Q2 



Wheat Production in Chile. 



yield of honey was over 600,000 lbs., and 11,700 lbs. of bees- 

 wax. 



The Assistant Government Statist has more recently sup- 

 plied information regarding the cereal crop for the year 

 ending 31st March, 1901, and the following figures were pub- 

 lished in the "Journal of Commerce" (Melbourne) on 

 9th April, 1 90 1 : — 



Crop. Area. Yield. Produce per acre. 



Acres. Bushels. Bushels. 



Wheat - - - 2.011,400 17,800,000 8-84 



Oats - - - 362,400 9,600,000 26*42 

 Barley - - - 9,100 211,000 23*24 



,, (malting) - 50,000 1,000,000 20*26 



Wheat Production in Chile. 



The Board have received through the Foreign Office a 

 report upon the position of Agriculture in Chile, drawn up 

 by Sir T. Berry Cusack Smith, British Minister at Santiago. 



The imports of wheat during the year 1900 and of wheat 

 and flour during the opening months of the current year are 

 proving that in agricultural production Chile is not even 

 stationary but retrograding. Only some eight or ten years 

 back the exports of wheat from Chile amounted to about 

 200,000 tons, valued at from ten to twelve millions of pesos* 

 or, at the rate of exchange then current of 48 pence per peso, 

 about ^2,000,000 per annum. Last year the exports of wheat 

 dwindled to 9,231 tons, while it was necessary to import 

 16,000 tons of wheat, and already during the current year 

 many cargoes of wheat and flour have arrived, despite the 

 fact that the latter article pays an import duty of 25 per cent. 



The following figures serve to show how the export of 

 wheat has declined : — 



Year 1890 - - - Exports 2,892 tons. 



„ 1891 ... }J 178,048 ,, 



„ 1892 ... „ 145,801 ,, 



,, 1893 ... ri 185,962 ,, 



„ 1894 - » 116,235 ,, 



„ 1895 - " - „ 78,58c „ 



„ 1896 --- „ 137,565 » 



,, 1897 - >, 72,394 



,, 1898 - - - „ 77,300 „ 



,, 1899 ... „ 45»8i2 ,, 



„ 1900 - » 9,231 



