WHEAT AND POPULATION.

Dunstan Times, Issue 2488, 5 July 1909, Page 8

WHEAT AND POPULATION.

It is true that the population of the world is increasing every year, and naturally more bread is being consumed, but this is nothing fresh (says Mr J, K. Car 1 thew, the grain expert. China and Japan, however, are consuming rather less rice and more wheat products, which f is a new feature, though not very important. On the other hand, vast areas ' of land arc waiting to be broken up and cultivated in the United States, Canada, * Argentina, Australia, India, and Russia. ' In my opinion the additional supplies of 1 wheat derived from these enormous tracts c will be quite equal to the increased consumption. Argentina twenty years ago I exported no wheat. It is now the second ( largest exporter in the world. India and 1 Australia were practically unknown as 1 shippers of wheat thirty-five years ago, whereas now they play quite a prominent v part as growers and exporters of this t cereal. The world is one vast wheat field, a and it generally happens that if there is ‘ a failure or partial failure of the crops in one hemisphere it is made up by an ahun- t dance in the other. A universal shortage v or anything approaching it is quite ineem- b ccivable. The higher quotations recently I; prevailing will naturally stimulate the n production in all wheat-growing countries. 1 so much as is in all probability to bring r about an appreciable reduction in prices hj within a few years. '1 —■ _ ii——— i

t, The latest hobby of the Kaiser is Nor- I 1 wegian furniture and domestic decoration. He has ordered furnishings in this stylo for the hall of one of his big palaces, and from a celebrated Norwegian artist has had plans for furnishing the new palace hj: at Posen, which is nearing completion and al is intended .as a visible sign of German J( domination in the Eastern provinces of ni Prussia. c; “Suspense” is a new literary game with which London society is amusing. It is based upon the serial novel, which breaks ~ off ,at an exciting point, leaving the fate fV of the hero or heroine in suspense. Any / number of players can take part. All are provided with writing pads and pencils, j, ( ! and listen to the leader, who reads from a manuscript an excerpt from “a sensational novel.” The reading ceases at a critical point—perhaps in the middle of „ r a sentence—and 1 the playem have to com- f a plete the episode from their own ideas j e within five minutes. The most absurd or sequel wins the prize.