152 
Agricultural  Competition. 
In  consequence  of  the  rapid  increase  of  population  in  the 
United  States,  and  the  steady  exhaustion  of  unoccupied  land 
suitable  for  wheat  growing,  it  seems  probable  that  the  expor- 
table surplus  of  that  country  has  reached  its  limit,  except  in  a 
season  of  extraordinary  production,  although  it  is  possible  that 
a permanent  high  level  of  prices  for  that  cereal,  might  lead  to 
its  substitution  to  some  extent  for  maize,  now  regarded  as  the 
most  profitable  corn  crop  where  it  flourishes.  In  Argentina,  on 
the  other  hand,  there  is  an  immense  area  of  land  suitable  for 
wheat  at  present  unoccupied,  and  needing  only  immigrants  to 
bring  it  into  productiveness.  Russia  may  also  increase  her 
exports  for  years  to  come  ; but  our  share  in  them  has  always 
been  subject  to  great  and  sudden  fluctuations.  This  has  been 
the  case  also  with  contributions  from  India,  which  does  not 
promise  any  steady  increase,  if  any  increase  at  all  in  an 
average  of  several  years. 
Canada  was  an  insignificant  contributor  to  our  wheat  supply 
until  considerable  progress  had  been  made  in  the  settlement  of 
Manitoba  and  the  North  Western  Territories,  since  which  time 
progress  has  been  rapid  and  great.  Both  in  1907  and  1908  the 
Dominion  was  ahead  of  Russia,  standing  fourth  in  the  former 
year  and  third  in  the  latter.  The  progress  of  wheat-growing  in 
the  Commonwealth  of  Australia  has  been  extremely  slow,  and 
the  shipments  to  this  country,  except  in  an  occasional  year 
of  great  abundance,  have  not  yet  reached  large  dimensions, 
although  they  have  more  than  once  amounted  to  about  one-tenth 
of  the  total.  The  tendency,  however,  seems  to  be  towards  a 
more  rapid  advance  in  the  futxrre.  Roumania  usually  ranks 
next  to  Australia,  but  far  below  that  source  of  our  wheat 
supply. 
Flour. 
By  far  the  most  important  source  of  our  supply  of  wheat 
flour  is  the  United  States,  whence  we  have  usually  received 
at  least  three-fourths  of  the  total  for  many  years  past.  There 
was  a time  when  Hungary  was  an  important  contributor;  but 
recently  the  receipts  from  that  country  have  fallen  to  small 
dimensions.  Canada  for  some  years  has  occupied  the  second 
position. 
When  flour  in  equivalents  of  grain  is  added  to  wheat,  the 
comparisons  given  above  in  relation  to  grain  remain  unaltered, 
excepting,  as  already  stated,  in  connection  with  the  United 
States  in  1907  and  1908,  when  the  addition  of  flour  placed  that 
country  much  above  Argentina.  It  follows  that  up  to  the 
present  time  there  have  been  very  few  years  in  recent  times 
when  the  United  States  failed  to  stand  first  in  supplying  us 
with  wheat  in  one  form  or  another. 
