76 WHEAT PRODUCTION IN NEW ZEALAND 



It will thus be seen that although New Zealand has 

 been growing wheat for some forty years on a fairly 

 large scale, she has not yet passed out of the experimental 

 stage, and there is great lack of agreement among pro- 

 ducers as to which wheat is the most profitable. Certain 

 tendencies, however, are worthy of note. 



(e) Comparative Production of these Varieties. Until 

 comparatively recently Pearl was by far the most com- 

 mon wheat grown over the whole of the producing area. 

 It is still produced in large quantities, but has been 

 superseded first by Hunter 's, which is grown to a large 

 extent in North Canterbury, and secondly, by Tuscan 

 varieties, which enjoy the most general production. 



South Canterbury is the home of this variety, while 

 it is grown in large quantities in most other parts of the 

 area. The steady increase in the production of Tuscan 

 is likely to be maintained for some time yet, while, 

 especially in South Canterbury, the other varieties 

 Pearl and Hunter's will be produced in slightly 

 decreased quantities. 



But the fine milling qualities of these, especially of 

 the former, will be sufficient to cause them to be pro- 

 duced very largely, unless the future brings forth better 

 varieties. 



A great many experiments have been made, and 

 continue to be made, not only on the Government Experi 

 mental Farms, but also on many private farms. A 

 great many varieties have been tried, but, with the 

 exception of the three above mentioned, none of these 

 is produced on anything approaching a large scale. 

 Among these a comparatively new variety, ' l Federation, ' ' 

 grown on a considerable scale in North Canterbury, seems 

 to be most promising, but it is not known yet whether it 

 will yield sufficiently to make its production profitable. 



