1 1 4 THE WHEAT INDUSTRY 



Austria-Hungary 19.9 bushels 



United States 14.3 



Russia 10.0 



The reasons for the relatively low yields re- 

 ported by the United States and Russia are, - - (i) 

 extensive rather than intensive cultivation, (2) 

 continuous wheat cropping, (3) small amount of 

 fertilizers used, and (4) large acreage grown where 

 climatic conditions are not favorable for heavy 

 yields. The last reason is often overlooked. Its 

 importance, however, cannot be questioned. Re- 

 gions of somewhat scanty rainfall may produce 

 only moderate yields yet be more profitably de- 

 voted to wheat than to other crops. Population 

 in such places is scattered, fields large, and land 

 low-priced. 



The differences in yield per acre in the wheat 

 countries of the world are very similar to those of 

 different sections of the United States. Kansas 

 and North Dakota are the two states leading in 

 total production, but they are far down the scale 

 in yield per acre. In 1913, a year of very high 

 wheat production, the yield per acre in Kansas 

 averaged only 13 bushels, in North Dakota 10.5 

 bushels, while Maine reported an average of 25.5 

 bushels per acre. Yet no one would question that 

 wheat is a very profitable crop in the first named 

 states. Although low yields may be profitable in 

 some places, higher yields are desirable and so there 



