1904.] Twenty Years' Wheat Imports. 537 



can it be said that, on the whole, it has of late years shewn any 

 continuous tendency to increase its exports, at least to the United 

 Kingdom. The largest quantities we have received thence have 

 been 24 million cwt in 1888-9, an< ^ 23 million cwt. in 1894-5 ; 

 while the 19 millions received in 1903-4 was no greater than 

 the quantity received in 1889-90. On the other hand, poor 

 harvests have resulted in our receiving less than 4 million cwt. 

 in 1886-7, an d in each of the four consecutive years 1898-9 to 

 1901-2. On three occasions during the past twenty years 

 Russia surpassed the United States as a contributor of wheat 

 in the form of grain alone ; a circumstance which occurred again 

 in 1903-4, when, however, Russia was herself surpassed by 

 India. 



The official Russian statistics suggest a large growth of the 

 wheat areas. An enquiry in 1881 put the wheat area in 

 European Russia (excluding Poland) at 28,947,000 acres ; while 

 in 1903 it is given as 43,755,000 acres. To this must be added 

 the area in Poland, the Caucasus, Siberia, and the Asiatic 

 Steppes, which together had 13*518,000 acres under wheat in 

 1 903 J The estimated production amounted in 1884 to 138,5 1 5,000 

 cwfr^in Russia proper only, and to 242,774,000 cwt. (in the same 

 territory) in 1903. In connection with the small growth of 

 Russian exports to the United Kingdom, the effect of the 

 growing demands of Russia's nearest neighbour — Germany — 

 must not be overlooked. 



The third country which during the period under review 

 has contributed most to our supplies is India. This great 

 Dependency, owing to its climate, is at times subjected to 

 severe fluctuations in its production which are naturally to 

 a great extent reflected in its exports to this country, although 

 it does not always follow that a yield above the normal will 

 invariably result in a large exportation. The consumption of 

 wheat in India appears, in fact, to be unusually susceptible to" 

 the variations in the price that may be obtained by exporting 

 it to other countries. This is brought out by the following 

 table, which shews the area, production, and exports of wheat 

 from India during the past fifteen years. For the purpose of 

 this table, the financial years ending March 31st, which may 

 also be looked upon as the Indian " export " years, have been 



