Agriculture in NeW Zealand. 



491 



was also a small acreage of wheat sown for chafiing, ensilage, 

 or feeding down with stock, the total ultimately utilised for 

 these purposes (including the estimated 30,000 acres trans- 

 ferred from wheat originally intended to be threshed) being 

 32,214 acres. Of oats the total acreage for the same purposes 

 was much larger, amounting to 224,770 acres (^mostly for 

 chaffing). 



Under crops for which particulars of the yield are not 

 given the largest areas were as follows 



Crop, 



1897.8, 



1896.7, 



Ploughed. 



Not 

 Ploughed. 



Ploughed. 



Not 

 Ploughed. 





Acres. 



Acres. 



Acres. 



Acres. 



Grass, for feeding down 



3,992,779 



5,675,541 



4,130,082 



5,664,203 



hay only 



49,686 



15,117 



81,414 



25,087 



ensilage 



1,138 



459 



983 



228 



seed (cocksfoot and rye 









grass) 



42,551 



51,256 



50,187 



41,253 



Clover, for feeding down 



28,077 





33,226 





hay - - - - 



3,062 





2,965 





Turnips . . . . . 



393:451 





408,668 





Mangolds - - - 



9,353 





7,755 





Rape ------ 



77,131 





63,607 





Orchards (| acre and over) - 



22,123 





21,930 





In addition, there were also some twenty-two million acres 

 under tussock or native grasses; while there were a few 

 thousand acres under grasses or clovers for purposes other 

 than those enumerated in the table. 



The number of live stock in the colony was as follows, the 

 figures also referring to the 15 th November, except in the 

 case of sheep, which are returned as on the 30th April : — 



Year. 



Horses. 



Cattle. 



Sheep. 



Swine. 





No. 



No. 



No. 



No.. 



1897-8 - 



253,227 



1,209,165 



19,687,954 



186,027 



1896-7 - 



250,247 



1,138,067 



19,138,493 



209,834 



The increase in cattle is chiefly among cows or heifers for 

 dairy purposes, and in steers and heifers under two years 

 old. Of the sheep rather more than three million were 



