188 WHEAT PRODUCTION IN NEW ZEALAND 
of the West Coast serve as a barrier to the moisture-laden 
anti-trade winds which blow across the Tasman Sea. 
Consequently, they bring heavy rains to the West Coast, 
and come over the ranges as hot dry winds. Not only 
is the rainfall of the East Coast, some 25 to 30 
inches, very favourable to wheat production, but 
the general character of the land in this area is 
suitable for agriculture. A great portion consists of the 
Canterbury Plains, the soil of which is loose and easily 
cultivated, while the Downs to the South present few 
obstacles. It is true that in Nelson and Marlborough 
there are small areas where wheat is produced, for 
example, the Waimea and Wairau Plains. But a glance 
at statistics shows that the production of these areas is 
small, I have already demonstrated graphically that the 
amount of wheat produced outside Canterbury and 
Otago is small.* Since the rainfall in the West Coast 
prohibits wheat growing, there remains only Canterbury 
and North Otago to be considered in estimating the land 
available for wheat production. In the extreme south 
of Otago the climate is not highly favourable to the 
production of the cereal, and although the Southland 
Plains are otherwise suitable, wheat is net produced in 
large quantities there. Of recent years separate statistics 
have been published for Southland, and these indicate 
that the production is comparatively small. For the 
harvest in 1916 the area in wheat in Southland was 
8,795 acres, and in North Otago 48,462 acres. The 
corresponding figures for 1911 were 11,715 acres, and 
62,171 acres. Thus, our present enquiry refers chiefly 
to Canterbury and North Otago, and in considering the 
supply of land available for wheat production reference 
will be made to these two areas only. 
(b) Supply of Land.—The total area of Canterbury 
and Otago (not including Southiand) is almost 19,600,000 
*See page 32. 
