53^ 



Twenty Years' Wheat Imports. [dec, 



say. The United States and Canadian statistics agree fairly, in 

 recognising that something over 2,500,000 cwt. of United States 

 wheat intended for this country passed through the Dominion 

 in the fiscal year (ending 30th June) 1903-4. On the other 

 hand, statistics of the amount of Canadian grain transported 

 through the United States for shipment to this country at 

 Portland or some other Atlantic port — a trade which is par- 

 ticularly carried on during the winter — have been published by 

 the United States Government since 1903. The quantity thus 

 carried in transit to us in the fiscal year 1903-4 is given as 

 4,789,286 cwt. of wheat, and 349,000 barrels (equivalent to 

 841,339 cwt. of grain) of flour. So that of the receipts from 

 the United States a net amount of some 2\ or 3 million cwt. 

 should apparently be deducted from the exports of the last 

 cereal year as being of Canadian origin. 



Our imports of wheat from Canada have grown largely of late 

 years, more especially since 1896-7, prior to which there had 

 been comparatively little progress. The largest contribution — 

 ,14,082,000 cwt. (including flour in terms of grain) — was received 

 in the cereal year 1902-3, and that of last year amounted to 

 12,430,000 cwt. 



Statistics relating to the agriculture of the whole Dominion 

 of Canada are only collected in connection with the decennial 

 census. In 1881 the area under wheat was given as 2,342,000 

 acres (yielding 17,330,000 cwt.) ; in 189 1 as 2,701,000 acres 

 (yielding 22,614,000 cwt), while in 190 1 it was returned as 

 4,225,000 acres (yielding 29,771,000 cwt.). As regards indi- 

 vidual provinces, the chief wheat-growing area is now Manitoba, 

 with, in 1903, 2,443,000 acres, as compared with 209,000 in 

 1883. The province of Ontario, which had 1,684,000 acres in 

 1883, has, on the other hand, in common with the East of 

 Canada generally, steadily decreased its wheat production, and 

 now has but 914,000 acres. This province bids fair to be 

 shortly overtaken by the North-West Territories, which, in 

 1903, had 841,000 acres under wheat, against only 308,000 five 

 years previously. 



The chief competitor with the United States in shipments 

 of wheat to Great Britain has been, as a general rule, Russia ; 

 although this country is an uncertain source of supply. Nor 



