Dec. 1895.] 



GENERAL AGRICULTURAL NOTES. 



341 



Wheat Growing in Queensland. 



From the annual report of the Queensland Department of 

 Agriculture for the year 1894-95 it would appear that the 

 total area sown with wheat in the Colony in 1894 amounted to 

 34,387 acres, of which 28,997 acres were for grain, the area 

 under the crop being larger than in any previous year. The 

 market price for the grain was very low, and farmers com- 

 plained of the difficulty of selling their crops except at un- 

 remunerative prices. The fall in prices is attributed, to some 

 extent, to the good harvest in nea rly all wheat -growing 

 countries during the previous four years, and the consequent 

 accumulation of stocks. 



The following statistics of the wheat crops in Queensland of 

 the past five years have been taken from the report of the 

 Registrar-General of the Colony. They show the total area 

 sown and the proportion of that area sown for grain, the 

 difference representing the acreage mown for forage. 



Years. 



Total 

 Area 

 sown. 



Area 

 sown for 

 Grain. 



Yield of 

 Grain. 



Average 

 Yield per 

 Acre on 

 Area sown 

 for Grain. 





Acres. 



Acres. 



Bushels. 



Bushels. 



1890 



12,063 



10,390 



207,990 



20*20 



1891 - - - . 



20,519 



19,306 



392,309 



20-32 



1892 . - - - 



33,332 



31,742 



462,583 



14-57 



1893 - . - - 



31,750 



28,993 



413,094 



14-25 



1894 - - - - 



34,387 



28,997 



545,185 



18-80 



Although the wheat returns of late years show a satisfactory 

 change from the conditions previously existing, when Queens- 

 land was entirely dependent upon outside sources for the supply 

 of breadstuff, yet the 500,000 bushels of wheat even now grown 

 fall far short both of the requirements of the population, and 

 also of the possibilities to the producer afforded by soil and 

 climate. This is proved from the fact that last year 415,734 

 bushels of wheat and 34,004 tons of flour were imported into 

 the Colony. This, taken as an equivalent of, say, 2,047,926 

 bushels of grain, added to that grown locally, as mentioned 

 above, gives — ignoring the export, which is trifling — in round 

 numbers 2,500,000 bushels as the measure of the annual con- 

 sumption of breadstuffs in Queensland. Of this quantity, it 

 will be seen that one-fifth only is provided for by home pro- 

 duction. With these figures in view, and with suitable land to 

 be found in abundance, it is felt that this branch of agriculture 

 should continue to expand at least sufficiently to meet the 

 demand of local requirements. 



Wheat cultivation may for all practical purposes be considered 

 as confined to the southern division of the Colony, and to the 

 west of the main range. 



