THE JOURNAL 



OF THE 



MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE 



Vol. XXVII. No. 5. 



AUGUST, 1920 



NOTES FOR THE MONTH. 



The shortage of cereals throughout the world makes it of great 

 importance that during the next few years this country should 

 produce the maximum yield of wheat of 



W^^t^^Wh^t^ which the land is capable. In order to 

 ^ * encourage the sowing of wheat the Govern- 



ment has promised that so long as the import of wheat is still 

 controlled, the farmer will receive for his home-grown wheat, 

 of sound milling quahty. harvested in 1921. an amount equal to 

 the average (c.i.f.) price of imported wheat of similar or com- 

 parable quality, and at the same time he will have the guarantee 

 based upon the costs of production provided by the Agriculture 

 Bill, which should secure him against serious loss. With this 

 incentive on the. part of the Government it is earnestly hoped that 

 farmers will make every effort to relieve the present food situation 

 by placing the largest possible area of their land under wheat. 

 Farmers will be well advised, also, to use only the best varieties 

 of wheat, of satisfactory germinating power. Under rich condi- 

 tions preference should be given to a stiff-strawed variety 

 producing grain of good milling quality. Of these, there are 

 several on the market. In choosing a variety local experience 

 is generally a safe guide to follow; in cases of doubt, application 

 should be made to the nearest agricultural education centre. 



Apart altogether from the question of breaking up more grass 

 land, which may still, in suitable circumstances, be a perfectly 

 sound policy, both nationally and economically, there are many 

 ways of adding considerably to next year's wheat acreage. In 

 this connection this year's bare fallows are calculated to play a 

 very important part. The intensive corn production of the war 

 years has, in many cases, left a legacy of weeds and impaired 



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