76 WHEAT PRODUCTION IN NEW ZEALAND 
It will thus be seen that although New Zealand has 
been growing wheat for some forty years on a fairly 
large scale, she has not yet passed out of the experimental 
stage, and there is great lack of agreement among pro- 
ducers as to which wheat is the most profitable. Certain 
tendencies, however, are worthy of note. 
(e) Comparative Production of these Variettes.—Until 
comparatively recently Pearl was by far the most com- 
mon wheat grown over the whole of the producing area. 
It is still produced in large quantities, but has been 
superseded first by Hunter’s, which is grown to a large 
extent in North Canterbury, and secondly, by Tuscan 
varieties, which enjoy the most general production. 
South Canterbury is the home of this variety, while 
it is grown in large quantities in most other parts of the 
area. The steady increase in the production of Tuscan 
is likely to be maintained for some time yet, while, 
especially in South Canterbury, the other varieties — 
Pearl and Hunter’s—will be produced in slightly 
decreased quantities. 
But the fine milling qualities of these, especially of 
the former, will be sufficient to cause them to be pro- 
duced very largely, unless the future brings forth better 
varieties. 
A great many experiments have been made, and 
continue to be made, not only on the Government Experi- 
mental Farms, but also on many private farms. A 
great many varieties have been tried, but, with the 
exception of the three above mentioned, none of these 
is produced on anything approaching a large scale. 
Among these a comparatively new variety, ‘‘Federation,’’ 
grown on a considerable scale in North Canterbury, seems 
to be most promising, but it is not known yet whether it 
will yield sufficiently to make its production profitable. 
