134 Journal of Agriculture. [8 March, 1907.- 



material which is washed away in the course of each year is considerably 

 greater, we find that the amounts of both plhosphoric acid and potash are- 

 such that the addition of both these substances gives profitable results. 

 In addition to this the rainfall is sufficiently heavy to allow the plant to 

 make use profitably of a larger percentage of nitrogen in readily available 

 form, and hence it follows that the addition of nitrates or ammonia salts- 

 causes a large increase in the vields. 



Markets for Australian Produce. 

 Turning next to the question of the disposal of the agricultural pro- 

 ducts raised in Australia, several points challenge attention. The first 

 is that during the last half centurv there has been a steady increase in the 

 consumption per head of food stuffs by the great mass of the population of 

 most civilized countries. A trifling increase each year means an immense- 

 expansion in the total amount. While production has been advancing very 

 rapidly, consumption has been advancing at an accelerated rate, and what 

 has happened in the case of European communities will probably also- 

 follow in the case of the Eastern nations. It need hardly be pointed out 

 that a slight change in the dietary of these nations, which constitute one- 

 half the population of the earth, must have a profound influence on the- 

 demand for any given article of diet. Speaking broadly, I think there 

 is no doubt that wheat and wheat products, animal food and animal pro- 

 ducts, are steadily displacing less nutritious articles of food all the world 

 over. Wthile the demand for agricultural products, such as those which 

 form the staple industries of Australia, is likely to increase, w'e have only 

 to turn to the importations into Great Britain over a series of years tO' see 

 the market — practically unlimited in extent — which is open for us to- 

 exploit, and of which up to the present moment we have only touched one 

 or two lines. The fodlowing table shows the average value of importa- 

 tions into Great Britsiin in millions sterling during each of the last six 

 vears. The total amounts to ;^224,ooo,ooo. Of these items, Australia 

 contributes a large proportion of the wool, a fair amount of the hides, 

 horn, andtallow% and a small percentage of wheat, dead meat, butter, and 

 rabbits. Of the ^224,000,000, our annual contribution has averaged 



^/^20, 000.000. 



Value of Imtoktations into Great Britain in Millions Sterling. 

 (Average of last six years.) 



Wheat, Flour ... ... ... 38 Fruits and Vegetal )les ... ... 14 



Dead Meat ... ... ... 38 Live Animals for Food ... ... 10 



Butter, Cheese, Milk ... ... 31 ; Cattle and Horse Food ... ... 9 



Other Grains and Meal ... ... 25 j Hides, Horns, Tallow .. ... 6 



Sugar and Farinaceous Foods ... 25 1 Rabbits, Poultry, Eggs ... ... 4 



Wool ... ... ... ... 24 



I Total ... ... 224 



As will be seen a little later on, I look upon the steady extension of 

 the area of cultivated land as being essential for the continued expansion 

 of our agricultural industries. Wheat is the crop wj-iich lends itself most 

 favorably tO' Australian requirements and conditions. As will be seen 

 from the following table, Australian exports have onlv on one occasion 

 reached to per cent, of the total amount of wheat consumed in Great 

 Britain in nnv single year, and it is clear from the following tables that 

 every effort must be made to increase the wheat vield of Australia if we 

 are to make a substantial advance in this direction, especially in view of the 

 enormous strides that have been made in recent vears bv the Argentine- 



