232 president's address — section g (ii.). 



the herbivora been well represented in the past, they would have 

 destroyed the young trees, and at the same time have concentrated 

 the plant food. The existence of dense forests proves that Victoria 

 contains no barren land, for soil that will produce such trees will most 

 assuredly produce a bounteous harvest when its forces are controlled 

 by the intelligence of man. 



With regard to the relatively large amounts of potash and lime in 

 the northern soils in Victoria, these substances have been shown to 

 have a very important influence in a number of ways. First of all 

 they favor the growth of micro-organisms in the surface soil, and in 

 this way lead to the rapid oxidisation of organic matter, and the con- 

 sequent formation of humus. They have, therefore, a direct effect in 

 rendering both the nitrogen and phosphoric acid more readily available 

 for the plants. A soil well supplied with humus is in the best possible 

 condition for maintaining a proper amount of moisture in readily 

 available form in its superficial layers, and hence it follows that soils 

 well supplied with lime ai\d potash are, in proportion to their rainfall, 

 in a good position to have practically the whole of the moisture available 

 for the plants. In the coastal districts, where the rainfall is heavier, 

 and consequently the amount of soluble material which is washed away 

 in the course of each year is considerably greater, we find that the 

 amounts of both phosphoric 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 pro- 

 fitably 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 yields. 



MARKETS AVAILABLE FOR AUSTRALIAN PRODUCE. 



Turning next to the question of the disposal of the agricultural 

 products raised in Australia, several points challenge attention. The 

 first is that during the last half- century there has been a steady increase 

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

 population of most civilised 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 products, are steadily dis- 

 placing less nutritious articles of food all the world over. While the 

 demand for agricultural products, such as those which form the staple 

 industries of Australia, is likely to increase, we 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 



