WHEAT IN THE UNITED STATES 251 



Texas, Colorado, and New Mexico, where yields of 

 30 to 45 bushels per acre are often reported. 



Much export wheat is produced. This region is 

 favorably situated to take advantage of the 

 Gulf of Mexico route to European markets and 

 thus lessen railway transportation. This makes 

 a great difference in freight rates. Galveston and 

 New Orleans are the principal export centers for 

 this region. (See Chapter VIII for comparative 

 freight rates from United States to European 

 markets.) 



Land is generally low-priced in proportion to its 

 producing capacity. This, together with easy 

 tillage, has made the cost of production per bushel 

 relatively low. While the farm prices for the 

 wheat are not so great as they are to the east, 

 there is generally sufficient margin between cost 

 of production and the market price to make this 

 a very prosperous wheat growing region. 



The Northwest Central Plains Wheat Region. - 

 The area between the Mississippi River and the 

 Rocky Mountains which lies north of the fortieth 

 parallel is included under the above head. In this 

 region wheat is an important crop in every state. 



In general the summers are hot, and the winters 

 are quite cold. Because of the cold, open winters 

 which prevail, winter wheat can be grown success- 

 fully only in the southern and western parts of 

 the area. The rainfall, which varies from 15 to 35 



