CEREALS 45 



It is to be noted that the Australian harvest is reaped 

 between November and January. Thus the figures for, 

 say, 1912-13. give the harvest from November, 1912, to 

 January, 1913, and represent the grain available for 1913. 



The possible extension of the area under wheat, and 

 the increase of production from the present 103,000,000 

 bushels for the Commonwealth to about 550,000,000 

 bushels for the four principal wheat States will be found 

 to be a low estimate when the data on which it is based 

 are examined more closely. 



The assumptions are : 



(1) That wheat cannot be grown profitably with less 

 than 10 in. of rain during the period of growth. 



(2) That the proportion of land suitable to or available 

 for wheat production is about one-quarter of the total 

 area within this isohyetal. 



(3) That the average yields per acre for the past six 

 years will be maintained. 



(4) That only four States take part in this expansion. 

 With regard to (i), it may quite reasonably be expected 



that improved methods of cultivation and improvements in 

 drought-resisting wheats may make it possible to extend 

 the area of profitable wheat growing into even drier 

 districts than are now considered safe. In addition, there 

 is the possibility of growing wheat in the dry areas under 

 irrigation, a subject that is now being pushed forward 

 energetically in all the States. 



A very considerable change has taken place within the 

 last few years in our ideas as to what constitutes a safe 

 rainfall for wheat growing. 



In 1904 the late Government Statistician for New" South 

 Wales (Sir T. A. Coghlan, now Agent-General for New 

 South Wales in London) placed on the map a "wheat- 

 experience line " which defined the extreme western 

 boundary of profitable wheat growing at the time. Since 

 that time, however, the causes mentioned above im- 

 proved methods of cultivation and improved wheats 

 have caused this line to be extended westwards to such 

 an extent that the present Government Statistician (Mr. 

 J. B. Trivett) has been able to put a new wheat-experience 

 line on a map issued by him in 1912, showing the inclusion 



