224 WHEAT PRODUCTION IN NEW ZEALAND 
receipts from other pursuits, and the opposite is equally 
true; and, secondly, the total receipts are the joint result 
of the several pursuits, and therefore the question of the 
degree of profit which is obtained from an individual 
pursuit, does not resolve itself into a matter of isolating 
that pursuit, if, indeed, isolation were possible. The 
receipts from wheat production alone may apparently 
be less than the direct expenditure on that crop, and 
yet it is quite possible that the farmer will find wheat 
growing a remunerative pursuit; for this occupation 
fosters efficiency in the pastoral industries. We, there- 
fore, see that the system of mixed farming complicates 
our problem greatly, the true solution of which lies in 
the collection of data over the whole field of farming 
occupations, 
A third great difficulty presents itself in the lack of 
time for a comprehensive investigation. Expenditure 
cannot be estimated for an individual year. The farmer 
spends much one year in the anticipation of reaping the 
benefit at some future date, often spread over years. 
On the other hand, the growth of certain weeds or 
the prevalence of pests may incur expenditure in an 
individual year which would be unnecessary at ordinary 
times. The expenditure should be calculated over a 
series of years, at least four in accordance with our 
rotation system, and even then a considerable part of 
the total expenses is devoted only indirectly to wheat 
production.* 
*There is no unanimity of opinion among wheat growers as 
to whether wheat production has resulted in a net profit over 
the past, say, 10 years. Some declare that the result has been 
quite satisfactory, while others are of the opinion that they 
have been growing wheat at a loss for many years. Strangely 
enough, in spite of the alluring prospects which pastoral farming 
offers, many of the latter class have continued to grow wheat. 
But our debt to them is great, and this will probably become 
more evident as time reveals the actual shortage of wheat in 
the world as a result of the ravages of war. 
