The farmer and mechanic., 1915-02-23
ENCLAND'S BREAD BASKET
In Peace It Needs Reing Every Ninety Days and in War
The Period Is Somewhat Shortened.

-
ready have been taken to conserve tia
Rumanian wheat crop for Rurra-t4
herself
Neither Russia nor Rumania there
fore can be considered as sources
supply for the bread basket while H.
war lasts. The deficiency mus H.
made up elsewhere.
The British colonial possessions -..
uuire special consideration.
India is a pretty steady factor iii t.-
British bread basket year in and va.,r
out. Famines are now infreauent. art
there is ordinarily q large SURPLUS
which India's teemine population does
not need or Is TO poor to buy. The
Punjab, or the five-riyer region. which
is the great wheat field OF India also
shows increa sed productiveness from
year to year due 10 bringing large
areas under cultivation through irrisa-
ton Karachi, on the Ara abian S.
counts on a steady wheat traffic
In phenomenally good crop year
India is able to supply the Uniteo
Kingdom with 5o,000,000 bushels of
wheat, although that is not the aver
age. Forty million bushels wouId
come nearer the mark. In 1912 there
were about 4S,o0O,0O0 bushels. and n
1913 1900, 900 bushels.
| So far. the allied fleet has been able
| TO keep the Suez Canal and the Med
| terranean free for their own traffic
! with India. Should Germany and Tur-
| key succeed in closing the canal for
long period this would mean that the
| United Kingdom would receive littl-
| benefit from the wheat fields of India
! but this does not nov seem as likely
| to happen
| Austr7,tia's Crop Variable.
| Australia is a somewhat yaIiaa.-
| means of filling the mother country
| bread basket. Usually. however. she
can be depended on for upward ~
20, 100000 bushels. In some years tn
quantity goes up to 25,000,000 bush
els. That is the most. however, th;p
! could be expected while the VA
| lasts.
Canada sOmtimes has been called
the imperial granary OF England. The
| imperialists in the Dominion aT.d
| those at home. have harped on tht
| wheat crop as a reason for maintalf-
ing the ties Of political union.
The extent Of the Canadian north
west as u Wheat-producing region is
yet untested. The Dominion govern
ment has insured their fullest devei-
| opment by the aid it has given TO the
| construction Of tranScOntinental rail
way systems to the Pacific but the NJ
innate possibilities OF the Canada
: northwest have little bearing on the
present problem of filling England $
,read basket for the next two or three
years.
: Canada is able to supply the mother
| country with above 50,000,00 bushels
OF wheat for its needs during the try
i ing times that seem likely to come
Ihe import figures Of the CnlteC
: Kingdom show that in 1912 abote
40,0O0,OOO bushels were imported from
r Canada, and in 1913, approximate '
3 100000 bushels
4 The Panama Canal is now open "a
t the vessels loading with wheat at Van
4 | couVer, and this outlet for the wheat
Il crop or the northwest has some ad'
S vantage IN shortening the time -
transportation. 1t also avoids WhaI
was a somewhat remote prospect -
I British vessels with wheat cargoes bt
L | ing overhauled by German cruisers il
> the South Pacific or the South Al
t lantic. Formerly the wheat that wen
: out from Vancouver had TO find irt
Q way around Cape Horn.
= What Canada Can DO.
e Inc bread basket also gets a dIfec
Lt contribution from Canada in the form
e OF flour. This goes out mostly fror
y the Atlantic ports Of the Dominion
C Imports Of Canadian flour in 1913 hat
e risen to above 100000 hundred
weight. This meant, Of course, tha
y several million bushels of the Cana
II dian wheat crop were utilized f.
IS England
,e Taking the imports OF wheat int
the United Kingdom for the five-yta
5 period beginning III 1909, it appear
lie that the P~'+:e'r c-,nrcaas possession
o an average could be relied on t. fl
about one al the Imported content
s Of the bread basket
le IN 1909, when the imports were al
- proximately 1855, 100000 bushels. til
~ BRUSH possessions supplied less tina
2 19.0o0,000 bushels, as against 10t
et 100000 bushels supplied by 9th.
countries. In the following yea
'e when the imports were close To- zoo
IL o0o,o0o bushels. the proportion Of I'll
le colonies was Considerabl larger. hl
~ II was sveeral million short Of heil
20 equal to that Of other countries.
~ In 1912, when the imports were