and their Development. 145 



than doubles the price of the article. And even in England,, 

 the price of corn in a short time has fluctuated to 200 per 

 cent, advance." But we can easily see what monopolies of 

 dealers there would be in this colony, and what panics, well 

 fed as we are now used to be, if such fluctuations in the price 

 of breadstuff's ever take place here, in conjunction with depre- 

 ciation in the value of our raAv materials, and a heavy rise in 

 the price of manufactured articles, how deplorable will be the 

 condition of half the people of this colony. 



I have now to direct your attention to our importations of 

 wheat, flour, oats, malt, maize, and gram, and shall mention 

 how much these articles cost us in the year 1858. 



In that year we consumed 75,000 tons of flour ; and of this 

 quantity we imported 31,000 tons (25,000 tons of this came 

 to us as flour ready milled, and 6,000 tons of it came as wheat, 

 which we ground into flour) ; and for these 31,000 tons of 

 imported grain we paid £600,000. The greater part of this 

 flour came from Adelaide and Tasmania. Now, if the Adelaide 

 and Tasmanian people can afford to ship their flour here, with 

 all the heavy expenses attendant thereon, we ourselves ought 

 to be able to raise it at a considerable profit ; and our farmers 

 do seem to be getting into a knowledge of this, for whereas 

 there were only 13,000 acres of land under wheat in 1854, 

 there were 87,000 acres under wheat in 1858 — that is, about 

 seven times the quantity ; and if we found it worth while 

 to raise 41,000 tons of flour, why not raise the 31,000 addi- 

 tional tons required, and which were imported ? 



As to oats, in 1858, we imported one and three quarters 

 millions of bushels, at a cost of £530,000 ; and yet we raised 

 in the colony £420,000 worth, or one and a quarter millions 

 of bushels — that is, we raised nearly as much oats as we im- 

 ported. But we might as readily have pocketed the additional 

 £530,000 we paid away. 



In the case of barley, in 1858 we produced 157,000 bushels, 

 worth about £33,000 ; and we imported 122,000 bushels, at a 

 cost of about £26,000. Now, barley is a grain which comes 

 to perfection in the greatest variety of climates, and is, con- 

 sequently, found over the greatest extent of the civilised 

 globe ; it bears the heat and drought of the tropics, and ripens 

 at the torrid zone. There is, I believe, actually a strong 

 prejudice against the raising of this grain in Victoria, which 

 is a great misfortune ; for barley is better suited to Victoria 

 than, perhaps, any other grain. If sown at the proper time it 

 is not affected by the hot winds. It is admirably adapted for 



