6 



Economic Position of Wheat Growing. 



As a fact, much greater progress had been made in extending 

 the wheat fields of the globe in various directions from 1897 

 onwards than in the years between that date and 1884. Even 

 supposing- it were true that the growth of men had outstripped 

 the growth of wheat areas between 1884 and 1897 the recorded 

 extension of the world's wheat fields in the next decade was well 

 over that of population. 



The remarkable period of stagnation, which left the areas under 

 wheat in the United States in 1893-97 no higher than the 35,500,000 

 acres at which they stood in 1878-82 — a phenomenon which so 

 largely affected the pessimistic conclusions of 1898 — had given 

 way to renewed advance even in that region, and to more remark- 

 able developments elsewhere. An upward bound of the curve of 

 progress could be traced, not only in new but in some old-world 

 exporting countries. Far too little attention had been given to 

 the statistics which showed how, even in European Russia — as well 

 as in Caucasian and Asiatic provinces of that Empire — wheat 

 growing had increased, while the new factors of Argentina and 

 Canada were playing a part far more potent and significant as to 

 their future possibilities than was credited to them ten years ago. 



Supplementing the details of the existing wheat areas of the 

 world by estimates from other countries, and employing in certain 

 cases later statistics now available, it seems probable that approxi- 

 mately 242,000,000 acres are at the present time devoted to the 

 growth of this cereal, three great States or combinations of States 

 supplying 150,000,000 acres of this total. Roughly, the distribu- 

 tion of the surface may be analysed as under, indicating the 

 development of the last decade : — 



Regions. 



About 1898-9. 



About 1908-9. 



British Empire ... 



Russian Empire ... 



United States ... ... ... 



European States (not included above)... 

 South America ... ... ... 



Minor States (partly estimated) 



Acres. 

 35,000,000 

 47,000,000 

 40,000,000 

 60,000,000 



7,000,000 

 12,000,000 



Acres. 

 42,000,000 

 60,000,000 

 48,000,000 

 64,000,000 

 1 6,000,000 

 1 2,000,000 



201,000,000 



242,000,000 



So far as the defective records of still earlier periods than the 

 above may be quoted, the total acreage of the wheatfields of the 

 world in 1883 may have been slightly over 170,000,000 acres, 

 arid in 1893 about 190,000,000 acres. Since it may be assumed 

 that no appreciable increase is shown in the 26,000,000 acres of 

 wheat in India, included above in the total for the British Empire, 



