Coming down to practical considerations, different 

 factors to be taken into account by the prospective 

 wheat farmer are dealt with in the following 

 paragraphs. 



TOPOGRAPHY. The land should be fairly level or gently rolling, 



to facilitate the use of machinery. The cost of pro- 

 duction, and consequently the nett return received, 

 being materially influenced by the extent to which 

 modem machinery can be used, close attention should 

 be given to this point. 



RAINFALL. A rainfall of not less than 30 inches, properly 



distributed to facilitate seeding and harvesting, is 

 generally considered necessary to successful crops. 

 This is not difficult to find in those parts of the High- 

 lands where wheat is grown, so that the farmer has 

 little to fear on this score. 



ALTITUDE. So far very little wheat has been grown on lands 



lying below 6,500 feet. Up to now it appears to do 

 best at about 7,000, but it is claimed to do well at 

 altitudes as low as 5,000 feet, and the area of produc- 

 tion is steadily spreading to districts which a few 

 years ago were not considered suitable for wheat. 



SOIL. 



The soil should be of a loamy nature with good 

 drainage, so that machinery can be handled to the 

 best advantage, and with a goodly amount of humus 

 to hold moisture and be warm enough to equalize the 

 temperature between day and night, for the wheat to 

 make the best growth. There should be enough 

 available plant food in the soil to readily effect full 

 plant and seed development, but a surplus of 'avail- 

 able' plant food may cause too much growth for the 

 crop to be handled with greatest profit. A good 

 store of the necessary plant foods is, however, 

 necessary, even with proper rotations and green 

 manuring, as present freights prevent the profitable 

 importation of lime or phosphates for dressing the 

 soil. A soil that is easily workable and still contains 

 the essential fertility will prove more profitable than 

 one of a hard unwieldy texture. 



TRANSPORT. Distance from the railway is one of the import- 



ant factors in this country at present. It is reckoned 

 that for every 15 miles beyond 10 from the railway 



tiS 



