d. to 5-1. per lb. 



Uousereutg are very high, but the building societies 

 there give every inducement for people to become 

 their own landlords, and almost everyone has a home 

 of his own. 



The working man gets high wages ; the capitalist 

 gets good interest ; the middle class man is however 

 not well paid : the remuneration offered being as a 

 rule not better than obtains at home. It is a para- 

 dise to the capitalist and working man, but not so 



to the middle class. In the meantime he is not wanted 

 except to a very limited extent. The result of my 

 observ.ations and enquiries in regard to New ZeaLand 

 as a home for the "Jeylon planter is this — he is better 

 in Ceylon if he can knock along in any kind of a fair 

 way ; if however, he is so situated that he can get 

 but a bare subsistence ; then, he could yet that iu 

 New Ze,aland, and carry on the struggle for exist- 

 ence with inoi-e likelihood of a successful issue than 

 he can iu the tropics. .J. L. D. 



EST15l.\TK OF COSTS CONNECTED WITH IMPROVINTi 

 .\GEICULTURAL LAND IN SODTHLAND. 



Land purchased from the Crown say a block 

 of 1,380 acres at 40s per .acre... ...£2,763 



Feuciug boundaries of same allowing for neigh- 

 bor's . sh.are, 6 miles at £50 ... ... 300 



Four miles subdivision fencing at £50 per mile. .. 200 



Bidldinfjs. House say £350, stables and granary 

 £200, other buildings £150 ... ... 700-0 



Clearing and preiJaring land for the plough os 

 Gd per acre... ... ... ... 207 



Breaking up — ch,arge to permanent improve- 

 ment, 8s 6d per .acre ... ... 5S6 10 



Total fir.stcost... 4,753 10 

 Sowing turnips on first furrow for sheep-teed, 



2 times harrowing Is 8J. Sowing turnips 6d. 



Rolling ls=3s 2d per .acre ... ... 253 



Average value of turnip crop on first furrow 



say 12s 6d per acre... ... .. 862 1 3 



Profit on turnip crop... ... ... 0(W 1 3 



Second ploughing in July and August for 



wheat 7s. Harrowing 3 times, 2s 6d. Seed 



li bushels Od. Sowing Is. Kolhng Is ... 17 6 



Harvesting by contract, and reaping, binding, 



stocking and stacking ... ... 13 G 



Cost per acre producing crop in stack 31 



At 31s per acre in stack the following yield would be; — 

 25 bushels. 30 bushels. 40 bushels 



Is 3d 1-Oid 9i 



To this add cost of threshiug 3Jd and cost of 

 cartage and railage to market, say Port of 

 Bluff 5d = ... ... ... 8i 



To aver.age of 30 bushels at Is 9d cost to pro- 

 duce at port... ... ... ... 2 12 6 



Average cost of landing in Loudou 2s 3d ... 3 7 6 



6 



7 10 



30 bushels at 10s per qr. in Loudou 



Profit 30s per acre =£2,070 to this add profit 

 on turnips... ... .£tiO0 1 3 



2,079 1 3 



I believe the average yield of wheat in Southlaud county 

 will exceed 30 buslielspcr acre. ISSl's statistics, which is 

 the first season of county statistics, give an average of 

 3tiJ bushels, while the average price of N. Z. wheat in 

 London during the last 5 years will be about 45s. Taking 

 these figures as a guiile the return would be much larger. 



Oats are a cereal which thrive exceedingly weU in South- 

 land in nearly every part of it, and under certain cir- 

 cumstances it may be grown with profit, equal to average 

 crops of wheat ; although low in price at present, I do 

 not advise their being disreg.ardcd. From GO to 100 bushels 

 being grovm in many instances per acre reckoned at 2s as 

 an average at port give £6 to £10 per aero; on his choice 

 of acropthe farmer must use his own judgment to suit the 

 laud, prospect of market which is ever varying, and his 

 style of farming. As a grazier the writer has found it pro- 

 fitable to consume a quantity of o.ats on the farm for winter 

 or spring, good tor stock in shape of chaff and hay. 



At this stage the land may either be cropped with oats 

 or with turnips or sown down with artificial gra.sses with a 

 spriukhng of rape or turnip. Thislatter brings the land to 

 the resting stage, and to do this the following expense will 

 he incurred ; — 



Ploughing 6s 6d, h.arrowing 2s Gd, 



.sowing Gd, rolling Is ... 10s 6d 



