THE WORLD'S CROPS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 732, 3 February 1910, Page 4

THE WORLD'S CROPS.

The collection and publication of tho yields and estimated-yields of the crops of the whole world is a -fascinating,, but ambitious project. Nothing less! is to be attempted by the International Institute of Agriculture, which was established barely two years ago, mainly at the instigation of the King of Italy. The value of 'any country's wteat supply is dependent, in large measure, on the amount of wheat ,produoed in all the other wheat-grow-ing countries, ; which gives a, common interest in knowing what the. production of other lands is going to be. To a less extent, in so far as they are less important, there is a similar community of interest in the yields of other , staple crops. As the producers of these crops are for the most part , far removed from the international markets where, their price is fixed, their interests are not safeguarded, and the forwarding and disposal of large quantities of produce are ruled by -chance and speculation rather than by a reasonable knowledge of the full prospects of supply. . The mission of the Internationa! Institute, whose headquarters are at Rome, will be to obtain . comprehensive information about; the world's crops with a view to the regulation of supplies and the safeguarding of producers' interests. According to a recent cable message,, .'the' Institute:; has commenced its work by dividing the various countries into geographicalzones in order to facilitate; the compiling of statistics. New Zealand is bracketed with Australia, South America,, Central and South' Africa as one. among three ' zones. -The Governments of the nations represented in the Institute will be asked j to forward from, next year' annual statistical information regarding wheat, ryo, barley; oats,- maize,, rice, and cotton. Areas under cultivation and monthly estimates of the condition; of the crop's are to be notified. A few weeks before the harvest there is to bo an approximate estimate of the crops, and; after, the!: harvest must be. sent first. "an' actual estimate of a - provisional , character," and afterwards "a definite and confirmed estimate." ' •

; If the majority of these estimates are not more accurate, than some which the New Zealand Department of Agriculture has placed before farmers, the information will be of rather doubtful, value.- It is recog-. iiised that ' many Governments will not have adequate machinery, for supplying reliable . statistics, but, they will be asked to improve their facilities in this regard.,:. It. will probably , be many years before the Institute can hope to publish complete and authoritative information on the world's crops, in which a full reliance 'can 'safely;bd ptacecl. By the United States Government,'-/ a system has been built up of collecting agricultural statistics which sis generally allowed to be a model to other countries, but, coming down to special products,' the estimated of. the United. States Department in regard to" the ootton crop' are not exempt from criticism, and we learn from the Manchester ■■ Guardian that the Lancashire spinners have suggested forming an information bureau of their own'. But though the' estimates supplied from America 'are' not to be taken' without question, they afford, according to the . Giiardian,' valuable; information for the experts who know how to sift them. This is tho most'that can bo hoped, for a long time to come at least,, from ;the -universal statis--tics to be gath'ored by the International. Institute, but as : the -vast: scheme, is developed its results may : be .made morecomplete and more reliable. • A subsidiary result of the Institute's, work—if a■•result-so., important can be;, called subsidiarywill be to throw light upon the question of how long the world's;wheat production can be expected to suffice for its requirements. With the continued increase, of consumers and the continued utilisation of wheat areas' for other purposes' as civilisation extends there must oorae a time, 'according to the theorists, when mankind in the aggregate will be threatened with • a scarcity of : bread. The ■ statistics which the Institute will gather should inform us, with rough accuracy,' of when that time is to be feared.