io8 THE WHEAT INDUSTRY 



implements are crude and each man is able to 

 produce only a small quantity. Under these 

 conditions he would find a large field useless. A 

 marked contrast is this condition with that of 

 Kansas, the Dakotas, or Canada. There, railroad 

 transportation is well developed, modern imple- 

 ments are used, each man is able to produce 

 abundantly, and large farms are the rule. The 

 great bulk of the wheat of commerce comes from 

 countries in which regions of large farms abound. 

 These are found in Russia, Argentina, Australia, 

 Canada, and the United States. In these coun- 

 tries the per capita production is high and the 

 local population does not use all the wheat pro- 

 duced. A surplus, therefore, available for export 

 purposes is the result. Wheat is likewise a favor- 

 ite crop in newly settled regions because it gives 

 large yields and quick returns. In new regions 

 the price per bushel is lower than near the great 

 markets, but the low price of the land more than 

 offsets this disadvantage. 



The average area of wheat on the farms in the 

 United States is reported by the Thirteenth Cen- 

 sus as being 30.3 acres. That different sections 

 vary greatly from this average is shown by the 

 fact that the average wheat acreage per farm in 

 Massachusetts is 1.3; in New York, 8.4; in 

 Nebraska, 41.4; in North Dakota, 137.9; and 

 in Washington, 152.8 acres. 



