gig THE BOOK OF WHEAT 



now averages about 75,000,000 bushels annually. Wheat is 

 one of the chief crops of New Zealand, and is exported. 



Miscellaneous Countries. The two other South American 

 countries besides Argentina which produce a surplus of wheat 

 are Chile and Uruguay. Wheat is the leading agricultural prod- 

 uct of Chile which exported grain to California and Australia 

 in the early years. Its export wheat now goes chiefly to Peru, 

 Ecuador and the United Kingdom. The exports of Uruguay go 

 to Brazil and Europe. Some wheat is grown in southern Bra- 

 zil. The production of wheat in Mexico is steadily increasing, 

 but it is insufficient for domestic needs. The per capita produc- 

 tion of wheat in France is large, and about one-seventh of the 

 agricultural territory is devoted to this industry. By reason 

 of the liberal encouragement given by the government, and on 

 account of the conservatism of the French peasantry, the area 

 and production of wheat in France has been practically uni- 

 form for over a quarter of a century. Excepting Russia, 

 France produces more wheat than any other European country. 

 Austria-Hungary ranks next, and then come Italy and Ger- 

 many. The latter country stands next to England in wheat 

 imports. Roumania and the Netherlands each export over 25,- 

 000,000 bushels of wheat annually, and Belgium exports about 

 half of this amount. 



In the tine of the Pharaohs and in the time of Rome's great- 

 ness, Egypt was the most important commercial wheat center 

 of the world. It is estimated that Egypt annually furnished 

 20,000,000 bushels of wheat to Rome. Ancient Mauritania and 

 Numidia, the present Algeria and Tunis, were also long the 

 granaries of the Eternal City. Although wheat is still exported 

 from Northern Africa, it does not form the principal crop. Most 

 of the wheat produced is of the durum varieties, and its chief 

 commercial use is for the manufacture of macaroni. Wheat 

 thrives well in parts of southern Africa, and several million 

 bushels are annually produced. 



The World Production and Movement of Wheat. Ever since 

 the time of Malthus there have been periodical predictions of a 

 scarcity of food supply for mankind. Less than a decade ago 

 Sir William Crookes, President of the British Association for 

 the Advancement of Science, predicted that a serious shortage 



