THE WHEAT COUNTRIES 207 



ditions of soils, climates, and peoples, hence 

 methods of producing and handling the crop 

 are greatly varied. Since the discussion of wheat 

 production has been based largely on the methods 

 practiced in our own country, the contrast will 

 be more vivid if we begin with the wheat regions 

 which are far from the United States. For our 

 first studies we have selected the countries of the 

 southern hemisphere. These will be followed by 

 those of North America, Asia, and Europe in the 

 order named. 



WHEAT IN AUSTRALIA 



Australia. Location and Extent. In a position 

 on the globe almost directly opposite that of 

 the United States, lies Australia, which may 

 be called either the largest island or the small- 

 est continent. Until commerce became important, 

 it was almost completely isolated from all other 

 lands. Its native plant and animal life is char- 

 acterized by forms which are found on no other 

 continent. Its geographical position is stated 

 as latitude 10 39' to 39 n' south and longi- 

 tude 113 to 135 east. Its approximate length, 

 east and west, is 2200 miles and its breadth, 

 north and south, 1300 miles. Although it has an 

 area nearly equal to that of the United States 

 proper, its population is only one eighteenth as 

 great. Its importance in the wheat industry is 



