June 2, 1908.] Agricultural Gazette of N.S. W. .453 



of flour of cxcflleiJt colour and lilooiii, UuT also hecause without blrii<ling 

 with othei' wheats tliev will yiehl a "sti'onjx " flour, and one from which 

 bakers will lie ai)lc to make a larsie, well-risen, nutritious loaf, of <iood 

 colour. 



What the Future has in Store. 



The jii(i.>i)eets of the wheat-yrowiny industry are exceedingly Ijright. 

 It is capable of very wide expansion. Within what is known to be the 

 area in which wheat-growing can be carried on with safety, a great pro- 

 portion of the immense areas now devoted to jiastoral purposes consists 

 of land which could be profitably utilised for agriculture, much of it being 

 more suitable for wheat than that ali-eady devoted to its cultivation. In 

 this " safe " area, it is estimated that there are between 2(), 000,000 and 

 25,000,000 acres suitable for wheat-growing, and less than 2,. "300, 000 

 acres are now under this crop. In addition to the "safe" area, the 

 experimental work ilone by tlie Department of Agriculture plainly 

 indicates that new niethoijs and new varieties will render wheat -growing 

 possible and profitable in districts now considered to be too dry for it, 

 thus adding considerably to the area available for the cultivation of wheat. 



The Government, recognising that in many districts any large increase 

 in area under crop can only be brouglit about through close settlement 

 and the construction of light lines of railways, are pursuing a vigorous 

 closer settlement policy. New lines of railway to. t^^p the districts con- 

 taining arable land are being constructed, aiid other lines are being 

 considered. 



There is conclusive evidence that wheat-growing has proved and is still 

 proving highly remunerative to those engaged in it, and as the naturally 

 rough-and-ready methods of the pioneers give place to better and more 

 advanced ones, it is not tin reason al)le to expect that it will prove still 

 more profitable. The early settlers started with little or no capital, little 

 practical knowledge, and no experience to guide them : now tliere is the 

 experience of a centur}- to guide the present farmers, and, in addition, 

 the work of the Agricultural Department is yearly adding to the informa- 

 tion already obtained regarding the most suitable and profitable methods 

 of cultivation. A branch of it is also breeding new wheats especially 

 suitable for Australian conditions and methods. 



With a plentiful supply of suitable land still availal)le, with more 

 accurate information relating to tlie principles underlying wheat cultiva- 

 tion, with better methods of cultivation and handling, with better wheats, 

 there must be and there are immense future possibilities before the wheat- 

 growing industry in New Soutli Wales. 



