40 



Belgium, 26 ; England 19 ; Canada 13 ; United States 

 11; Australia 9; Spain 8; Argentina 7) . 



Regarding the reputed favourable climatic condi- 

 tions we have the "undisputed fact that statistics regis- 

 ter greater variations of temperature in the United 

 States than anywhere else in the world; droughts, cyclo- 

 nes, storms, snows, etc.. such, at any rate, as are un- 

 recorded in this land. 



If in "natural advantages' ' are included the facility 

 of disposing rapidly and cheaply of the*products of the 

 land, then as" I have remarked previously, in the case of 

 the U. States these were none too evident, for nowhere 

 in the world was such a small farming population spread 

 over such a vast tract of land. The early farmers were 

 without moderir^means of transport, and without a single 

 consumer in the vicinity. Yet in these immense prairies 

 the first steps were made towards unlimited production 

 for universal consumption. 



In overcoming the natural disadvantages, the Amer- 

 ican farmers liave proved their vast superiority. These 

 tremendous difficulties had to be overcome, and they 

 were admirably surmounted. 



I will not dwell on the remarkable inventive capa- 

 city of- the North American, who produced the useful 

 and labour saving devices which, now universal, had 

 their conception and origin in the abnormal difficulties 

 of the United States grain situation. To overcome these 

 difficulties, the reapers, self binders, etc., etc., were in- 

 vented. 



In comparison to the United States and Canada, 

 wheat growers in the rest of the world, whether Austra- 

 lia, New Zealand, India, or Russia, had relatively few 

 difficulties to overcome, and Argentina had fewer diffi- 

 culties to surmount than any. 



What then has permitted the North American farm- 

 er to attain such* prosperity, to increase his production 

 from 100 million bushels of wheat in 1850 to 900 million 

 in 1914, to cultivate maize to the extent of 3,000 million 

 bushels in 1914 against 590 million bushels in 1850, with- 

 out affecting the markets, without ruining himself by 

 over production (such as we are assured will be the re- 

 sults here though we have hardly attained the same 

 place as the North American half a century ago). 



. THE REGULARISING OF THE SUPPLY 

 ACCORDING TO THE DEMAND. 



If we are to credit North American rural apologists 



