532 



Reports on Foreign Crops. 



The Wheat Harvest of Australasia in 1897-98. 



The areas of the land under wheat in the various Austra- 

 lasian colonies have been brought together in the following 

 table, together with the production for the past two years. 

 The areas do not include wheat cut for hay. 



Colony. 





Area. 



Produce. 

















1897-98 



1896-97 



1897-98 



1896-97 







Acres. 



Acres. 



Bushels. 



Bushels. 



Victoria 





1,657,400 



1,580,600 



10,580,200 



7,091,000 



New South Wales - 





993,300 



866,100 



10,560, 100 



8,853,400 



South Australia 





1,522,700 



1,693,000 



4,014,900 



2,804,500 



Queensland - 





57,800 



34,700 



1,009,300 



601,300 



Western Australia - 







31,500 





243,900 



Tasmania 





85,900 



64,650* 



1,668,300 



1, 164,900* 



New Zealand 





315,800 



258,600 



5,670,000 



5,926,500 



'In 1895-96. 



It will be observed from the above table that the average 

 yield of wheat per acre in the different colonies exhibits 

 considerable variations. In the three colonies of New 

 Zealand, Queensland, and Tasmania the yield was from 17 to 

 23 bushels per acre. In New South Wales the yield was 

 about 10 bushels, which maybe regarded as an average crop ; 

 in Victoria it was 6-38 bushels in 1897-98, as against 4*49 

 bushels in the previous year, and in South Australia 2*64 

 bushels compared with 1*66. In the case of the two latter 

 colonies the low yield is due to the severe drought : in 

 Victoria the average yield for the past four years has been 

 only 6-8 bushels, whilst in the preceding four years it was 

 IQ-/ bushels. In South Australia the average yield is from 

 5 to 7 bushels. 



Crops and Live Stock in Ontario. 



The official report of the Provincial Department of 

 Agriculture on the result of the harvest in Ontario in 1898 

 states that the favourable accounts of the condition of the 



