ioDec. 1909.] Devi'lopniciit of Agi icultural Production. 



777 



as soon as ever it begins to grow. The advantages of increased cultivation 

 therefore seem to me to be undeniable. The only question is — Will it pay ? 



The two grain crops which have to be considered in regard to the area in 

 question are wheat and barley. These two cereals must be placed on the 

 market in the form of grain. As far as the Commonwealth is concerned, there 

 appears to be every prospect of a payable market for barley for many years to 

 come. The constant complaints which are heard from farmers about the un- 

 satisfactory price which each individual receives for his malting barle}' when 

 compared with tlie daily quotations in the papers is one reason why this crop 

 is not looked upon with favour. In addition to this there is the social phase 

 of the question — that the consumption of malted liquors in the Common- 

 wealth in proportion to the population is, to say the least of it, not increas- 

 ing. Malting barley thei^efore may be left out of the question in considering 

 an area which runs into millions of acres, and we are thrown back on wheat. 

 Here, however, T hold we are on solid ground. The prospects of the wheat 

 market of the world are as good now as ever they were, probably better than 

 they have been for the last generation ; while the heaviest crops of wheat 

 produced in any part of the world are produced in countries where the 

 rainfall ranges from 25 to 30 inches. Practically all the wheat grown in 

 Victoria up to the present is produced in areas where the rainfall is less than 

 20 inches. This question requires to be taken up in detail. The wheat 

 yield of the world for the last six years is as under : — 



Wheat Yield ix Millions of Bushels. 



Two things at once strike us from this table. The first is that the wheat 

 yield of the world shows no substantial increase during the last six years ; 

 and the second is that the Victorian yield looks a little ridiculous when 

 placed side by side with its big neighbours. While the wheat yield of the 

 world is not expanding, the whole trend of the evidence goes to show that 

 the demand for wheat is steadily increasing, and that nation after nation 

 finds that wheaten bread is the "stafi" of life." As civilization advances, the 

 demand for this cereal is certain rapidly to increase. The highest wheat 

 yields in any country in the world are secured in the United Kingdom and 

 in France, and these are the two wheat-growing countries which enjoy the 

 heaviest rainfall. Of rust and smut, the two chief scourges of the wheat 

 crop, the one is to a very large extent, and the other completely, under 

 control. 



The future of Victoria as far as wheat is concerned is therefore assured, 

 but wheat cannot be grown by itself as a continuous crop. For a .series of 

 years it must form part of a definite rotation. Even under the most careful 

 .system of fallowing, in a few years the wheat becomes seriously handicapped 

 bv the quantity of wild oats that make their appearance in the crop. 

 Naturally, therefore, oats are to be taken as the second crop of the rotation. 

 In a dry district the oats should be succeeded by a year or two grazing, and 



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