1 Nov., 1901.] QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. 449 
chiefly from drought last year. The area under cane declined from 110,657 
acres in 1899 to 108,535 acres in 1900; the acreage of cane crushed from 
79,435 acres to 72,651; the yield of sugar from 123,289 tons to 92,554 tons ; 
the export from 109,046 tons to 62,843 tons; the shrinkage in money value 
being, at export values, £500,000 at least. The Registrar-General’s figures for 
1900 show that the capital invested in sugar mills in Queensland was £2,815,076, 
the value of the product £1,188,693, the number of mills 66, and the white 
persons employed therein 3,105. In consequence of the failure to obtain the 
royal sanction to the necessary legislation, approval could not be given to two 
proposed mills, for the erection of which assistance under the Sugar Works 
Guarantee Act had been sought. Improvements to existing mills were 
approved, however, to the amount of nearly £2,000. The total sum advanced 
to date under the Acts is £498,000; of this amount £11,459 has been paid, 
leaving £487,341 still due. Since the last report of this Department was 
tabled, Dr. Maxwell has established his Sugar Experiment Bureau. In him 
Queensland has secured the greatest specialist of his class in the world; and 
it is believed that whatever ills may have befallen the Queensland sugar 
industry through unskilful husbandry and antiquated methods will soon be 
removed if his teachings are accepted and acted upon. 
Much more encouraging are last year’s figures relating to wheat. The 
area under that crop for grain rose from 52,527 acres in 1899 to 79,804 acres 
in 1900 ; the quantity yielded from 614,414 bushels to 1,194,088 bushels ; the 
average yield per acre from 11°70 bushels to 15:06 bushels; the money value 
from £92,162 to £179,113. The largest yield of wheat per acre was in the 
Dugandan district, where it reached 24% bushels; the district showing the 
largest area under wheat was that of Allora, with 21,378 acres. In 1900 only 
77 acres showed signs of rust as against 5,610 acres in 1899. It is to be noted 
that during the last fifteen years the acreage of our land under wheat has 
increased sevenfold; but there is room for even greater development, as we do 
not produce more than a-third of the wheat we consume. According to the 
Registrar-General, in 1900 the number of flour mills was 16, the flour made 
23,347 tons, its value £182,240, and the number of persons employed in its 
manufacture 196 ; 32,478 tons of flour, valued at £269,678, and 722,547 bushels 
of wheat, valued at £113,426, were imported. 
Statement showing the AvEeragE Yie~p of WueEar per Acre in the various 
Stares of AUSTRALASIA. 
WHEAT. 
Bushels per Acre. 
Queensland ... ne on an . 15°58 
New South Wales ... 200 ct Pe DI9D 
Victoria Ee oo xs nt ooo ‘Fah YS 
South Australia abe Ab ts oxo CHE) 
West Australia on ar ee eeeeLO395, 
Tasmania ae xD xx te x RS ROFS 
New Zealand... os axis ret ve. 2461 
The maize-grower had quite as favourable a year as the wheat-grower 
experienced. The area cultivated increased from 110,489 acres in 1899 to 
127,974 acres in 1900; the quantity yielded from 1,965,598 bushels to 
2,456,647 bushels; the average yield per acre from 17:79 bushels to 19:2 
bushels; the money value of the crop from £343,979 to £429,913. As in the 
case of wheat, the local supply of maize did not equal the demand, and 247,449 
bushels, valued at £42,488, had to be imported. The largest yield of maize per 
acre was at Cairns, where it exceeded 40 bushels. The district in which the 
largest area was under maize was Warwick, where it amounted to 10,146 acres; 
Toowoomba coming second with 9,512 acres. 
