. SHE PRODUCTION OF WHEAT 19 
Argentina too,-there are large areas suitable for wheat 
‘growing, but “fife methods of production and the lack 
f transportation and marketing facilities leave room for 
vast improvements in these areas. 
Of -great-‘idterest to New Zealand is wheat pro- 
duction nr'Australia. Neither the nature of the soil 
nor the general climatic conditions offer superior 
advantage to this country for the growth of wheat. The 
soil in the wheat districts is not of the rich black type 
found in Russia and Canada, but of a more light loamy 
character, while the rainfall in most parts is not only 
relatively light, but shows great fluctuations from year 
to year, thus causing wheat growing to be rather a 
precarious pursuit. The graph I have drawn for the 
composite winter rainfall at several stations in Victoria* 
is sufficiently illustrative on this point. Thus in 1902 
and in 1907 very low rainfalls were recorded, while again 
in 1914 only some 24 inches of rain fell in the period— 
May to October. The average winter rainfall for the 
past 30 years (1884-1914) according to the graph is not 
quite 10 inches—a very low figure for wheat growing, as 
the period May to October is the full growing period in 
Australia, the crop being harvested in November and 
December. But profitable wheat production is the result 
of a number of miscellaneous factors, and despite the 
fact that Australian land and rainfall are not con- 
ducive to high yields, the country is able to maintain her 
position as a producer, and is indeed becoming of ever- 
increasing importance. 
To counterbalance the disadvantages which are 
experienced on account of relatively poor land and 
low rainfall with their consequent low yield, Australia 
has an advantage from the point of view of cost of 
production. The dry nature of the soil renders tillage 
cheap and easy, and the long spell of dry weather at 
harvest cheapens harvesting operations enormously. 
Harvesting is done for the most part by a combined 
*And Victoria is favoured more than any other State by 
Nature in regard to rainfall. See page 47. 
