WHEAT, BARLEY 21 



bearing winds and produce excellent wheat, but though the 

 yield per acre is high, New Zealand does not at present produce 

 enough grain for any considerable export. 



Cyprus suffers from uncertain rainfall, but on her central 

 lowlands produces wheat in sufficient quantity for export. 1 



SUMMARY. In the year before the war Britain grew not 

 much more than one-fifth of the wheat she needed. 



Of her imports about one-half 2 were from foreign countries, 

 chiefly from the United States and the Argentine Republic, 

 though a considerable quantity came from Russia. 3 



Of countries within the empire, Canada, British India, and 

 Australia sent her the largest supplies. 4 



' In foreign countries, both European and extra-European, 

 the increase of the wheat area is proceeding at practically the 

 same rate as the increase of population ; in the British Empire 

 the wheat area is developing far more rapidly, so that the 

 Empire as a whole is becoming more self-supporting.' 5 



It has been estimated that the amount of wheat actually 

 produced within the empire is sufficient to supply the needs 

 of the empire to the extent of over 95 per cent., but at present 

 much of this produce is sold to foreign countries. 



BARLEY (Hordeum vulgare) . Few things in nature are more 

 beautiful than a field of ripening barley swaying gently in the 

 summer sunshine. It is a plant closely resembling wheat in 

 its growth, but its spikes, instead of standing erect, droop 

 downwards, and it always has one leaf close to its spike. 



1 The production of wheat in the empire during the five years (1909-13) 

 averaged about 705 million bushels a year, made up as follows : United 

 Kingdom, 59-6 million ; British India, 356-6 million ; Canada, 184-3 million ; 

 Australia, 90-5 million ; New Zealand, 6-9 million ; South Africa, 5 million ; 

 Cyprus, 2 million. 



2 During the war the amounts have varied ; in 1917 two-thirds of our 

 imports were from foreign countries, chiefly from the United States. 



3 In 1913 from the United States 34 million cwt. ; from the Argentine; 

 14 million ; from Russia, 5 million. 



4 In 1913 from Canada 21 million cwt. ; British India, 18 million ; 

 Australia, 10 million. 



5 ' The total production of wheat within the British Empire, which was 

 227,500,000 cwt. in 1901, had risen to 399.700,000 cwt. in 1911, an increase 

 of 75 per cent.' 



