s advised what
varieties to grow in his locality, and when to grow them, what amount of
fertiliser to use, and the best methods of handling his land. In any
difficulty the resources of the Department of Agriculture are at his
service. At the Government farms crops of the best wheats are grown, and
the seed distributed amongst the farmers, while inspectors are
continually travelling through the country lecturing and visiting the
growers, and advising them, whenever advice is asked for. With such
facilities the future of the settler practically depends upon the use he
makes of his opportunities, and the opportunities are unsurpassed in any
other country.

[Illustration: PUTTING IN SEED.]

In the wheat districts the summer is warm, and the thermometer often
registers over 100 degs. Fahr., but it is a dry, healthy heat that is
not as uncomfortable as the lower temperatures in moister climates. The
warm weather holds for two or three months in midsummer, when the heat
during the day is trying, but for the remainder of the year the climate
is perfect. The winter is mild, so much so that live stock need no
shelter, and often fatten on the natural pasture throughout the year.
Farming operations can be conducted throughout the year. There is no
snow or period when work is practically at a standstill.

AUSTRALIAN WHEAT AREA.

On the average of the past five years the wheat yield of Australia
represents about 2 per cent. of the world's production. The return per
acre is low, but as has been pointed out, the cost of production is
likewise low, and it is doubtful if in any other country the business of
growing wheat is more profitable. The area now cultivated is but a mere
percentage of what could be put under wheat profitably. The exact area
is almost impossible to arrive at, for the simple reason that with
improved methods and better varieties of wheat, the extent of country in
which the cereal can be successfully grown increases.

For practical purposes the area deemed suitable for wheatgrowing is that
which has sufficient rainfall to admit of ploughing being carried out at
the right time of the year, as already stated, from March to June, to
cover the growing period, and to fill the grain during September and
October. In other words, it is not so much a matter of what the annual
rainfall is as when the rain usually falls. The State of New South Wales
for example. For a long time land with less than a rainfall of 20 in.
h