2 WHEAT PRODUCTION IN NEW ZEALAND 
inexpensive, and is replacing to some extent those meat 
dishes which are becoming costly. Originating in 
Italy, its production is now practised extensively in 
the United States, where about 100,000,000 lbs. are 
made annually from home-grown Durum wheat, a 
quantity which supplies only about one-half the 
demand. Vermicelli is a kindred production which is 
becoming increasingly popular. A further important 
class of foods are the ‘‘ready to eat’’ or ‘‘breakfast’’ 
foods, which are manufactured in large quantities in 
the United States. 
In addition to these products the wheat industry 
furnishes many useful by-products, the chief of which 
are bran, middlings, and sharps, the demand for which 
is increasing as knowledge of their value as food for 
stock is becoming more widely spread. Lastly, wheat 
straw, the strongest of straws, is in general demand 
for a variety of uses in most countries. 
It is thus apparent that the products and by- 
products of the wheat industry are of far-reaching 
importance to mankind. Their utility is enhanced 
greatly by the variety of the methods of their con- 
sumption, and it is certain that no other product is of 
such, vital importance for the sustenance of life. 
Statistics of consumption show not only that the 
wheat product is consumed widely, but also that its 
consumption per head is often very high.* Moreover, 
there is sufficient evidence to support the conclusion 
that the consumption of wheat is increasing at a greater 
rate than the population in most countries.t 
2. Consumption in New Zealand. 
In New Zealand the use of wheat is confined mainly 
to the production of bread from flour. The more 
important by-products are also produced, while wheat 
*Dondlinger, ‘‘The Book of Wheat,’’ p. 302. 
tSee Webb’s ‘‘Dictionary of Statisties,’’ and ‘‘The Sta- 
tistics of the International Bureau of Agriculture at Rome,’’ 
which is used extensively in this investigation. 
