president's address — SECTION G2. 



513 



also in the number of our live stock, as will be seen from the following 

 table :— 



Table of Production. — I. 



From these tables it is seen that it took 70 years to bring under 

 wheat cultivation 643,983 acres. The next 20 years brought about 

 a very great expansion — the area under this crop rising to 3,054,305 

 acres, working out at an average annual increase of 120,516 acres. 

 During the next period of 20 years the area rises to 5,666,614 acres 

 — the average annual increase working out at 130,615 acres, a 

 better record even than that of the previous 20 years. It is notice- 

 able, too, that this increase was greatest during the last 10 years 

 of the century. In New South Wales the area under this cereal 

 rose from 333,233 acres in 1890 to 1,530,609 acres in 1900— an 

 extraordinary extension in this State's wheat area. In 1904-5 the 

 Commonwealth reached its maximum area, when 6,269,778 acres 

 were under this crop, giving a total yield of 54,535,582 bushels — 

 an average yield of 8"7 bushels. The previous season, however, 

 gave, I think, the record yield of 74,149,634 bushels from an area of 

 703,338 acres less, and giving an average of 13 32 bushels — the 



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