240 ON THE AGBICULTUKAL STATISTICS OF N. S. W-, 



In the first quinquennial period we imported 36'0 per cent., 

 and we produced 64-0 per cent, of the wheat and flour provided 

 for consumption. In the second quinquennial period we imported 

 44*0 per cent., and produced 56'0 per cent. 



In the first five years the average acreage sown in wheat was 

 49 '4 per cent, of the land under tillage. In the second five years 

 it was 41*4 per cent, only a falling off of 8 per cent. And here 

 I should like to point attention to the remarkable decrease in 

 wheat cultivation, and to the corresponding increase in the 

 cultivation of maize, which is observable in the years 1862 and 

 1863. You will observe in table 3 that whilst in 1860 we had 49 

 per cent, of our cultivated land under wheat, and 19 per cent, 

 only in maize, in 1863 we had 33 per cent, only under wheat, 

 and 31 per cent, in maize. 



There is another striking feature in the table of produce which 

 goes to prove the greater certainty attending the cultivation of 

 maize. It will be seen that the years fraught with disaster to 

 the wheat crop, were rather favourable to the growth of maize, 

 for in 1862, we had 33J bushels of maize per acre, and only 9 \ 

 of wheat ; and in 1863, we had 30J bushels of maize to only 7J 

 of wheat. 



The expediency of substituting maize-flour for wheaten-flour 

 or, rather, of using the two together is a question of deep 

 moment. It involves a saving to the country of something like 

 300,000 a-year; and Mr. Mort has placed us under great 

 obligations for having brought the matter so prominently before 

 the public, and for setting so good an example. No other colony 

 can compete with us in growing maize, whilst all (excepting 

 Queensland) can beafrus in the growth of wheat. 



But I must not dilate at greater length on this topic. The 

 paper is already longer than I intended, and yet there is one 

 practical conclusion at which I should like to arrive before 

 closing my remarks. It is to determine from the data before 

 us, what remuneration the agriculturist may expect, on the 

 average of years, for his labour and expenditure in the cultiva- 

 tion of wheat. 



We have seen that the average yield of the five years 1854 

 to 1858 was fifteen bushels per acre, and that the average price 



