296 Journal of the Department of Agriculture, 



The World's Wheat Crop of 1919-20. 



The latest International Crop Report from Rome (March, 1920) 

 shows that the wheat crop of 1919-20 in the Southern Hemisphere is 

 estimated to be 3 per cent, less than the previous season, and about 

 the same shortag"e compared with the average crop of the previous five 

 seasons. The severe droug-ht which visited Australia is reflected in 

 the fact that the wheat crop there was about 46 per cent, less than in 

 1918-19 and 62 per cent, less than the averapfe (-rop of the prior five 

 seasons. The situation was saved, however, by a crop in Arg-entina 

 far above the average. 16 per cent, more wheat being obtained than in 

 1918-19, and 43 per cent, more than tlie average crop of the five years 

 1913-14 to 1917-18. The 1919-20 Argentina crop is estimated at 

 58,280,000 quintals (220 lb.) and the Australian one 11,975,000 quin 

 tals. The Union's crop Mas estimated at 1,804,400 quintals. 



The vast bulk of tlie world's wheat is produced in the Northern 

 Hemisphere, and, basing calculations on the statistics published liy 

 the International Institute of Agriculture for tbe five wheat seasons 

 of 1913-14 to 1917-18, the total annual crop of the world may be placed 

 approximately as follows: — 



Northern Hemisphere 1 .010,000,000 quintals. 



Southern Hemisphere 83,000,000 



World's total ... 1,093,000,000 .. (220 lb.) 



The world's wheat croj) of 1919-20 is estimated to be about 3.5 

 per cent, smaller than tbe above average crop and 6.2 per cent, less 

 than the crop of 1918-19. 



The Great Advance in Wool Prices. 



The breeding of wooUed sheep is the oldest and most important 

 of the Union's agricultural and pastoral industries, and the 

 unprecedented prices obtained during the past year, due chiefly to 

 conditions set up by the war. will mark an epoch in the history of 

 the industry in South Africa. 



A review of the trend of prices between 1913 and 1919 at the 

 four principal wool exporting ports, Durban, Port Elizabeth, Mossel 

 Baj'-, and East London, shows that there was little difference in the 

 average prices obtained at tliese markets. In each of the four 

 centres the price of wool gradually advanced from 1913 to September, 

 1919, and then between September and December jumped 100 per 

 cent. In Durban the average price advanced from 7d. in 

 1913 to 30d. in September, 1919. In Port Elizabeth the advance 

 was 7fd. to 22d.; in East London and also Mossel Bay from 7id. to 

 28d. Then, on to December, 1919, the price of wool throughotlt 

 the Um'on beat all previous records. For some clips extra- 

 ordinarily high pi-ices were obtained ; in Durban 60d. per lb. was. 

 touched, in Port Elizabeth 85§d. (the Union's record — for a clip of 

 Mr. J. S. Minnaar), in East London 76d., and in Mossel Bay 64^d., 

 the average during these months being about 45d. per lb. 



