'576 peesidbnt's address. — section g". 



the whole nation is. Will this condition of things necessarily always 

 remain 1 Allowing for the disadvantages of climate and of land laws, 

 the British Isles possess many advantages for farming not enjoyed 

 by less favoured countries of much greater area ; and many persons 

 who have studied the subject are convinced that the 20th century 

 will see a considerable reversion to agriculture in the United Kingdom. 



Mr. Parker, of the Minnesota Experiment Station, in dealing 

 with the question of future Avheat supply, combats the opinion that 

 wheat is only a pioneer crop. Even if it be, there are still vast 

 areas to be pioneered ; but the world is not so dependent on the pioneer 

 lands for wheat. In America, he says, not a few of the oldest States 

 are producing more wheat to-day than they did 40 years ago, and 

 that as soon as the virgin lands of the West cease yielding spring 

 wheat they will follow the example of the older States and maintain 

 their yields by taking to the less exhausting winter wheats. 



All these considerations suggest to the Australian that, while we 

 should make the most of outside markets, the ultimate destiny of our 

 comitry is — -like America — to supply the needs of a big population 

 within our own borders, and henceforth all our efforts should be 

 directed towards the establishment of this social condition. 



The following is a list of some of the principal items of food 

 imported annually into the United Kingdom, and alongside it, for 

 purposes of comparison, are given the quantities of similar produce 

 exported from the Commonwealth to all places : — - 



An estimate of the world's wheat harvest for this season, published 

 by the* Hungarian Agricultural Ministry, gives the crop as 

 3,128,720,000 bushels. On the 25th August an estimate in " Dorn- 

 busch's List" placed the quantity at 3,090,000,000 bushels. We may 

 fairly assume that it will not be less than 3,000,000,000 bushels. 



The Australian Commonwealth will produce about the fiftieth 

 part of this. 



