Crawrord.—Growth of Cereals in New Zealand. 151 
Can we in the climate of New Zealand grow a crop of some plant of the 
bean tribe, after the grain crop has been harvested, so as to be ready to be 
ploughed in before the next year’s grain crop is sown? If we can do this, 
then, with a supply of phosphate of lime and of potash when required, we 
might grow wheat every year. I think this might be done in the North 
Island, but as regards the wheat-growing districts of the South, it may be 
doubtful. However, I suppose the plan would be to grow and plough in a 
bean crop whenever it should be thought necessary, if a crop of turnips, or 
vetches, fed off by sheep, should not be found equally satisfactory. 
The main point, however, is the supply of phosphate of lime. Asa 
rule, the soils of the colony are deficient in this mineral, and every effort of 
the farmer should go to increase it in quantity. As the best supply of 
nitrogen would be derived from Peruvian guano, so probably the readiest 
supply of phosphate of lime would be from the phosphatic guanos. But we 
have a grand supply of phosphate of lime within the colony without going 
abroad to look for it. We have over 12,000,000 sheep, and a corresponding 
number of great cattle. We have a large supply of bones every year, much 
of which is exported. Not a pound of bones ought to leave new Zealand, 
but, on the contrary, they should be imported from Australia or elsewhere. 
We have plenty of sulphur. The manufacture of sulphuric acid should be 
commenced. Bones treated with sulphuric acid in a state of readiness for 
use, and other manures, such as nitrate of soda, can be manufactured when 
sulphuric acid is procurable. A country which contains a liberal supply of 
sulphur, and in which the inhabitants are intelligent enough to understand 
the uses of sulphuric acid, is placed at an immense advantage over countries 
deficient in this mineral. Both in agriculture and in manufacture the uses 
of sulphuric acid are manifold, and perhaps it is only second to coal in 
productive economy. How much more is the presence of sulphur a God- 
send in a country so remote from the rest of the world as is New Zea- 
land, because sulphuric acid is a dangerous commodity to send by sea, 
and in consequence, when brought from Europe, is very expensive. 
It is to be hoped, therefore, that the manufacture of sulphuric acid 
within the colony may be soon commenced, and then the farmers may be 
supplied with a liberal quantity of superphosphates. 
An excellent example of the use of supplying phosphate of lime may be 
seen in the treatment of the clay soils near Auckland. These soils appear 
to be in their natural state entirely devoid of this mineral, and are in con- 
sequence extremely sterile. A liberal dose of crushed bones makes them 
productive, and without this supply their cultivation is useless, as they will 
give no returns, 
