r•7 77-0,7 • •••••,,,I,T A 30 1 ...1 1_ T I PR. L trotti
COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA
LINSEED
A Statistical Analysis of Area Production and Yield per Acre
in Australia 1947-48 to 1956-57
BUREAU OF AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS
CANBERRA. A.C.7. COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA
LINSEED
A Statistical Analysis of Area Production and Yield per Acre
in Australia 1947-48 to 1956-57
BUREAU OF AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS
CANBERRA. A.C.T. FOREWORD
This investigation has been directed towards obtain- ing information on area, production and yield per acre of lin- seed grown in Australia during the period 1947/48 to 1956/57.
This particular period is recognized by the linseed industry as
the first t6n years of commercial production.
.Acreage and production da.6a were supplied to the
Bureau of Agricultural i.con.omics by Meggite; Ltd., and from
these records the stati.tical analysis has been made.
The investigation was carried out by Mr. L.W. McLennan.
.ivir.K,L. Kinsman advised on statistical techniques and was
responsible for the special statistical study repoited in
Apfiendix. A. Mr. W.R. Hinchley compiled the tables.
Maiden Director. CONTENTS
FOREWORD es
INMODUCTION
Scope of Study 1
Early Efforts t o Establish Linseed
Past Assistance to the Industry 2
Linseed Oil Utilization and Substitutes 3
Australia's Linseed Requirements 3
liarketing ,of Linseed
A STUDY OF THE FIRST TEN 'YEARS OF COlvilviERCIAL LINSEED PRODUCTION:
Number of Crops Grown
Acreage
Australia and States Statistical Divisions Average Area of Linseed crops 11
Yield per Acre 13
Australia and States 13 Statistical Divisions 15 Localities 15 Distribution by Yield 19
Distribution by Number of Crops Grown 19
Production 22
Impurities and Oil Content 22
Percentage Impurities in Linseed 22 Percentage Oil Content of Linseed 24.
LINSEED-WHEAT RELATIONSHIP
Comparison of Linseed and Wheat Yields
Comparison of Linseed and. Wheat Prices 30
APPENDIX A
Factors Affecting Decisions to Grew a Successive Crop
of Linseed in Queensland 31-38
APPENDIX B
Statistical Tables 39-54. LIST 01: ILLUSTRATIONS
MAP Page
Distribution of the Total Area &awn to Linseed.
Australia: 194.7 to 1956 9
.GRAPHS
I. Area of Linseed. Australia and States: 1947 to 1956 12
II. Average Yield. Australia and States: 194.7 to 1956 14.
III. Frequency Distribution of the Total Number of Crops by Yield per Acre. Australia and States: 1947 to 1956 17
IV, Cumulative Frequency Distribution of the Total Number of Crops by Yield per Acre. Australia and States: 194.7 to
1556 20
V. Yield per Acre of Linseed as a percentage of Yield per
Acre of Wheat. Selected Divisions: 1947 to 1956 28
TABLES
1. Number of Crops Grown on Known Acreage. Australia and States: 194.7 to 1956 6
2. Area, Production and Yield per Acre. Australia and States:
194.7 to 1956 10
3. Average Ar' ea of Linseed. Crops. Australia and States:
194-7 to 1956 13
4.. Area and Yield per Acre of Localities Mere more than 1000 Acres Were Sown in the Period from 194.7 to 1956 18
5. Distribution of Growers by Number of Crops Grown and Average Yield per Acre. By States: 194.7 to 1956 21
6. Percentage Impurities in Linseed. Australia and
States: . 1947 to 1956. 23
7. Oil Content Percentage of Linseed. Australia and States: 194.7 to 1951 24-
8. Wheat-T..iinseed_. Yield Ratio by States -and. Statistical
Divisions: 194.7 to 1956 29 9. Ratio of Price of Linseed to Price of Wheat:
194.7 to 1958 30 INTRODUCTION
Scope of Study
This study is a statistical analysis of the acreage, location and yield per acre of commercial linseed crops grown in Australia during the ten— (1) year period 1947 to 1956. It is based on records held by Meggitt Ltd. covering 6,008 crops grown in Queensland, New South Wales Victoria and South
Australia by 2,896 farmers.
These records contain details of production for all 6,008 crops with acreage known for 5,046. Thus, the analysis of yield per acre, which is one of the main objectives of the study, embraces 84 per cent of all come. mercial crops grown in Australia in the 10 year period.
The chief purpose of the study is to provide factual answers to
Questions relating to linseed yield and production in Australia which have arisen on many occasions in the post—war years when the desirability of en— couraging linseed production has been discussed. For a better appreciation of the analysis some introductory references are made to the more important features of early experience with linseed.
Early Efforts to Establish Linseed
The State Departments of Agriculture and private firms interested in linseed and flax fibre production have, from time to time, established experimental areas in many Australian environments, but for many years little continuous production took place and the emphasis was on flax rathgr than seed.
The turning point came in 1927 with trials of new varieties from
America and India introduced by the N.S.W. Department of Agriculture which showed yields up to three times greater than the specialised fibre flax varieties previously tested. This changed the outlook for commercial pro— duction of linseed and economic harvesting with the wheat header.
Following some years of cultural experimentation and strain and
variety testing the first worthwhile commercial crop of linseed, amounting
to 363 tons, was delivered to Australian crushers in 1947-48. In 1956-57,
nine years later,production had reached 19,122 tons. (1) Meggitt Ltd., Sydney received all linseed grown in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia on behalf of the four linseed crushing fiTms, Moggitt Ltd., Harold Meggitt Ltd., Vegetable Oils Pty. Ltd. and James Barnes Pty. Ltd. Past Assistance to the Industry
As far back as 1907 the Commonwealth Government, in an attempt to help establish the industry in Australia, authorised a bounty of 10% of the value of flax and seed produced. Although £13,000 was available annually during the currency of the bounty, the greatest amount ever paid in any one year was £635. In the year before the granting of the bounty the area sown was 655 acres; on the expiration of the bounty in 1917 it was only 443 acres.
From 1918 to 1922 the Commonwealth Government, as part of a plan to encourage the production of flax, guaranteed a price to growers. This led to an expansion of acreage and in 1921 the area sown was 1,640 acres, primarily for flax fibre. On the termination of the Government price - guarantee, acreages sown were again reduced.
In 1928, the Tariff Board recommended that a bounty be paid on the production of fibre and seed. The rates were incorporated in the Flax and Linseed Bounties Act 1930-31, and provided for an initial bounty of 15% of the value of flax and seed produced to operate from 1st March 1930 to
29th February 1932; falling to 10% to 28th February 1934; and then to 7% to 28th February 1935. The rates of bounties payable under this Act were reduced by 20% under the Financial Emergency Act 1931.
Althou,gh provision under the Flax and Linseed Bounties Act 1930 was made for the payment of a bounty of £100,000 for the five years, 1930 to
19359 the payments to 23rd October,1934 were only £1,343 for seed and E.1,088 for fibre.
The poor response to this assistance led the Tariff Board in
February 1935 to recommend the discontinuance of bounty payments on flax and linseed. The failure of these bounties to increase linseed production was attributed to the lack of suitable varieties. The introduction of the variety, Walsh, in 1936 altered this position but linseed production in
Australia received no further financial assistance until 1944 when the
Commonwealth Government guaranteed growers £34 a ton for the Walsh variety.
The total quantity of seed produced as a result of this guarantee was 32 tohs. In 1945 the supply of Walsh linseed owned by the Commonwealth
Government was taken over by two firms interested in the establishment of 2 a linseed industry in Australia, This led to production of what is accepted of the as the first commercial crop of linseed in 1947, the commencing year ten year study recorded below.
Linseed Oil Utilization and Substitutes
Linseed contains approximately 40% oil and yields about 36% when been ext- crushed. The residual linseed meal remaining after the oil has stock feed. racted from the crushed seed provides a valuable high-protein
Linseed oil is the most important of all drying oils and is used polishes, in the production of paints and varnishes, linoleum, oil cloth, for other printing ink, stock and some human medicines, in foundries, and oil was purposes of minor importance. When the manufacture of linseed linseed oil commenced in Australia some forty years ago, only raw and boiled linseed oils were produced. Now, more than forty different types of refined in the manu- are made. However, the main use of linseed oil has always been facture of paints and varnishes.
The appearance of synthetics has affectedthedemand for linseed the base oil in the manufacture of certain types of paint, but it is still
even of many synthetic paints.
Substitute oils which tend in part to replace linseed include are inferior safflower oil, soybean oil, castor oil, and fish oil. These it is pale to linseed as drying oils but safflower has the advantage that it is of and free from the yellow colouring of linseed. For this reason decorative use special value for pastel shaae paints, but for external and
linseed oil seems likely to retain its predominance.
Australia's Linseed Requirements
In 1952 the Australian_Agricultural_Council_set_a linseed
production target of 50,000 tons to be attained by 1957.
At the average yield, over the ton-year period 1947 to 19569 of this quantity. 6.9 bushels per acre, it would require 290,000 acres to produce per acre), this Allowing 5,175 tons for seed (at a sowing rate of 40 lbs. extraction rate of would leave 44,825 tons for crushing. At the accepted of oil, which 90 gallons per ton, this would yield 4.03 million gallons
was considered to be approximately Australia's total requirement. linseed The accuracy of this estimate is confirmed by actual gallons annually for the oil usage figures, which averaged 3.97 million 3 last eight years of the period reviewed in this study, figures for the first two years being unobtainable. The extent to which this requirement should be met from Australia's own resources is more controversial. By Presenting a detailed statistical analysis of linseed's actual performance throughout
Australia over a long testing period, the present study is intended to throw light on this question.
Marketing of Linseed
The linseed marketing arrangements which have been in force since 1953 have had an important bearing on production. These arrangements restrict to the members of the Linseed Crushers' Association of Australia
the right of duty—free admission under by—law of linseed oil in vessels
exceeding one gallon. In return, the crushers agree to purchase all
locally produce linseed at satisfactory prices. The crushers announce
their guaranteed price in January or February of each year, nearly a year
ahead of the harvest. Since 1953 this price guarantee has been renewed
each year at £70 per ton for pure linseed, net weight, delivered in new bags.
There have been slight variations in the method of payment to growers but,
in general, it has been £2.10.0 per bag within 30 days of receipt of seed
and the balance within 30 days.
L. . A STUDY OF THE FIRST TEN YEARS OF COMMERCIAL LINSEED PRODUCTION 1947 to 1 56
Number of Crops Grown
There are two commercial types of the flax Plant, one which
produces grain for linseed, and the other, high quality fibre. Prior to
1947 almost all crushing was of seed of the flax plant grown for fibre.
In 1947 eighty six crops of flax for grain (known as flaxseed or linseed)
were grown in Australia, and this year has been accepted by crushers as the
ff.rst year of commercial production. There was a big increase to 637 crops
in 1948, rising to 829 LA 1952. Meanwhile, growerc were beingpaid the
world parity price at the time of purchase, which was — 1947: £68 per ton; 1948: £82 per ton; 1949: £70 per ton;
It 1950: £80 " " 3 1951: 6:90 " "3 1952: £65 " 9
From 1953 onwards Prices were stabilised. In that year growers
accepted the crushers' guaranteed price of £70 per ton, and in every year
since then the price has been fixed annually at the same figure.
The wide fluctuation of world parity prices paid during the
years 1947 to 1952 contributed to theinstability of the industry and was a
faci;or influencing the number of crops grown. This was particularly
evident in 1953, when, after the £25 per ton drop in price the previous year,
there was a reduction in the number of growers from 829 to 120.
The offering of a guaranteed price for the 1953 crop was followed
in Queensland by an immediate and substantial recovery as, with consistent
annual increases, the number of crops rose from fifty eight in 1953 to
1,075 in 1956. At the same time, production in the other three states
almost. the total number of crops grown in the
three years 1954 to 1956 being sixteen in South Australia, eighty three in Victoria and sixty two in New South Wales.
The total number of crops grown in the entire ten—year period
was 6,008 of which the acreage was known for 5,046. The subsequent analy— sis covers only these 5,046 crops. The number of these crops of known acreagn grown each year in the different states is shown in Table No. 1.
5 •
TABLE No. 1 NUMBER OF CROPS p-RowN haiovvii ACR.E AGE . AUSTRALIA A ND STATES. 1947 to 19562_
1954- 1955 1956 TOTAL 194-7 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 ,0737.7....._,...... ___ liunii 231 36 203 516 942 2,897 Queensland. 13 223 196 233 304- 143 137 17 16 14 18 874 New South Wales 29 212 134 154 17 29 31 14 18 732 Victoria 27 123 196 209 68 . 67 . 1 _ 5 6 543 South Australia 17 7/4- 111 165 97 250 549 984- 5,0146 Australia 86 632 637 761 612 452 83 ACREAGE
Australia and States
The accompanying map records the area of linseed grown in
Australia over the entire ten-year period from 1947 to 1956. Circles represent-
ing 1000 acres and small dots representing 100 acres have been placed in the
localities where crops were grown. The map emphasises the prominence of
Queensland in linseed production over these years.
In 1947, a little less than 2,000 acres of linseed were grown.
Thereafter, the area expanded every year till 1952, when a record of 63,000 (I) acres was sown. (Figure I and Table No. 2).
In the early years acreage was fairly evenly distributed between
Queensland, N.S.W. and Victoria, with S.A. showing increasing interest. However,
the reduction in the price of linseed in 1952 was followed by a sudden fall in
the area sown in all States, and in 1953 the total Australian acreage vas
reduced to 7,000 acres. This was a serious setback to what, up till then, had
seemed to be flourishing new industry and there was doubt whether stability could
be recovered. In the following years the linseed outlook remained unpromising
in N.S.W., Victoria and SA., where onlyafew hundred acres were grown, but at
the same time, in Queensland, the crop 1-Jecame moro popular than ever. Rapid
annual increases brought the sown area in Queensland to 111,000 acres in 1956
compared with the 34,000 acres in 1952.
During the four years, 1953 to 1956, less than 400 acres of
linseed were sown in S.A., and, in that State, it was generally accepted that
commercial linseed-growing had ceased. The position was almost as discouraging
in Victoria where the area was reduced to 852 acres by 19562 and in N.S.W. the
acreage remained at about, 2,000.
It is clear that at this time farmers in S.A. Victoria and N.S.W.
were convinced that linseed was relatively unprofitable, but Queensland growers
showed increasing confidence; the area sown there increased each year, while in North-western N.S.W. the area fell in a few years from 20,000 to a few
hundred acres. (2) The Downs district of Queensland grows practically all that
Statels linseed, the new crop having taken a natural place in the characteristic highly diversified farming of the area. However, the main difference in the (1 All acreage firesfigures are for the total 6,008 crops. (2 3 The Darling Downs district. 7 approach to linseed growing in Queensland and north western N.S.W., where climate and soils arc comparable, is that in recent yoarsN.S.W. millers have consistently paid high premiums for good baking quality wheat, thereby giving the local wheat growers a substantial economic advantage over the Queensland wheat growers who do not have access to similar premium markets, although their wheat is of at least equal quality. Consequently, while the present relationship between premium wheat and linseed prevail, it seems unlikely that linseed acreage will increase to any marked degree in north-westerm N.S.W., the district 1) where most N.S.W. linseed has been grown.
Statistical Divisions
Table I of Appendix B shows the acreage of crops of known area for States by statistical divisions in the years 1947 to 1956. Although total acreage from the 6008 crops could be calculated for States this could not be done for statistical divisions.
Queensland: For the purpose of this investigation it is assumed that all
Queensland linseed is grown in the Downs aatistical Division. Approximately
2% of the area sown is in localities a little beyond the border of the Downs, mainly the northern border, but for convenience this is taken as being within the Downs.
The total areas of linseed sown in Queensland during the ten years from 1947 to 1956 was 268,000 acres, equal to 64% of the Australian total.
New South Wales: The second largest state acreage in the ten year survey period was 78,000 acres in ZT.S,W., 20% of the Australian total. Most of this was grown in the north western wheat districts, 46% in the North Central
Plains division, and 42% in the adjoining North Western Slopes division.
No other division made any worthwhile contribution, South Western Slopes being next in order with 6%, then Riverina 4% and Central Western Slopes and Central
Tablelands each 1%.
Victoria: The total area of linseed grown in Victoria from 1947 to 1956 was
37,000 acres, little less than 10% of the four-State total. Eighty-four per cent of the Victorian area was in the Western Division. No other Division was of importance, the highest contributions being 6% from Northern and 5% from
1) The average wheat premium paid in NO in 1953-54 was 1/4, and in the three succeeding years, i/10. 1t/ and 1n. In the same period many individual premiums of 3/- to 4/- were paid. , ...... ,,,,, ...... _...._ _ _ _,. ...., ,,, • • TOTAL AREA SOWN TO LINSEED I AUSTRALIA ------1947 TO 1956 no-usand Acre-4. 0 0 fitmdreci Acres . . . . o 100 zoo ...... - Miles , 1 I I Approx. . • • 1 •1 :::* Biloela, Bunclaberg e ,f. ) •••..:. • ' QUEENSLAND (' t Downs 1 1 1 ••• -,iiiilk,•31•••• -.:.• SOUTH AUSTRALIA Daibij Oaft" - .;•;•; Remainder oF 1 i •• ... _i' 1 :.... State r -e••..ii.• :.:„.. ,. . Central 2 1 0,:.....:.. • . tower North 3 7 1r • .)/ec•p...0----:•\_.4' co North 4. tipper 'NEW SOUTH WALES Mokz-e 5th. Eastern 5 , •• ,80,.. • Central Tablelands I , ..00bo.‘/ 0 to Western (part) 6 North West,Slopes a , 0°. 090) 2( Murrav-Mailez 7 central West Slopes 3 i 5 C' • • \I i 1 South West Slopes 4 ‘ i . . 0 1 i '-1 /i ..- Riverina 6 ( .•/ ...... -- - - 4 \ 4" I ? 3 ..11 Dubb,6 /1 : :.ii.Iticlgee 6 - • ,- ----, •__...*. u _ ; 1 N • *:- ,, c ,-e -- ..,, . \\ ,... SYDNEY sp. • - c' ..".-\ , .:glarenrell,-, .r,„ • / 31•GriFFith \I r- mys • , •:2, 7 Lr'- •,i • -, NI AD,ELAIDE. (. 6 (-?....-4- ir- 1 ,13errigp,n• ...... ;-.ii.Wa 1gga ., -1 - --1 1 • •, •13 r:_:;..• 1 C.>) -- --,_-. I 5 - -ipiar4coorilx 3 EchuCa:), • . Ail5u1.. ,“ VICTORIA li.i .. I ,---,„( -4. A Central 1 -.-:0...,-• --•• ,...• ...,,, _.. .-.i, •,2,• --,, ,,,, , •,, North Central 2. J .....4° 8•?.0 -.: • ‘(--1. -MELBOURNE ,. Northern 3 Ms Gambier b...:. •:11g.::•:°. 5 .°;.°•°•.* c .:..p -.... ,.::.(c:I.::: : a ) North Eastern 4- Western 5 6041 Wim m era 6 ca .. , J.O'H CO9
090201 YILLD Pa-Z - 1947 to 1:-y5-6 AuSTRailA ALD 6T.12ES Area H
111.11.** Acres 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 Total States 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951
••••• 3,205 20,331 52,704 111,222 267,533 Queensland 170 59515 8,554 11,400 20,617 33,820 17,165 21,195 2,119 1,819 1,123 2,191 76,376 New South Wales 866 7,489 7,987 16A22 1,854 782 352 36,551 Victoria 407 3,510 89356 9,855 5,463 4,158 1,314 40 148 158 21,56.5 South Australia 299 1,14614 3,883 6,766 4,780 4,025 63,198 249004 54,757_114,423 _404,028 Australia 1,742 17,976 28 780 2414,L43 489025_ 6,678 Production H
bushels 1951 1952 1955 1954 1955 1956 Total States 1947 1943 19L19 1950 ••••••
*********** 93,512 263,331 13,909 166,421 520,770 736,411 1,959,762 H Queensland 1,618 25,686 54,163 78,416 847 13,011 15,552 10,399 19,675 502,506 New South Wales 8,554 35,501 87,647 52,926 84,394 174, 0 27,000 12,224 7,542 13,423 3,500 6,300 214,357 Victoria 2,836 25,453 52,425 63,654 145,238 9 20,125 80 661 1,749 South Australia 1,218 109738 35,139 )))1 724 30,504 476,027 34,542 195,396 535,330 764,135 2,821,865 Australia 14,526 97,378 229,399 239,720 235,410 Yield per Acre H bushels 1953 1954 1955 1956 Total 19143 1949 1950 1951 1952 State 19147 **I 6.6 6.9 6.8 14.5 7.9 4.3 8.2 9.9 Queensland 9.5 4.7 6.3 9.0 7.5 3.2 4.9 8.2 6.1 8.6 9.3 New South Wales 9.9 4.7 11.0 7.4 6.0 6.5 4.9 2.9 5.7 7.2 4.5 Victoria 7.0 7.3 6.3 11.1 6.3 6.6 6.4 5.0 2.0 4.5 ______South Australia 5.1 7.3 9.0 ______9.8 6.7 6.9 4.9 7.5 5.2 3.1 Australia 8.3 5.4 8.0 5.4 crops. H calculated for the full 6008 Central. North Eastern and Wimmera each grew 2%. Any future expansion in
Victoria is most likely to be in the Western Di7ision, where, in land use,
linseed would be competing mainly with sheep—raising and the growing of oats,
and not so much at the expense of wheat as is generally the casein N.S.W.
South Australia: Twenty two thousand acre of linseed, 6% of Australia's total,
was grown in S.A. during the ten year period under review; only 300 acres
being sown since 1952. Lower North division accounted for 47% of the area,
South Eastern 39% and Central 10%.
In this state linseed is not generally accepted as being
competitive with cereals at present prices, and it is thought that future
sowing will be concentrated mostly in the South Eastern division grazing
districts in the region of Mount Gambier. In this area it has proved to be a
useful cash crop in place of flax, the production of which has almost ceased since the announcement by the Commonwealth Government of its intention to
discontinue bounty payments and the subsequent closing of flax mills. Apart from the south—east, the South Australian outlook is severely restricted by a general disinterest in the crop.
Average Area of Teinseeg. Crom,
Table No.3 shows the average area of linseed crops sown in each state and in Australia in the years from 1947 to 1956.
The average area of 5, 0146cro-os grown throughout Australia in the ten years was 66 acres. N.S.W., 77 acres, and Queensland 73 acres, had the highest average crop areas, almost twice as great as the Victorian and S.A. figures which were 43 and 38 respectively.
The rising confidence in linseed—growing in the six years of commercial production from 1947 to 1952 was clearly indicated by the constant annual increase in average areas sown in all States. There was one exception; the dry 1951 season in N.SOW. The big fall in price in 1952 was followed by a reduction in average crop acreage in all States. The Australian figure fell from 77 to 56 acres. Subsequently, linseed—growing was almost entirely confined to Queensland where the average crop area rose successively to 70, 82 and 103 acres in the three succeeding years.
Table II of Appendix B shows frequency distribution of crops according to area sown, for the ten—year survey period. Approximately half ii , Ems I AREA OF LINSEED (a) AU ST RAL I A 1947 TO 1956 - AUSTRALIA and STATES ioo. (thousand acres)
(b) QUEENSLAND 80-
60 100- 4....1
40- 80-
-
20- 60-
_ 0 r--- 40-
. i (c) NEW SOUTH WALES - 20 - 201
-
0) VICTORIA CO SOUTH AUSTRALIA
iol MI
0 0
LI L...I LJ L--i 1947 1956 1947 1956 in area and only one fifth exceed 100 acres. of all crops were less than 50 acres
TABLE NO. 3 (a) to 1956 AVERAGE AREA OF LINSD,a) CROPS:— 1,947
AUSTRALIA AND STATES (ACRES)
YTe.: 1952 953 1954 1955 1956 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 Av:e
73 (b) 59 62 56 70 82 103 Queensland 13 24 41 48 (b) 76b) 80(b) 77 (b) 102 117 111 77 New South Wales 30 35 58 95 (b) 43 46 67 68(b) 42 48 50)) 35 Victoria 15 29 42 (b) (b) (b) 38 18(b) 19 49 20 25 24 South Australia 34 41 49 66 67 77 56 68 81 101 Australia 20 28 43 57
Table No. 1. each year in each State is shown in (a) The number of crops grown
(b) Based on fewer than 20 areas.
YIELD PER ACRE
each individual crop, for Yield per acre was calculated for
for statistical divisions and states, localities (of which 407 are listed), highest It has been possible to locate the and for Australia as a whole. the growers with the most consistently yielding districts and to identify been studied by single years, by ten—year good yields. Yield per acre has distributions at one and three bushel averages and by moans of frequency These are taken as a single group intervals for the whole 5,046 crops.
irrespective of the year of recording.
Australia and States per acre of linseed for Figure II and Table No. 2 show yield
years from 1947 to 1956. The Australian Australia and four states for the nor downward trend during this period yield per acre showed neither upward acre to annual acreage changes was evident. and no relationship of yield per the ten years was 6.9 bushels The Australian average yield for N.S.W. had the highest average yield per acre, the same as for Queensland. 6.0. with 7.5 bushels, S.A. 6.3 and Victoria exceed 10 bushels per On only two occasions did a State yield
gave an average yield of 11.0 bushels acres in NO in 1949 when 7,987 acres 13 Eigsirs IL (a) AUSTRALIA AVERAGE YIELD
...... t.....1 1947 TO 1956 _ AUSTRALIA Qnd STATES
*No crop grown (bushels per acre) 0-
(b) QUEENSLAND (c) NEW SOUTH WALES
10- -
_ ,
tm.....r
v.....•
5 5- - - .- -
0- 0-
(c1) VICTORIA CO SOUTH AUSTRALIA
1..mmmI
10- 10-
5._ - 5- -
- - -
)1( 0- 0-
I-1 L_1 1-1 Li 1947 19 56 1947 19 56 and in S.A. in 1956 when 158 acres, averaged 11.1 bushels
per acre. However, one of the best performances was in Queensland in 1955
when 53,000 acres yielded 9.9 bushels per acre.
Average yield exceeded eight bushels per acre six years out of ten
in N.S.W., three years in Queensland, twice in S.A., and in Victoria not at
all. An eight-bushel average generally is regarded as a fair minimum standard at which to aim and it appears that it could be attained in many
districts.
Yield by Statistical Divisions
Table III in Appendix B records for 1947 to 1956 the yield per acre of the Downain Queensland and of N.S.W., Victoria and S.A. by statistical divisions.
Over the ten year period the Upper North division of S.A. and the
Central Division in Victoria had the highest average yield per acre, 9.8 and
9.6 bushels respectively, but in some of the later years either no crop or only small areas were sown, and the total for all years for both divisions was less than 2,000 acres. In view of the large areas sown in the N.S.W. divisions, North Central Plains (31,000 acres), and North Western Slopes
(28,000), their respective yields of 8.3 and 7.9 bushels per acre are un- doubtedly the most outstanding. Those two divisions together grew 88% of the
N.S.W. acreage from 1947 to 1956 and were responsible for that State having the highest average yield. Many individual results from this area were very good and it does seem fairly certain that this is one of Australials best linseed districts.
The Western Division of Victoria sowed almost as big an areas as these two N.S.W. divisions, but the 6.0 bushel average was lower than might have been expected. In S.A., Lower North had a yield of 5.9 bushels from nearly 10,000 acres grown in the six years 1947 to 1952, not sufficiently high to retain the growers interest when prices declined.
Yield by Localities
A basic objective of this investigation was the determination of the places in Australia where linseed has boon most successfully grown.
The yield per acre analysis has been extended to cover a large number of groups of crops centred around towns and referred to as "localities".
In all, 407 of these localities have been studied 96 in Queensland, 117 in New South Wales, 118 in Victoria and 76 in South Australia. Annual 15 average yields per acre have been determined for each locality and the yield
express:d as a percentage of the average yield per acre of all localities in
Austral-,a for that year. In this way, the performance of any single locality
in any :rear can be compared with that of any other locality elsewhere in
Austral:_a and its yield measured against an Australia-wide standard in a man-
ner whi‘;11 is consistent from year to year.
The performance of each of the 407 localities over the 10-year
period :Ls given in Table IV in Appendix B.
Table No. 4 below summarises the performance of those localities
where more than 1,000 acres wore sown with linseed in the ten years to 1956.
Localities are listed in order of decreasing acreage and also ranked according
to yield per acre.
Dalby (409000 acres) and Nillmerran (389000 acres), both in the
Queensland Downs division, sowed by far the most linseed, but ranked only
25th and 26th in yield per acre. Brookstead and Pittsworth, Queonsland, each
with 14,000 acres, followed with yield per acre ranking of 6th and 8th
respectively. More°, N.S.W, 12,000 acres, was next, sharing 8th yield
positial, no other locality outside Queensland reaching 10,000 acres. In
all, 12 localities sowed over 5,000 acres during the survey period. Jimbour,
Queensland, had the highest average yield per acre with 12.4 bushels, but sowed
only 2,200 acres in the ten years. Mt. Tyson, Queensland, 11.1 bushels per
acre and. 1,394 acres, was next in order, but of more significance were
Pallamallawa, New South Wales, with 10.6 bushels per acre from 8,158 acres
as the -third best yield, and Cecil Plains, Queensland, •fourth in yield, with
10.5 b.iLlhels per acre from 9,367 acres. Two localities in Victoria showed
good namely, Moutajup, ranked fifth with a yield of 8.9 bushels per
acre, and Casterton, ranked eighth with 8.6 bushels per acre. The best
yield in S.A. was obtained in Jamestown - fourteenth with 8.3 bushels per acre.
Study of Table No. 4 and of Tablo No. IV in Appendix B clearly indicates that on an acreage and yield per acre basis the best performances have been in the Dalby-Cecil Plains - Brookstead arca of Queensland and the
Moree-Pallamallawa area of N.S.W. 16 Eigure 11,1 Frequency Distribution (a) AUSTRALIA of the total number of crops by No.of Crops YIELD PER ACRE 1250- 1947 TO 1956 1000- AUSTRALIA and STATES Yield in bushels per acre at 3 bushel Intervals 750— `Feindicates crop failurc 500-
No.of (b) QUEENSLAND Crops 250-
700- 0— • F 0 6 12 18 214 600- Bushels per Acre (c) 500- No.of NEW SOUTH WALES Crops 400- 200-
300- 150- 200-
100- 100-
N
I I 1 I 50- F 0 6 12 18 24 Bushel's per Acre 0 1 No.of (d) VICTORIA F 0 I 6 12 1I8 24 Crops Bushels per Acre 200- (e) No.of SOUTH AUSTRALIA Crops 150- 150-
100- 100-
50- 50
0 F 0 6 12 1'8 2'4 C F0 6 12 18 24 Bushels per Acre Bushels ...per Acre TABLE NO. 4 AEEA AND YIELD PER ACRE OF LOCALITIES WHERE MORE THAN 1000 ACRES WERE SOWN IN THE PERIOD FROM 1947 TO 1956
per acre Order of yield Area Yield per Order of Locality State Area Yield Locality State ranking acre bush. yield per bush, per acre acre ranking c.cros (acres) • • ' Wland 2,267 12.4 1 Dalby Q'land 39,910 7.4 25 Jimbour Vic. 2,237 5.6 54 Millmerran Wland 33,112 7.2 26 Hamilton N.S.W. 2,230 6.7 41 Brookstead Qiland 14,156 8.8 6 Inverell Bellata N.S.W. 2,194 6.8 37 Pittsworth Wland 13,781 8.6 8 N.S.W. 2,065 6.6 43 Moree N.S.W. 11,842 8.6 8 Warialda Q'land 2,054 6.8 37 Viand 9;476 6.9 35 Warwick Oakey Q'land 7.2 26 (Viand 9,367 10.5 4 Jandowao 1,988 Cecil Plains 8.9 5 10.6 3 Moutajup Vic 1,924 Pallamallawa N.S.W. 8,158 7.1 29 13 Clare S.Aust. 1,915 Yarranlea Q'land 5,377 8.4 5.0 20 Proston Wland 1,799 51 Bowenville Wland 5)659 7.9 8.6 8 H Nangwee Qlland 1,760 Toowoopba Q'land 5,513 6.8 37 16 co Chinchilla 'land 1,621 8.1 Jondaryan Q.,' land 5,089 7.0 32 Lismore Vic, 1,618 6.4 44 Kingaroy Q,' land 4,545 4.9 58 S. Aust, 1,493 7.0 32 N.S.W. 3,992 7.5 24 Naracoorto North Star 1,463 7.9 20 3,897 7.2 26 Warncoorte Vic. Clifton (Viand 4.5 59 7.0 32 Camperdown Vic. 1,452 Hobby Q'land 3,865 11.1 ? 8 Mt. Tyson (Viand 1,394 Warra Qtland 3;836 8.6 6.0 49 Biniguy N.S.W. 1,388 Mt. Gambier S. Aust. 3,711 6.4 44 23 8 Edgoroi N.S.W. 1,300 7.7 Casterton Vic. 3,372 8.6 8.1 16 Loomberah N.S.W. 1,298 Gravesend N.S.W. 371 - 7 6.7 41 7.1 29 Yagobie N.S.W. 1,295 Cambooya Q'land 2,979 5.9 51 8.1 16 Yotman N.S.W. 1,245 Macalister Q,' land 2,939 8.0 19 6.2 47 Auburn S. Aust. 1,214 Croppa Creek N.S.W. 2,892 8.2 15 7.8 22 Bell Wland 1,151 Narrabri N.S.W. 2,879 6.9 35 8.3 14 Jamestown S. Aust. 1,144 Bongeen Q'land 2,84'( 7.1 29 6.2 Wondai Q'land 1,116 47 Columboola 'land. 2.671 8.7 7 6.0 49 Nintaro S. Aust. 1,109 Skipton Vic. 2,415 5.9 51 56 Tamworth N.S.W. 1,102 5.4 N.S.W. 29409 5.7 53 5.6 54 Boggabri Pampas Q'land 1,098 Winchelsea Vic. 29322 6.8 37 Gunnedah N.S.W. 2,233 6.3 46 Distribution by Yield
Figure III shows frequency distributions of all crops over the ten year period by yield per acre at 3—bushel intervals. The number of crop failures is shown separately. These distributions are shown cumulatively on a percentage basis in Figure IV in which failures are counted as zoro yields.
Detailed figures at one bushel intervals are given in Table V in Appendix B.
There is a hig.- frequency of crops with a low yield per acre. Of
all crops grown in N.S.W., 30.5% had a yield of loss than three bushels per
acre, compared with 24.4 % in Victoria, 21.5% in South Australia and 16.6% in
Qaoensland, and 20.7% for Australia as a whole. The almost complete losses
which sometimes occur are mainly duo to Heliothis, rain damage and weeds,
although fungus diseases contribute, particularly in wet years. To lift
ove.rall yield per acre the methods of tackling these problems must be improved,
and at present research work is most centred on these objectives.
At the other extreme, 24% of all crops were grown at a yield of ten
or more bushels per acre. At ten bushels per acre linseed is generally accepted as a profitable crop at current prices. The fact that such a large proportion of the crops surveyed have grown at or above this yield gives hope for the future.
Districution by Number of Crops Grown
Table No. 5 shows the distribution of growers by the number of crops grown over the ten year period, together with the yield per acre of each group of growers.
Over Australia as a whole 60% of growers grow only one crop. It is remarkable that this Percentage was almost exactly the same in all four States:
61% in Queensland, 61% in N.S.W., 59% in Victoria and 58% in S.A. Twenty—one percent of the total grew two orops. Thereafter the number falls rapidly:
Nine percent grew three crops, five percent grew four and three percent grew five, while growers of six, sevenl eight and nine crops totalled only two per— cent.
The average yield columns of Table No. 5 show that there was an upward trend in yield per acre for growers of an increasing number of crops.
The fact that such a large number of growers are shown to have grown one crop only, suggests some dissatisfaction with the returns obtained
19 Egure iy, Cumulative Frequency Distribution of all crops by °to (a) AUSTRALIA 100 - YIELD PER ACRE 75- 1947 TO 1956
AUSTRALIA and STATES
25- Showing the percentage of crops which failed to reach . the given yield. 0 5 10 15 20 Bushels per Acre
0/0 (b) QUEENSLAND `70(c)NEW SOUTH WALES 100- 100-
75- 75-
50- SO-
25- 25-
1 0 5 lb 115 20 0 5 lb 115 20 Bushels per Acre Bushels per Acre i 0/c) (d) VICTORIA /0 (e) SOUTH AUSTRALIA 100- 1001
75- 75-
50- 50-
25- 25-
I . I 1 0 5 10 15 20 0 5 10 115 20 Bushels per Acre Bushels per Acre TABLE No. 5_
_DISTRIBUTION OF GROWERS BY NUMBER OF CROPS GROWN AND AVERAGE YIELD PER ACRE. BY STATES. 1947 to 1956.
QULJN614.111D TIEW SOUTH WALES VICTORIA SOUTH AUSTRALIA TOTAL Number of Average crops grown Grcwe2s Average Growers Average Growers Average Growers Average Growers yield yield yield yield yield p.a. p.a. p.a. p.a. p.a. No. A bush.-- No. A bush. No. (/0 Bush No. 70 bush. 58 5.4 1,751 60 1 1,012 a 6.6 311 61... 4.6 248 59 5.4 180 5.5 23 7.0 610 21 7.0 2 355 20 7.9 101 20 6.4 103 24 6.7 71 6.6 32 7 7.5 31 10 7.8 267 9 7.5 3 155 9 8.1 49 10 21 5 7.9 15 5 9.0 141 5 8.0 4 76 5 7.9 29 6 7.2 13 3 8.0 10 3 5.8 79 3 5.6 5 145 3 7.9 11 2 7.7 7.6 1 9.4 31 1 7.6 6 23 1 8.2 2 0.3 5.0 3 1 3 .... _ _ 8.1 8.0 1 0.5 8.6 9 0.5 7 6 0.5 7.6 2 0.3 0.5 8.1 ...... _ 6 0.3 8.4 8 4 0.4 7.9 1 0.2 9.3 1 _ _ 12.7 ...... _ 2 0.2 10.5 9 1 0.1 8.2 1 0.2
••••• • from linseed. It is true that quite a largo number of these were growers
who grew linseed for the first time in the last year under review, and there-
fore did not have an opportunity during the period under survey to grow a
second crop. Nevertheless, it is still significant that these growers did
not take the opportunity open to them of growing a crop during the nine
previous years.
In Table No. 5 the approach is confined to recording the numbers and
percentages of those farmers growing different numbers of crops and to check-
ing whether the yield per acre of consistent growers was higher than that of
growers of fewer crops. A detailed discussion of factors affecting the
growing of two crops in succession is Li-,.en in Appendix A.
PRODUCTION
Linseed production in bushels for Australia and States from 1947 to
1956 is shown in Table No. 2. However, it has been preferred
in this report to discuss production in terms of its determinants, area and
yield per acre.
Reference is also made to Australia's contribution to local linseed
oil production and to linseed oil requirements in the introduction. It is
pointed out that Australia has a demand for the oil from about 2 million
bushels of linseed and its highest productn in the period of the survey was
approximately 750,000 bushels in 1956.
IHPURITIES AND OIL CONTENT
Linseed is received by Meggitt Ltd. on behalf of all crushing firms,
and is paid for on a pure seed basis. This makes it necessary to calculate
the percentage of impurities in every consignment of linseed so that the net
weight of linseed delivered can be determined. Impurities are removed by the
crushing firms before crushing.
2..e22.2/.171249_20plgitie9 in Linseed • .arvion..ircavv. aormer,. Tie
Crushing macainery is not geared to handle more than 5% impurities.
If the farmer's sample; as delivered, contains more than this percentage it
is often necessary for it to be re-cleaned. If this is done a cleaning
charge to the farmer of g.2.10.0d. a ton is made. The crushers wish to impress
upon farmers the intortance of good seed cleaning on the farm and this is one
of the main reasons for the cleaning charge. It is further pointed out by
the receivers that the removal of impurities on the farm hag-the advantages 22 of saving freight on impurities which are not paid for, saving the coet of
bags, avoiding the E-2.10.0d. a ton cleaning charge and losing the stock feed
value of the impurities (mostly other seeds) when retained on the farm.
Receivers would prefer not to buy linseed on a pure seed basis, but
to buy it still containing the impurities just as wheat is bought. This
would save the vast amount of tedious work involved in testing for impurities
every consignment of seed submitted for sale. It is unfortunate that the
very wide variation in the percentage of impurities in consignments makes
this impossible under present conditions. The grower who harvested his
seed with care and removed almost all impurities would not be satisfied to
receive the same price per bushel as the grower whose seed contained large
quantities of impurities. It is therefore obvious that, in the absence of
some sort of f.a.o. system such as applies to wheat marketing, where certain
minimum standards are defined, the present method of paying for linseed on
a pure seed basis will have to continue.
The average of impurity percentages determined as routine procedure by Meggitt Ltd. has been calculated for each year from 1947 to 1956 for each
State and for Australia. The figures recorded in Table No. 6 show great im- provement over the period.
TABLE NO. 6 PEWENTAGE ITTURITIES IN LINSEEDI 56, AUSTRALIA AND STATES
1947 1248 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956
Queensland 25.3 13.0 4.9 4.4 3.7 2.0 2.3 1.4 1.6 2.0
New South Wales 22.5 11.6 6.1 10.5 9.6 6.4 8.2 3.1 4.8 7.1
Victoria 11.9 8.5 8.6 6.3 6.5 5.9 3.5 5.2 6.1 4.7 South Australia 122 10.9 5.1 6.4 6.6 9.0 4.9 6.8 7.8
Australia 17.5 11.3 6.4 6.5 6.0 4.6 3.8 2.2 1.8 2.3
The Australian average figure for impurities was gradually reduced from 17.5% in 1947 to 2.3% in 1956. This was mainly due to the high standard of Queensland seed which in the last six years had impurities prepentages ranging between the very low figures of 3.7% and 1.4%. Other States began in ,
1947 and 1948 with lower percentage impurities than Queensland but none achieved the improvement in seed quality in the following years that could have been 23 expected.
In the three years from 1954 to 1956 the average of the percentage. impurities in all Queensland farm consignments of seed did not exceed 2% in any one year. In the same period South Australian impurities exceeded 6% in the two years that linseed was grown, N.S.W. in each of two years was more than 7% and Victoria ranged from 4.7% to 6.1%. It is pointed out, however, that the number of consignments in States other than Queensland was comparat- ively small.
Percenta e Oil Content of Linseed
Purchasers of linsood in Australia have always expected that the
percentage oil content of seed received would average approximately 40%.
Analyses up to 1951 established that the highest oil content could be expected in S.A. and Victoria and the lowest in Queensland. In the five
- years from 1947 to 1951 the average Australian oil content was above 40% in two years, and in the other three years it ranged from 39.3% to 39.9%.
Although Queensland, the major producer, had the lowest oil content, it still
averaged 39.3% in the five years to 1951. N.S.W., with second lowest state
average oil content, was still able to average 39.6%.
The results of tests carried out from 1947 to 1951 are recorded in
Table No. 7. The crops tested are a sub-sample of the original 6,008 crops
investigated.
TABLE NO. 7 (a) OIL CONTEDT PERCENTAGE OF LINSEED 1947 TO 1951 AUSTRALIA AND STATES
1947 1948 1249_,..2.22(2:31.11...._
Queensland 39.2 38.9 39.6 39.8 39.1 (13) (160) (161) (212) (278) New South Wales 40.1 39.3 40.3 38.8 39,4 (29) (195) (135) (146) (178) Victoria 41.0 41.7 40.7 39.0 40.4 (25) (117) '187) (200) (78) South Australia 41.0 40.8 40.8 39.6 40.5 (16) (66) (110) (155) (95) Australia 40.4 39.9 40.3 39.3 39.5 83 38 •3 713 62
(a) Figures in brackets indicate number of crops tested.
Because the results of these early years of oil content testing
showed Australian linseed to be well up to the 40% standard, receivers
decided that it would be unnecessary to continue the oil content analyses 214. after 1951. All linseed has since been accepted on the assumption that the
oil content is up to this standard.
Sample checks for oil content are still carried out by the receivers
for the purpose of • estimating the oil content of the year's crop as it is
being received.
• 25 26 LINSEED-WHEAT RELATIONSHIPS
In Queelsand and New South Wales, two states which grew 84. per cent of Australia's linseed in the period under review, linseed is accepted as be- ing competitive with wheat. This was emphasised at the Tariff Board Inquiry held early in 1960. At this inquiry Mr. S. O. Cewl.i.i.thaw, General President of the Queensland Grain Growers Association, said:
"Linseed has always been grown as an alternaGive crop to wheat and therefore
the pride of linseed should be related to wheat. In :1i3r panion expansion
or decline of linseed acreage will vary according to its price relationship
with wheat prices annually received."
Mr. T.E. Kitamura, New South Wales Department of *.igriculture, expressed a similar opinion:
"Linseed is grown in the wheatgrovring districts. It is a winter crop which
comes lilt° direct competition with wheat."
In Victoria the relationship between the crops is different. There, the acreage of linseed is sn11 and 84 per cent is in the Western District, an essentially grazing area, Tthrxre ..111-1.-ieed- competes mainly with oats and sheep.
At the Tariff Board Inquiry Mr. W.J.B. McDonald, Victorian Department of
Agriculture sAid:
"1 have never regarded linseed as a competitor with wheat in Victoria."
Linseed is competitive with wheat in all districts in South Australia except t.-iose in the South Eastern Division. The area grown, however, is much smaller than in any. other state.
Comparison of Linseed and Wheat Yields.
Yield per acre figures for wheat and linseed Jver the ten years reviewed are recorded by statistical divisions in Tables No. VI to IX in Appendix B, to- gether with the ratio of wheat yield to linseed yield.
During much of the period the price of linseed was about 2.8 times the guaranteed price of wheat. Excluding differences in cost it is clear that at this price ratio linseed would only be as profitable as wheat when its yield ratio compared withwheat was at least I : 2.8.
Most discussions of wheat-linseed yields have taken 3 : I as the critical ratio. This implies that the consistent linseed-growing districts should be those where the average wheat-linseed yield ratio falls below this level. i) Tariff Board Inquiry re Animal and Vegetable Fats and Oils, helbourne, Sydney and Brisbane, 1960, pp. 27, 177, 290A. ...L. L.) i L under review suggests that a ratio of 3f1 : i discriminates more clearly between those districts where linseed has been consistently grown and those .where it has note Table No. 8 shows for each division the number of years in -which the wIleat-linseed yield ratio exceeds this critical figures, together with the total number of years in which linseed was grown.
Statistical divisions in which the wheat-linseed yield ratio exceeded
-12 in less than half the years linseed was grown are marked in the table with an asterisk. These comprise nine out of the twenty divisions studied in the f our states. They account for 344,000 acres out of a total of 363,000 acres grown in the twenty divisions during the t en years. The implication is that where the mheat-linseed ratio normally exceeds 3-:1 the farmers themselves have ruled out linseed as a profitable crop. The same could not be said if the critical ratio were taken at .3:1.
The annual wheat-linseed yield ratio for the more important of the starred divisions in the table is given in Figure V.
27 , Figure V Yield per acre of LINSEED as a percentage of Yield per acre of WHEAT 1947 TO 1956 ik- No LINSEED grown 0/0 DOWNS too— (VLAND)
75-
SO - _
25-
0-
l___i L_J 1947 1956
0/0 NORTH WEST SLOPES % NORTH CENTRAL PLAINS too— ioo — (N.S.W.) (N.S.W.)
75- 75 -,__. _
...... 1
_
0- 0-
% WESTERN % SOUTH EASTERN (Vic.) ioo— (S. AUST.)
75- 75-
50- _ 50-
25- 25- -
Li 1_1 LI LI 1947 1956 1947 1956 TABLE NO. 8
WHEAT-LMSEED YIELD RATIO
,By States and Statistical Division, •
1947 to 1956
Column A: The number of years the ratio exceeded 35 Column B: The total number of years both crops were grown Column C: The total linseed acreage (to nearest thousand acres) Column D: Asterisk shows divisions for which Column A is less than half Column B
Queensland
Downs 2 10 212
New South Wales
Central Tablelands 2 1 N.W. Slopes 10 28 C.W. Slopes 8 1 S. W. Slopes 3 6 P.C. Plains 10 31 Riverina 3 8
Victoria
Central 9 2 N. Central 2 (a) 27 Western 10 Wimmera 1 Mallee (a) Northern 5 2 N. Eastern 2 1
South Australia
Central 6 2 Lower North 7 10 Upper North 2 (a) S. Eastern 3 8 Western 2 3 (a) Murray Mallee 2 3 (a)
(a) Less than 500 acres. important An annual wheat-linseed yield ratio in the more of the starred divisions is shown in Figure V. comparing its In this report the performance of linseed is assessed by has been grown. This yield with that of wheat in the districts where linseed for comparison, is method, involving the use of wheat yield as the standard and overseas. commonly followed in field experiments both in Australia con- The significance of a given wheat yield is well understood in the significance of the lin- text of the district where it occurs. Consequently, the c.inaparing it with the known seed yield in a given district is best understood by
yield of the same district. wheat 29 •
Comparison of Linseed and Wheat Prices.
In Table No. 9 is shown the price per bushel of linseed and wheat and
the ratio of these prices fur the years 1947 to 1958. The annual linseed acreage
is also shown in the table so that any apparent relationship between the price
ratio and aria sown may be observed.
TABLE NO. 9
RATIO OF PRICE OF LINSETZ TO PRICE OF WHEAT
191+7 TO 1958
Price of Linseed Price of wheat Linseed to Area of per bush. per bush. Wheat Linseed. Year (56 lb.) delivered (60 lb.) bagged towrks Pool return for bagged (capital cities). wheat f.o.b. ports
s. d. S. a.• Price Ratio Acres
1947-48 34 0 14 111 2.27 1)742 1 948-49 41 0 12O 3.41 17,978 I 949-50 35 0 13 10 1- 2.52 28,780 .1950-51 40 0 14- 04 2.84 244,1+43 1 951-52 45 0 15 11 2:83 48,025 1952-53 32 6 6 04 2.02 63,198 1553-54 35 0 12 8-4 2.75 6,678 1954.-55 35 0 12 7-2t-.1 2.78 241004. 1955-56 35 0 12 5-1- 2.75 54,757 § 2.66 • I 956-57 35 0 13 14- 114,423 1957-58 35 0 3 8(. 2.56 131,870 1958-59 35 0 3 6-1- 2.58 40,000
Machinery used in the cultivation of land for linseed and for sowing
and harvesting the crop is the same as is used in wheat growing. Consequently,
the cost of cultural operations is approximately the same for each crop with spray-
ingonsts additional for linsee and harvesting often entailing extra work. Spray-
ing for Heliothis control various greatly from year to year. Generally, at least
one spraying will be necessary but there are years when two and three sprayings
fail to give effective control. For this reason it is very diffidult to state
by how much the cost of production of linseed exceeds that of wheat, but it would
be unlikely to be by less than 22 per acre in normal years, a figure which would.
be increased by additional spraying.
30 APPENDIX A.
FACTORS AFFECTING DECISIONS TO GROW
A SUCCESSIVE CROP IN QUEENSLAND
Early in the survey analysis it was seen that a large proportion
of linseed growers grew only one crop in the ten-year period. Many of thee,
grew a crop in the last survey year only, so their verdict on the desirabil-
ity of growing linseed could only be inferred indirectly from their not hav-
ing previously grown a crop.
It was felt that it would be more proper to study the decisions
of farmers who had already grown at least .one crop of linseed4 and in parti-
cular t:ose who had grown a crop the previous year. // In the first nine years of the survey period (from 1948 to 1955)
linseed was grown by 1942 farmers. Of these, 994 or 51% sowed it again
the succeeding year. The remainder did not.
The next question that arisesiS what are the factors affecting
farmers decisions whether or not to sow a successive crop?
In the following analysis farmers who
grew linseed in any one year have been classified into two groups, accord-
ing to whether they did or did not grow linseed in the following season.
The analysis is based on data for a single reasonably homogeneous areas
Downs Division of Qu,ensland. This region now accountsfor the bulk of
Australian production, more than 95% in 1956.
At the same time conclusions which may be reached for Queensland
will not be valid for other states. In other regions, difference in soil,
• climate and farm management practices, or the availability of a quality
premium for wheat, give no assurance that the same relationship will be
found to exist as in Queensland; and the following pages need to be read
with this limitation clearly in mind.
31 The Trend Over Time (1) The percentage of farmers who sow a successive crop may vary
widely from year to year. For axample, of the 203 Queensland farmers who
sowed linseed in 1954, 76% decided to sow it again in 1955. Of those who
sowed it in 1952, on the other hand, only 10% took the same decision the
following year.
It is easy to see why such a small proportion of those who grow
linseed in 1952 sowed it again in the following year. The price offered for
the 1952 linseed crop was 2% below that for the 1951 crop, and farmers res-
ponded accordingly.
The reasons underlying farmers' decisions in other years are not
so obvious; but an examination of the data given in the following tables
does pcajmit a rational pattern to emerge.
TABLE I - SUCCESSIVE GROWERS WITH PRICE AND YIELD DATA:12.4L12_1251..(a)
1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955
1. Number who grew linseed 224 195 233 302 231 36 203 518 2. Percent of above who grew Linseed in the subsequent year 32 47 48 51 10 69 76 70 3. Pfice of linseed (g's per ton) 82 70 80 90 65 70 70 70 4. Ratio of linseed prices to wheat prices (b) 3.4 2.5 2.8 2.8 2.0 2.7 2.8 2.8 5. Yield per acre of linseed (bushels) 4.7 6.3 6.8 4.5 7.9 4.3 8.1 9.9 6. Ratio of wheat yield to linseed yield 5.1 3.2 2.3 3.4 3.3 4.1 3.0 2.7 7. Ratio of line 4 to line 6 0.67 0.78 1.22 0.82 0.61 0.66 0.92 1.04
(a) 1947 omitted because of the small number of growers. 1956 is omitted because there is no information about growers' decisions, for the following year. (b) Based on price per bushel, reckoning 40 bushels of linseed to the ton.
The first line of Table I states the number of farmers who grew linseed in the given year. The second line states the percentage of that number who sowed a crop of linseed the following year. There is clearly
(1) Hereafter referred to ,as "successive growers". 52 a tendency for this percentage to increase over the period under consideration.
The percentage of successive growers is highest (and fairly stable) nr the last
three years of the period; suggesting the emergence of a steady core of ex—
perienced and consistent linseed growers.
The slight fall in the percentage in the last year (1955 growers
who sowed another crop in 1956) can probably be discounted in view of the
large incre(es in the number of growemin 1955. Many of these are likely to
have been growing linseed for the first time, or least o be marginal
in their attitude towards it.
Line 3 gives the price offered for cach crop of linseed, and in
line 4 this is expressed as a ratio to the price of whet in the same year.
The linseed price is at works, bagged. The wheat price taken for comparison
is the Australian Wheat Board's pool return for bagged wheat f.o.r. ports.
It will be seen that the linseed/wheat price ratio has been stable at about
2.8 from 1950 onwards, with the exception of 1952, when the price of linseed
fell sharply at the same time as the Board's payment for wheat rose to the
record figure of 16s Id. Per bushel.
Similarly, line 5 gives the averaLe yield of each linseed crop
in bushels per acre, and line 6 the ratio of the average wheat yield to the
linseed yield for th: same year. Thus the ratio of line 4 to line 6 may be
coneidered the relative profitability ratio of linseed to wheat. If this ratio
is greater than unity (1.00) then the return on an acre of linseed is greater
than the return on an acre of wheat. Thie relative profitability ratio is
given in line 7.
It is clear that the relative profitability r. tic) is much less
stable t'ean the price ratio. Moreover the association between it and the
percentage of successive growers is not particularly close. It is true that
the profitability ratio was at its lowest in 1952; but it is likely that the
main factor responsible for the small percentage of successive growers that
year — those who also grew linseed in 1953 - was simply the absolute fall in
the price of linseed. The co,Apartive unimportance of the profitability
ratio in any one year is shown by the fact that in 1953 this ratio was still low, while the percentage of successive growers was large — 69%.
To some extent, this large proportion in 1953 is deceptive. The
36 farmers who grew linseed in that year despite the sharp fall in the 1952
price ere likely to have represent° herd core of de'. rrille(9 growers. This if_ probably the reason why over two—thirds of them grew linseed again in 1954,
even though the effect of the slight rise in the 1953 price of linseed, com—
binedvith a sharp fall in the returns, from wheat, was virtually offset by
a poor average yield from linseed.
Yield and acreage as factors
Individual farmers' decisions whether or not to sow a successive
crop can be directly compared with their performance in the preceding year.
Table II shows the number of persons who sowed a successive crop as a
percentage of all who grew linseed in the previous geason; as a percentage
of those growers who had a yield of eight bushels or more per acre in the
previous season; and as a percentage of those growers who had previously had
40 or more acres of linseed. By comparing line 2 with linel it will be seen
that the percentage of growers who decided to sow a successive crop of
linseed was substantially higher amongst those whose linseed yield in the
previous paason was comparatively good — eight bushels or more to the acre
being taken as criterion.
•• If line 3 is compared with line 1 it will be seen that the percentage
of successive growers was higher amongst farmers with comparatively large
linseed acreages — 40 acres or more being taken as criterion — though the diff—
erence is not so marked as in th, case of yield.
TABLE II. — PERCENTAGE OF SUCCESSIVE GRNERS
Successive growers as a Percentage ofg- 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1952 1954 1955
1. All growekb* 32 47 48 51 10 69 76 70
2. Growers with yield of 8 bushels or more per 60 67 60 68 13 75 83 76 acre 3. Growers -nth 40 acres or more of linseed 49 53 58 57 14 71 79 72.
Table III shows the percentage of growers who reached the criterion
yield of eight bushels per acre. This pe-i:centage increased fairly steadily
from year to year; exceptions being in the years of poor yield 1951 and
1953. The same table shows that the percentage of growers who reached the
ciiiterion acreage of 40 acres increased over the period even more steadily.
This is consistent with the suggestion made earlier, that there has emerged
over the period a steady care of linseed growers. TABLE III — PERCENTAGE OF LINSEED GROWERS 7ITH
COMPARATIVELY LARGE YIELDS AND ACREAGE
Percentage of growers 3 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 11)53 1954 1955
1. With 8 bushels or more per acre 17 33 35 19 43 11 66 68
2. With 40 acres or more of linseed 18 47 44 58 53 67 69 73
The Significance of the results
Table II shows that there has been a higher percentage of
••• successive growers amongst those who obtained a relatively large yield
of linseed than amongst the remaining growers. A statistical test shows
that this difference in the percentage of successive growers is not just
due to chance but is significant of an intrinsic relationship between
size of yield and the decisions to grow a second crop of linseed (2).
Table IV illustrates the test, applied in this case over the
entire eight year period. Out of 1,942 crops sown from 1948 to 1955
inclusive, 830 crops were harvested at a yield of eight bushels or more
per acre. In 549, or 66% of these cases, the growers decided to sow lin—
seed again the following year. Over the same period, 1,1 12 crops were
harvested for a yield of lass than eight bushels per acre. In only 445
or 40%, of these cases did the growers decide to sow a crop the follow—
ing year. The odds against obtaining such different proportions by chance
from such a large number of crops arc overwhelming — very much more than
10,000 to 1. The conclusion is that there is a genuine relationship between
the yield obtained in any given year and the decision to grow another crop
, of linseed in the following year.
(2) The test used was the chi—squared test of significance. The test showed that, in most years, the difference between the two per— centages was statistically significant at the 5% probability level. This is eauivalent to saying that, if such an intrinsic relationship did NOT exist, the oddsa are at least 19 to 1 against the chande emergence of a difference of the magnitude actually obtained.
35 TABLE IV — YIELD PER ACRE AND THE DECISION TO GROW A SUCCESSIVE CROPS 1948 TO 1955
Yield per acre Decision to grow Successive crop
Yes Total Per Cent Yes
8 bushels or more 281 549 830 66 Less than 8 bushels 667 445 1,112 40 Total 948 _51
When each year was considered separately, the differences were found
to be statistically significant in every year except two.
One of these years was 1952, when the price of linseed fell so sharply
that, in general, only growers with very high yields were prepared to contem—
plate sewing it again. If the criterion yield in that year is taken at 12
bushels per acre (instead of eight), the difference in response between those
with relatively high yields and those with relatively low yields is once again
seen to be statistically significant successive sowing being carried out by
24% of those with a yield of 12 bushels or more, as against only 7% of those
with a yield of less than 12 bushels per acre.
The other year was 1953, when the number of growers was so small that the difference would have had to be exceptionally large to be significant.
Another, more interesting, reason may be that most of the growers that year were of the kind earlier in this appendix described as "experienced and consistent linseed growers". Seventy per cent of them decided to grow linseed again the following year, despite a poor average yield. Similar, and only sliglatly less striking, results are obtained by comparing the decisions of farmers who grew 40 acres or more with those of the remainder. Table V shows the manner in which the decision to sow or not to sow a successive crop of linseed was related to the size of acreage previously sown. Of the 1,074 linseed crops grown on upwards of 40 acres, 60% were followed by a successive crop of linseed; while of the 868 crops grown on less than 40 acres, only 40% were so followed — a difference which the test again shows to be highly significant.
TABLE V — ACREAGE OF LINSEED AND THE DECISION TO SOW A SUCCESSIVE CROPS 1948 TO 1925_
Acres of Linseed Decision to sow a successive crop Yes Total Percent Yess
40 or more 431 643 1,074 60 Less than 40 17 31 868 40 TOTAL 948 994 1 942 1 36 Considering each year separately, the difference in the decisions of
those who grew relatively large and those who grew relatively small acreages is
significant in most years if 40 acres is taken as the criterion. The main excep-
tions are at the end of the period. In 1953, as already remarked, the numbers
involved wore too small. In the two following years the difference is significant
if a distinctly smaller acreage, 15 or 20 acres, is taken as criterion.
Critical Yields and Acreages
This fluctuation in the point at which the difference becomes significant
seemed worth investigating for its own sake. It might be possible to find some
critical yield or acreage at which the difference becomes marked - a yield, for
example, above which there is a noticeable shift in the proportiqn of decisions in
favour of sowing a successive crop. (3) Two separate tests of such a critical value have been used . From an
examination of the results it appears possible to establish such critical points for yield, and these are set out in Table VI.
TABLE VI CRITICAL LINSEED YIELDS:. 1,48 TO r1955.
bushels per acre
--re--1248 1•4
Critical yield 4 9 9 12 4 7
Ratio to average ield 0.85 1.4 1 3 1.1 00.9_ 0.85 0,8
In the second line of Table VI is set out the raio of each year's criti-
cal yield to the average yield for „tioensland in the same year. Both the critical
yield and the yield ratio are highest in )952, which is what would be expected in
view of the sharp fall in price which took place that year.
Except for 1948, the yield ratio seems to be higher in the earlier part
of the period than later on. This is what might reasonably be expected to happen
in the light of growers increasing experience of, and consequently increasing con-
fidence in linseed, and is consistent with the increase in the percentage of
successive growers shown in Table II (line 1). In the early years it took a
relatively good yield to persuade a grower to grow a successive crop. In the
latter part of the period, it took a relatively poor yield to discourage him.
It is not so easy to establish a critical acreage, and no attempt has
been made to construct an acroae table similar to Table VI ° but an examination (3) The value of chi-squared and the totrachoric co-efficient were computed for each of a large number of criterion points - yield and acreage levels. The 'critical' points are those at which the statistical measures computed are higher than elsewhere. 37 of the data indicates that the critical acreage was smaller at the end of the period. The conclusion may, perhaps, be drawn that the proportion of decisions not to sow a successive crop was greater amongst farmers sowing a small acreage as a speculation.
Conclusions
The foregoing analysis sw:gests the following general conclusionst
1. The basis of the linseed industry in r,ueensland at the end of the period
under review was a steady core of experienced and consistent linseed growers
gradually built up over the previous decades.
2. These growers will continue to sow linseed so long as they consider the price
offered to be reasonable in relation to the price of wheat.
3. "Reasonable" here seems to imply a ratio of about 2.8 to 1. The concept
appears to be based on price alone, and to be not greatly influenced by
fluctuations in the comparative yield of linseed and wheat in any particular
year.
4. At the same time, as might be expected, this "steady core" consists in the
main of farmers who have had the gieatest auccess in growing linseed, as
evidenced by the yield obtained.
5. More interestingly, the attempt to find a critical acreage suggests that
this "steady core" also consists of farmers who have approached linseed
growing seriously from the outset, as a major crop capable, if properly
worked, of returning a steady income; rather than tentatively, as a
speculation which might or might not succeed.
38 APPENDIX B._
ST.-1.2ISTICAL
No. of Table
Acreage: 1947 to 1956: States by Statistical Divisions. 11 Frequency Distribution of Crops by Area over 10 Year Period: 1947 to 1956: Australia and States.
III Yield per Acre: 1947 to 1956: States by Statistical Divisions.
IV Yield Perfor,a,nco of Localities: 1947 to 1956.
Frequency Distribution of Crops by Yield per Acre at One Bushel Intervals over 10 Year Period: 1947 to 1956: Australia and States.
VI Ratio of Yield per Acre of Wheat to Linseed: 1947 to 1956: Queensland: Downs Division.
VII Ratio of Yield per Acre of Wheat to Linseed: 1947 to 1956: New South Wales,by Divisions.
VIII Ratio of Yield per Acre of Wheat to Linseed. 1947 to 1956: Victoria,by Divisions.
Ix Ratio of Yield per Acre of Wheat to Linseed: 1947 to 1956: South Austra1ia9 b:,- Divisions.
•
39 _TABLE No. 1 ACREAGE 1947 to 1956 STATES BY STATISTICAL_DIVISIONS:_ H. 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 Total. QUEEhSLAND Division Downs 170 5,458 7,993 11,079 17,885 14,429 2,035 14,285 42,347 96,786 212,463
NEW .SOUTH WALES Division
C.Tablelands 82 338 115 30 •••••• ••••• 0.0 565 N.W. Slopes 365 2,886 2,426 6,327 5,920 8,816 620 760 343 437 28,270 C.W. Slopes 7 112 120 305 170 60 110 50 934 S.W. Slopes 80 1,651 1,115 335 334 200 3,715 E.C. Plains 312 1,781 3,336 8,018 69925 7,551 719 349 370 1,503 30,864 Riverina 20 646° 611 621 303 258 103 50 gTICTORIA Division
Central 45 213 . 456 488 201 45 25 50 1,593 lth Central 30 • 32 - - 62 Testern 322 2,854 6,818 8,140 3,822 1,022 1,075 1,423 745 369 26,590 Vammera 0.0 10 209 479 31 729 Mallee - - - 25 25 Northern 145 510 451 520 126 16 40 186 1,992 Nth Eastern 10 253 179 lo4 - 80 626
SOUTH AUSTRALIA Division Central 136 327 364 434 432 2,142 Lower North 81 594 2,353 3,495 2,028 935 66 9,552 Upper North 37 250 • 20 51 358 Sth.Eastern lo WI° 937 2,374 2,213 1,759 20 123 76 7,952 Western 72 35 lo 117 Murray Malice 20 50 180 250
H Known Acreage only. TABLE II
FREQUENCY DISTRIBUTION OF CROPS BY AREA OVER 10 YEAR _PERIODS AUSTRALIA AND STATES
1947 TO 1956
Queensland New South Wales Victoria South Australia Australia
Cum No, of Cum No. of Cum Area No. of Cum No. of Cum No. of drops rto crops (acres) drops crops crops /0 /0
3.4 o _ 9 98 3.4 3.4 21 2.4 2.4 29 4.0 4.0 'X 4.8 4.8 174 3.4 17.8 22.6 582 11.5 14.9 - 19 266 9.2 12.6 70 80. '104. 149 20.4 24.4 97 10 24.6 47.2 764 15.0 29.9 20 - 29 389 13.4 26.0 96 11.0 21.4 145 19.8 44.2 134 30 _ 39 306 10.5 36.5 105 12.0 33.4 106 14.5 58.7 92 16.9 64,1 6n9 12.0 41.9 69.1 11.8 75.9 489 9.7 51.6 40 - 49 264 9.1 45.6 85 9.7 43.1 76 10.4 64 12.1 55.2 60 8.2 77.3 55 10.1 86.0 530 10.5 62.1 -•59 309 10.7 56.3 106 50 0.1 68.2 . _60 _ 69 188 6.5 62.8 58 6.6 61.8 39 5.3 82.6 21 3.9 159.9 306 5.3 68.1 50 5.7 67.5 24 3.3 85.9 9: 1.7 91.6 237 4.7 72.9 FJ70 - 79 154 180 76.5 80 - 89 115 3.9 72.0 31 3.6 71.1 24 3.3 89.2 lo 1.8 93.4 3.6 90 _ 99 81' 2.8 74.8 19 2.2 73.3 14 1.9 91.1 7 1.3 94.7 121 2 4 78.9 590 11.b 90.5 loo _ 149 401 13.8 88.6 123 14.2 87.5 46 6.3 97.4 20 3.7 98.4 99.0 93.6 150 - 199 109 3.8 92.4 3:, :: 3.9 91.4 9 1.2 98.6 3 0.6 155 3.1 0 2 0.4 150 3.0 96.6 200 - 97 3.3 95.7 42 4.8 96.2 1.2 99.8 99.4 249 69 98.0 250 - 299 54 1.9 97.6 13 1.5 97.7 1 0.1 99.9 1 0.2 99.6 1.4 100.0 31 0.6 98.6 300 - 20 0.7 98-3 9 1.0 98.7 _ 2 0.4 349 - - 19 0.4 99.0 350 - 399 17 0.6 98.3 2 0.2 98.9 - - - - 15 0.5 3 0.3 99.2 1 0.1 100.0 - - - 19 0.4 99.4 400 - 449 99.4 _ _ ... _ 0;1 3 0.1 99.5 - ..9 _ _ _ 3 99.5 450 - 499 _ _ 0.2 500 - 599 0.2 99.7 5 0.6 99.8 _ 10 99.7 5 _ _ 0.1 99.,8 600 - 699 3 0.1 99.8 1 0.1 99.9 4 _ _ _ _ _ 0.1 99.9 700 _ 799 2 0.1 99.9 1 0.1 100.0 _ 3 800 - 899 • 900_ 999 OM. 0.1 100.0 > :000 1 0.1 100.0 1
100.0 1p0.0 5;046 100.0 100.0 TOTAL 2,897 100.0 100.0 874 100.0 100.0 732 100.0 100.0 543 TABLE III YIELD PER ACRE-c 1947 TO 1956 STATES g BY STATISTICAL DIVISIONS 052 1953 1954 1955 1956 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 ir§geps
QUEENS LAND Division 7.9 4.3 8.2 9.9 6.6 6.9 Downs 9.5 4.7 6.3 6.8 4.5 iTE7 SOUTH WALES Division ______4.9 T'lands 6.9 2.8 4.2 5.6 C. 8.3 4.8 7.4 9.2 16.8 7.9 N.W. Slopes 8.3 5.2 10.2 3.2 5.3 2.3 - - 11.1 16.3 2.8 6.4 C.W. Slopes 3.9 2.7 8.8 3.1 _ 2.0 3.9 _ _ _ 9.0 5.3 S.W. Slopes 8.1 3.0 5.8 7.2 6.9 8.3 6.6 3.1 4.8 8.2 7.2 11.4. N.C. Plains 13.1 14.4 _ 6.7 12.6 _ 6.8 Riverina 9.9 3.4 6.3 5.1 4.6 5.5
.1110.11.
VICTORIA Division - 10.1 9.2 13.5 9.6 7.1 7.4 6.6 7.8 9.4 14.9 Central - _ - _ 4.2 Central 1.8 6.6 - - Nth. 5.2 2.6 5.5 7.1 4.2 7.5 6.0 Western 7.4 7.8 6.3 6.1 5.6 2.6 - _ - - 4.9 Wimmera - 4.2 7.0 3.8 3.8 _ - - - _ - - Malice - - 3.6 5.9 5.0 - 5.2 5.2 10.6 1.5 4.8 3.0 Northern - 5.9 _ - - 7.3 Nth. Eastern 7.2 2.7 7.8 13.0 -
SOUTH AUSTRALIA Division - - - -, 6.1 Central 5.5 7.1 6.2 7.6 4.7 5.5 4.6 _ ... _ 3.6 5.9 Lower North 5.5 8.2 8.3 5.9 5.5 9.8 14.1 5.6 Upper NoTth _ _ 14.9 4.7 12.9 7.5 _ 8.3 11.5 8.3 6.8 5.4 2.0 - 4.5 5th. Eastern 0.3 _ _ 1.9 4.6 0.9 _ - - Western - _ - - _ 3.4 Murray Nallee _ 1.8 7.7 0.8 - TABLE IV YIELD PERFORMANCE OF LOCALITIES 1947 TO 1956.
QUEENSLAND
No. of years Total Average Average Locality crops grown area yield of percents per acre 1/ acres bushels
83 Acland 2 108 5.9 89 Allora 6 246 6.9 10.9 178 Beaudesert 2 65 112 Bell 1,151 7.8 87 Biaoela 478 5.7 64 Blaxland 2 171 4.6 Bongeen 8 2,847 7.1 99 679 7.2 99 Boodua 109 Boonah 3 130 6.4 5,859 7.9 108 Bowenville 123 Brigalow 426 8.6 10 14,156 8.8 130 Brookstead 83 Cambooya 29979 5.9 8 9,367 10.5 144 Cecial Plains 96 Chinchilla 6 1,621 8.1 Clermont 1 130 12.9 170 Clifton 10 3,897 7.2 194 Columbbola 2,671 8.7 115 88 Condamine 667 6.4 Coolabunia 6 86 5.5 75 Cooyar 366 9.1 149 Crawford 1 22 5.9 80 Crows Nest 375 7.4 113 Cunningham 2 85 5.0 62 Dalby 39,910 7.4 103 Ducklo 926 8.7 123 Dulacca 2 339 3.8 63 80 Emu Vale 3 48 4.4 Forest Hill 892 8.2 123 Gatton 3 97 7.0 122 60 Gayndah 3 300 3.9 Glenmorgan 1 250 2.6 34 Goodger 1 ,22 6.9 149 Goombungee 512 6.2 91 Goondi 472 8.2 112 Goondiwindi 1 20 3.5 .75 Gowrie 2 24 4.6 79 Grantham 2 48 9.7 164 Greenmount 8 1,079 6.3 89 Guluguba 3 483 7.0 100 Haden 447 8.2 114 Harristown 1 16 3.9 84 Helidon 541 7.1 101 Hivesville 1 35 8.1 115 Hodgson 3 113 4.6 70 Horrane • 1 50 2.9 62 Indooroopilly 1 126 4.7 62 Inglewood 2 29 5.8 88 Jackson 1 20 0.5 11 Jambin 1 30 4.6 61 Jandowae 1,988 7.2 109 Jimbour 2,267 12.4 165 Jondaryan 5,089 7.0 93 Kaimkillenbun 690 8.2 106 Kalbar 1 19 4.7 101 Kingaroy 4,545 4.9 73 Kingsthorpe 3 164 2.8 37 (1) For each locality the linseed yield per acre was obtained for the years linseed was sown by dividing total production by total acreage. This annual yield per acre was also expressed as a percentage of the average taken over all localities growing linseed in the given year. The second commtation of the average of the percentages was done to allow for variation, from season to season, in the average yield throughout Australia, thus eliminating the bias which would otherwise occur if a particular locality happened to sow most of its crops in unusually good or bad seasons. CUEENSLAND (Cont'd)
Locality No. of years Total Average Average crops grown area yield of per acre percents
acres bushels Kooralgin 1 27 3.3 71 Kupunn 4 764 8.4 124 Laidley 9 590 8.1 128 Lowood 1 14 3.8 74 Macalister 7 2,939 5.0 100 Memerambi 8 914 3.3 51 Miles 4 321 5.5 68 Millmerran 9 38,112 7.2 104 Monto 3 195 6.0 91 Mount Tyson 8 1,394 11.1 162 Mulgeldie 6 272 6.5 98 Mundubbera 6 849 6.5 86 Murgon 5 285 6.4 112 Nangwee 7 1,760 8.6 112 Nobby 9 3,865 7.5 108 Norwin 3 187 6.0 94 Oakey 10 9,476 6.9 98 Pampas 6 1,098 5.6 73 Pittsworth 10 13,781 8.6 121 Proston 8 1,799 5.0 73 Shirley 3 62 5.4 95 Southbrook 7 337 5.7 90 Square Top 1 21 8.3 110 Swansfels 5 943 11.1 160 Tannymorel 3 137 5.5 84 Tara 6 180 4,4 60 Texas 2 41 2.7 38 Tingoora 8 986 4.6 68 Toowoomba 8 5,513 6.8 94 Umbdram 5 65 4.1 67 Warra 7 3,836 8.6 119 Warwick 9 2,054 6.8 100 Westbrook 5 221 4.9 82 Wondai 7 1,116 6.2 94 Wooroolin 4 249 3.6 62 Wyreema 8 515 7.7 108 Yandilla 7 688 5.9 82 Yangan 6 307 9.3 138 Yarranlea 9 6,377 8.4 124
NEW SOUTH WALES
Albury 1 80 5.8 125 Ariah Park 2 90 9.2 138 Ashley 1 150 4.8 68 Ashford 1 40 4.7 88 Attunga 2 335 9.1 152 Balldale 1 30 2.7 58 Barraba 1 132 7.8 129 Bellata 6 2,194 6.8 117 Bendick Murrell 1 15 F - Binalong 1 37 1.9 41 Bingara 8 652 10.2 137 Biniguy 5 1,388 6.0 96 Binnaway 1 20 F - -44- NEW SOUTH WALES (conttd)
Locality No. of years Total Average Average crops grown area yield of per acre percents
Acres bushels
Bithrame 1 30 4.8 90 Baan Baan 2 95 4.6 62 Boggabilla 3 852 7.9 134 Boggabri 7 2,409 5.7 87 Boorawa 1 8 6.6 89 Brigalow 5 191 6.7 97 Calimpa Siding 2 410 5.9 84 Carcoar 1 55 Coolah 3 80 3.2 51 Coolamon 1 40 2.1 45 Coonabarabran 1 40 0.9 18 Cootamundra 3 171 6.3 98 Corowa 3 226 3.3 62 Cowra 1 50 2.3 50 Crooble Siding 4 793 8.2 125 Croppa Creek 7 2,892 8.2 130 Crowther lo 12.8 173 Cudal 1 40 2,2 29 Culcairn 2 130 4.4 85 Culgoora 1 35 7.3 103 Curlewis 759 6.1 97 Currabubula 2 . 24 5.7 98 Delungra 4 529 4.9 88 Deniliquin 2 97 4.7 776 Denman 1 10 0.9 11 Dudauman 1 30 0.9 19 Dubbo 4 270 8.1 96 Duni 3 209 3.9 65 Edgeroi 1,300 7.7 116 Finley 5 821 6.9 98 Forbes 1 25 6.4 106 Terogery 2 61 2.7 42 Geurie 2 5.4 Gineroi 1 40 5.6 79 Gravesend 7 3,117 6.7 100 Grenfell 5 799 5.2 72 Greenthorpe 46 1.9 41 Griffith 5 309 6.6 103 Gulgong 1 35 6.7 90 Gunnedah 7 2,283 6.3 98 Guyra 1 13 2.0 43 Henty 1 28 2.8 60 Holbrook 2 40 6.8 147 Holmwood 1 18 2.0 43 Howlong 1 40 1.6 34 Inverell 7 2,230 6.7 96 Jerilderie 115 5.5 64 Jindera 3 145 4.6 84 Koorawatha 3 171 5.6 84 Ladysmith 2 70 3.0 54 Lake Cargaligo 3 45 3.7 53 Leeton 4 115 5.3 79 Lockhart 1 10 2.7 58 Loomberah 6 1,298 8.1 123 Lyndhurst 2 88 5.4 73 Maimuru 1 - 20 4.7 63 Mangopla)2 3 86 3.9 51 Manilla 359 8.1 106 Marambir Siding 2 183 5.6 101 Mat ong 4 225 7.0 124 Mendooran 1 100 2.1 39 Merriwa 1 15 1.9 23 Molong 1 3 4.3 53 -45- NEW SOUTH WALES (cont'a)
Locality No. of years Total Average Average crops grown area yield of per acre percents acres bushels
Moree 9 11,842 8.6 125 Morundah 1 50 3.2 43 Mt. Russell 5 385 5.1 85 Mudgee 2 56 6.0 89 Mullaley 1 25 1.3 28 Muttama 1 54 2.9 62 Nargong 1 42 4.3 93 Narrabri 9 2,879 6.9 100 Naradhan 1 . 97 4.6 62 North Star 8 3,992 7.5 116 Old Junee 2 135 3.1 48 Parkes 2 93 3.1 55 Pallamallawa 10 8,158 10.6 152 Quirirdi 3 190 3.4 53 Scone 4 276 5.4 92 Springridge 1 40 1.0 19 .Tabbita 1 41 3.7 61 Tamworth 6 1,102 5.4 79 The Rock 2 358 1.6 35 Trewilga 1 4 F - Tubbul 1 100 F - Upper Horton 5 519 8.7 130 Uranquinty 1 42 2.6 56 Wagga 4 361 3.4 49 Wallabadah 2 10 1.9 29 Walla Walla 4 759 8.2 115 Walbundrie 1 33 0.9 19 Wallendbeen 1 50 28 60 Warialda 5 2,065 6.6 110 Warrina 3 ' 257 5.6 71 Wee Waa 1 70 4.1 68 Werris Creek 1 50 3.2 45 Whitton 2 48 6.0 90 Willowtree 5 140 6.6 90 Wongarbon 2 8 1.8 22 Woodstock 3 91 4.1 70 Yagobie 8 1,295 7.1 102 Yerong Creek 2 3.0 49 Yetman 4 1,2411 8.1 122 Young 1 48 2.5 54
VICTORIA Locality
Addington 1 8 3..0 58 Allendale 1 25 2.5 41 Apsley 1 133 4.3 71 Armytage 4 440 7.8 129 Ascot 1 10 5.8 96 Bahgallah 2 55 3.8 59 Balmoral 1 40 2.0 33 Bannochburn 3 80 9.6 .155 Barfold 2 42 3.2 45 Barrabool 1 30 18.8 248 Batesford 5 64 16.2 275 Beaufort 2 40 5.4 95 Beeac 2 80 10.4 175 Bellbrae 1 . 20 11.2 186 Benalla 1 10 8.3 112 Berwick 2 80 5.9 87 -46- VICTORIA (co nt
No. of years Total Average Average Locality crops grown area yield of per acre percent
acres bushels
Berrybank 331 10.6 187 Bessiebelle 1 70 1.9 32 Birregurra 9 778 9.3 121 Boorcan 1 45 3.9 73 Boorhamen 2 44 6.6 110 Boort 2 40 2.6 46 Bradvalo 6 842 6.1 111 Branxholms 4 1,60 3.1 52 Buckley 5 411 10.5 164 Buckrabanyule 1 36 10.0 132 Burraboi 1 3 10.3 139 Burramine East 1 18 2.3 50 Byaduk 159 3.1 44 Camperdown 1,452 4.5 . 74 Carapook 1 70 6.9 114 Cardinia 3 35 3.5 56 Carranballac 2 80 4.7 87 Casterton 10 3/372 8.6 128 Chetwynd 1 35 0.8 13 Coleraine 3 434 3.4 86 Condah 1 120 2.3 43 Croxton East 1 100 7.2 119 Derrinallum 7 386 9.4 134 Dimboola 1 15 1.3 22 Dockers Plains 1 30 3.6 .78 Dunkeld 3 86 5.9 77 Dunrobin 3 190 9.6 148 Echuca 8-ii 7.3 103 Gannawarra 2 go 4.0 58 Geelong 3 67 8.0 134 Gisborne 1 10 3.5 43 Glenormiston 2 150 5.3 94 Gnarkeet 1 33 12.2 202 Gnarwarre 2 107 3.6 54 Goorambat 3 123 10.7 190 Gunbower 931 5.3 00 Gymbowen 2 46 3.0 53 Hamilton 8 2,237 5.6 93 Henty 2 92 5.7 101 Horsham 1 40 Irrewarra 3 69 9.3 152 Iverleig4 1 12 7.4 159 Kaniva 3 125 6.8 111 Kerang 45 13.1 177 Koroit 1 40 8.7 123 Lake Bolac 2 81 3.6 59 Langkoop 1 202 5.8 96 Langley 18 2.2 47 Laverton 21 1.7 28 Lethbridge 1 50 0.9 19 Lilliput 3 63 3.1 52 Linton 2 -j65 8.7 132 Lismore 9 1,618 6,4 98 Little River 1 10 7.0 116 Londrigan 3 165 3.9 51 Maudd 1 8 5.6 76 Merino 1 83 7.3 121 Mingay 3 105 8.7 156 Mininera 2 31 2.9 49 Moriac 6 ' 225 10.6 141 Mortlake 1 65 5.6 76 Moutajup 1,924 8.9 132 -47- VICTORIA (cont'd)
No. of years Total Average Average Locality crops grown area yield of per acre percent acres -busifeis Moyhu 1 25 0.7 9 Mount Buto 4 145 2.6 46 Murmungee 1 26 11.7 158 Myrtleford 1 20 F - Nerring 2 25 2.8 38 Pakenham East 1 15 1.9 23 Patho 1 40 4.7 66 Peechelba 2 36 2.0 38 Penshurst 2 108 3.6 52 Portalington 2 45 3.5 71 Rainbow 2 7 6.2 87 Riddell 2 62 4.2 82 Rosebrook 1 16 15.7 295 Rutherglen 2 120 8.0 141 Rythedale 2 55 1.8 35 Sandford & 794 8,2 146 Sea Lake 1 10 4.1 54 Serviceton 2 166 9.9 149 Skipton 7 2,415 5.9 96 Strathdownie 4 50 6.2 98 Strathkellor 4 8611. 5.7 8$ Streatham 2 75 4.8 85 Surrey Hills 2 270 11.0 196 Swan Hill 1 15 3.7 49 Tarrington 4 440 5.0 74 Tarrawingee 2 28 7.2 116 Tatyoon 2 62 4.0 62 Terang 2 109 5.7 85 Vite Vito 2 56 10.7 149 Wallinduc 3 67 8.8 122 Wando Bridge 6 318 11.3 166 Wando Vale 5 383 8.7 137 Wangaratta 1 40 F - Warncoort 8 1,463 7.9 120 Westmere 4 191 2.0 28 Whittlesea 1 25 0.7 15 Willaura 3 161 4.2 62 Winchelsea . 9 2,322 6.8 106 Woorndoo 1 15 3.9 84 Yarrawonga 2 160 0.2 5
SOUTH AUSTRALIA Locality
Aldinga 2 54 5.3 95 Alford 1 5 0.7 15 Andrews 2 168 7.2 107 Angaston 2 25 1.4 18 Auburn 4 1,214 6.2 95 Balaklava 3 142 8.5 142 Bayah 2 230 4.2 58 Binnum 4 64 7.9 121 Blyth 1 18 2.0 33 Boobarowie 3 301 5.4 95 Bordertown 6 759 7.6 125 Burra 1 20 3.0 50 Caltowie 1 28 7.5 124 Clare 6 1,915 7.1 114 Canowie Belt 2 106 3.6 64 Coonawarra 6 776 9.8 158 Crystal Brook 1 54 4.1 68 -4-8- SOUTH AUSTRALIA (cont' d)
Average No.of years Total Average crops grown . area yield of Locality per acre percent
acre bushels 83 Cummins 1 16 6.8 Valley 56 3.0 59 Eden 3 116 Farrell Flat:), 395 7.0 277 11.3 168 Frances 4 17 1 12 1.0 Gawler 80 Georgetown 1 60 4.8 2 247 6.9 126 Gladstone 88 Glencoe 1 7 5.3 Glen Roy 393 9.2 154 30 0.7 10 Greenock 90 Gulnare 520 5.2 1 20 11.5 155 Halbury 68 Hallett 2 185 3.8 Hartley 1 56 2.7 33 Hilltown 482 4.9 77 212 9.1 139 Hoyleton 3 60 Jabuk 1 20 2.8 132 Jamestown 1,144 8.3 25 0.5 9 Kadina 62 Kalangadoo 2 70 3.2 165 Kapunda 1 8 8.8 Kalperri 1 44 2.1 35 Kybunga 1 32 5.7 9 129 Keyneton 251 7.8 5 60 Laura 10 3.2 Maitland 564 7.0 117 Mannanarie 1 50 2.1 35 98 Melrose 1 52 5.9 Merildin 2 43 9.2 149 Millicent 4 306 8.7 149 Mintaro 5 1,109 6.0 103 Morphett Vale 4 110 4.1 72 Mt. Gambier 7 3,711 6.4 103 Murray Town 180 11.9 188 Naracoorte 6 1,493 7.0 114 Narridy 3 61 4.8 83 O'Halloran Hill 2 70 5.3 95 Paskeville 1 10 5.8 82 Penola 3 180 4.1 69 Port Lincoln 3 67 1.3 16 Port MacDonnell 1 34 2.6 37 Port Noarlunga 1 10 1.5 32 ..70 Riverton. 3 123 4.0 Saddleworth 1 10 4.7 78 Salters Spring 6 231 12.4 199 Sandilands 2 96 4.4 72 Sellicks Hill 2 15 7.4 133 Seven Hills 2 120 8.8 157 Snowtown 1 20 11.2 151 Stockwell 1 16 3.3 55 Strathalbyn 3 95 3.7 53 Tarcowie 1 159 3.4 64 Tarlee 1 40 5.3 75 Thrington 1 4 4.5 85 Undalya 5 372 5.1 78 Urania. 2 34 3,5 5Q Watervaie 5 307 11.4 175 - Williamstown 1 40 2.4 40; Wirrabara 3 188 11.2 162 TABLE V FREQUENCY DISTRIBUTION OF CROPS BY YIELD PER ACRE AT ONE BUSHEL INTERVALS OVER TER YEAR PD1IET 1947 TO 1956: AMTRALIA AND STATES
QUEENSLAND NEW SOUTH WALES VICTORIA SOUTH AUSTRALIA AUSTRALIA
Yield Per Acre No. of % Cum No. of Cum No. of ,,) Cum No. of % Cum No. of % Cum , e cr Crops % Crops /0 Crops % Crops % Crops /0
0-- .9 143 4.9 4.9 84 9.6 9.6 74 10.2 10,2 42 7.7 7.7 343 6.8 6.8 1 - 1.9 144 5.0 9.9 84 9.6 19.2 44 6.0 16.2 30 5.5 .13.2 302 6.0 12.8 2 - 2.9 193 6.7 16.6 99 11.3 30.5 60 8.2 22.4 45 8.3 21.5 397 7.9 20.7 3 - 3.9 226 7.8 24.4 75 8.6 39.1 67 9.2 33.6 42 7.7 29.2 410 8.1 28.8 4 - 4.9 240 8.3 32.7 87 10.0 49.1 69 9.4 43.0 53 998 39.0 449 8.9 37.7 5 - 5.9 275 9.4 42.1 54 6.2 55.3 67 y.2 52.2 50 9.2 48.2 446 8.8 46.5 6 - 6.9 231 8.0 50.1 71 .8.1 63,4 55 7.5 59.752 9.6 57.8 409 8.1 54.6 7 .3. 7.9 242 8.4 58.5 55 6.3 69.7 53 7:2 66.9 38 7.0 64.8 388 7.7 62.3 8 - 8.9 222 7.7 66.2 66 7.6 77.3 43 5,--9 72.8 38 7.0 71.8 369 7.3 69.6 1 9 - 9.9 206 7.1 73.3 39 .4.5 81.8 47 6.4 79.2 26 4.8 76.6 318 6.3 75.9 10 -10.9 157 5.4 78.7 32 3.7 85.5 31 4.2 83.4 27 5.0 81.6 247 4.9 80.8 11 -11.9 152 5.2 83.9 26 3.0 88.5 27 3.7 87.1 22 4.0 85.6 227 4.5 85.3 12 -12.9 115 4.0 87.9 22 2.5 91.0 18 2.5 89.6 15 2.8 88.4 170 3.4 88.7 13 -13.9 82 2.8 90.7 19 2.2 93.2 17 2.3 91.9 13 2.4 90.8 131 2.6 91.3 69 2.4 93.1 18 2.1 95.3 12 1.6 93.5 11 2.0 92.8 110 2.2 93.5 14 -14.9 95.3 15 -15.9 59 2.0 95.1 11 1.3 96.6 10 1.4 94.9 12 2.2 95.0 92 1.8 16 -16.9 40 1.4 96.5 8 =9 97.5 6 .8 95.7 6 1.1 96.1 60 1.2 96.5 17 -17.9 23 .8 97.3 8 .9 98.4 4 .5 96.2 6 1.1 97.2 41 .8 97.3 18 -18.9 16 .6 97.9 3 .3 98.7 4 .5 96.7 7 1.2 98.4 30 .6 97.9 19 -19.9 15 .5 98.4 2 .2 98.9 .5 .7 97.4 2 .4 98.8 24 .5 98.4 20 -20.9 14 .5 98.9 1 .1 99.0 5 .7 98.1 2 .4 99.2 22 .4 98.8 21 -21.9 12 .4 99.3 3 .3 99.3 2 .3 98.4 2 .4 99.6 19 .4 99.2 22 -22.9 2 .1 99.4 2 .2 99.5 1 .1 98.5 1 .2 99.8 6 .1 99.3 23 -23.9- .1 99.5 1 .1 99.6 4 .5 99.0 - - 99.8 9 .2 99.5 4 99.6 24 3 .1 99.6 - - 99..6 2 .3 99.3 1 .2 100.0 6 .1 -24.9 _ 100.0 25 and over 12 • .4 100.0 4 .4 100.0 5 .7 100.0 - 100.0 21 .4 _ ...... ______100.0 100.0 TOTAL 2,897 100.0 100.0 874 100.0 100.0 732 100.0 100.0 543 100.0 100.0 5,046 TABLE NO. VI.
RATIO OF YIELD PER ACRE OF WHEAT TO LINSEED.
QUEENSLAND - DOWNS DIVISION.
1947 TO 1956.
Yield 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 Average o 10 years
Wheat bush. per acre 24.1 24.1 20.0 15.8 15.1 26.4 17.8 24.5 26.5 19.8 21.4 'Linseed bush, per acre 9.5 4.7 6.3 6.8 4.5 7.9 4.3 8.2 9.9 6.6 6.9 Ratio Wheat to linseed 2.5 5.1 3.2 2.3 3.4 3.3 4.1 3.0 2.7 3.0 3.1 TABLE YII _ RATIO OF YIELD ER. AWL WHEAT TO LIITSEED NE71 SOUTH WALES BY DIVISIONS 1947 :TO 1956
Yield 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 ' 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 Average of 10 years
Central Tablelands Wheat bush. per acre 21.0 15.4 21.9 9.6 17.0 Linseed bush. per acre 6.9 2.8 4.2 5.6 4.9 Ratio Wheat to Linseed 3.0 5.5 5.2 1.7 3.5(a)
North Western Slopes Wheat bush, per acre 18.4 18.0 23.9 10.1 13.6 25.8 21.6 11.7 20.8 19.5 18.3 Linseed bush. per acre 8.3 5.2 10.2 3.2 5.3 8.3 4.8 7.4 9.2 16.8 7.9 Ratio Wheat to Linseed 2.2 3.5 2.3 3.2 2.6 3.1 4.5 1.6 2.3 1.9 2.3
Central Western Slopes Wheat bush., per acre , 18.2 16.7 22.0 10.3 14.1 13.4 18.9 14.7 16.0 2.8 DJ Linseed bush, per acre 3.9 ?.7 8.8 3.1 2.3 11.1 16.3 6.4 Ratio Wheat to Linseed 4.7 6.2 2.5 3.3 6.1 1.2 1.2 5.3 2.5(b)
South Western Slopes _ _ 16.9 Wheat bush. per acre 20.3 15.7 18.6 13.8 14.1 18.8
0.0 _ _ Linseed bush. per acre 8.1 3.0 5.8 2.0 3.9 9.0 5.3 _ _ 3.2(c) Ratio Wheat to Linseed 2.5 5.2 3.2 6.9 3.6 2.1
Central Plains North 17.8 Wheat bush. per acre 18.6 16.7 21.9 7.9 12.1 24.7 22.6 13.3 21.4 18.3 Linseed bush, per acre 13.1 6.6 14.A 3.1 4.8 8.2 7.2 11.4 7.2 6.9 8.3 3.0 2.7 2.1 Ratio Wheat to Linseed 1.4 2.5 1.5 2.5 2.5 3.0 3.1 1.2
Riverina MI= 17.3 bush, per acre 18.9 14.9 18.9 18.3 17.5 175 13.6 18.6 Wheat 12.6 6.8 Linseed bush, per acre 9.9 3.4 6.3 5.1 4.6 5.5 6.7 2.0 1.5 2.5(d) Ratio Wheat to Linseed 1.9 4.4 3.0 3.6 3.8 3.2 '0
Linseed grown in 6 years only. Linseed grown in 8 (a) Linseed grown in 4 years only. (b) Linseed grown in 8 years only. (c) years only. TABLE VIII RTIO OF YIELD PER ACRE OF WHEAL TO LINSE:Dn 1947 TO 1956: VICTORIA BY DIVISIONS_
Yield 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 Average of
Central Wheat bush,per acre 1.0 20.5 21.3 16.5 16.4 23.0 20.3 29.4 21.5 TArseed bush.per acre 7.1 .7.4 6.6 7.8 9.4 9.2 14.9 13.5 9.6 Ratio Wheat to Linseed ...._ 2.7 2.8. _ 32 2..1 _ 1..7„, 2.5 1.4 2.2 2.3(a) Nth, Central Wheat bush. per acre 17.5 21.5 Linseed bush, per acre 1.8 6.6 Ratio Wheat to Linseed 9.7 3.3 •
Western Wheat bush. per acre 17.4 22.4 23.2 19.3 19,9 15.9 26.3 24.0 20.3 16.5 20.5 Linseed bush-.per acre 7.4 7.8 6.3 6.1 5.2 2.6 5.5 7.1 4.2 7.5 6.0 Ratio Wheat to Linseed 2.4 2.9 3.7 3.2 3.8 6.1 4.8 3.4 4.8 2.2 3.4
• WWI.. Wimmera Wheat bush, per acre 24-5 25.7 • 22.2 24.2 24.2 Linseed bush. per acre 4.2 700 5.6 2.6 4.9 Ratio Wheat to Linseed 5.8 3.7 4.0 9.3 4.9(c)
Malice Wheat bush.por acre 22.2 22.2 Linseed b,lsh.per acre •••• 3.8 Ratio Wheat to Linseed 5.8 5.8(d)
OW...Y.. • • • Northern Wheat bush.per acre 16.9 20..6 19.0 16.8 21.0 24.1 17,1 15.5 18.9 5.0 Linseed bushper acre 5.2 5.2 10.6 1.5 L-' 3.0 3.6 5.9 3.8(e) Ratio Wheat to Linseed 3.3 4.0 1.8 11.2 4.4 8.0 4.8 - 2.6 • • • Nth. Eastern Wheat bush, per acre 21.2 20.6 18.9 _ ._ 22.6 20.3 Linseed bush per acre_ 7.2 2.7 7.3 _ _ 5.9 •-0 7.3 Ratio Wheat to Linseed 2.9 7.6 2.4 _ _ 3.8 2.8(f)
OW.
Linseed grown in 1 year only. a) Linseed grown in 9 years only. (b) Linseed grown in 2 years only. (c) Linseed grown in 4 years only. (d) e) Linsetid grown in 8 years only. (f) Linseed grown in 5 years only TABLE IX RATIO OF YIELD PER ACRE OF WHEAT TO LINSEED: 47 .TO 1956: SOUTH AUSTRALIA BY DIVISIONS
••••••
Yield 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 Average of ten years
Central _ Wheat bush. per acre 17.8 17.7 17.0 • 19.8 19.0 25.8 - - 19.5 _ _ _ Linseed bush. per Lore 5.5 5.5 7.1 6.2 7.6 4.7 6.1 _ _ _ Ratio Wheat to Linseed 3.2 3.2 2.4 3.2 2.5 5.5 3.2(a)
Lower North Wheat bush, per acre 9.0 17.7 18.5 21.2 21.4 30.0 29,4;1 21.0 Linseed bush, per acre 5.5 8.2 $.3 5.9 5.5 4.6 3.6 5.9 Ratio Wheat to Linseed 3.5 2.2 2.2 3.6 3.9 6.5 8.1 3.8(b)
Upper North Wheat bush. per acre _ _ 17.8 20.1 19.4 24.5 •• 20.5 _ _ 1 14.1 5.6 9.8 u bushLinseed. per acre 4.9 4.7 4 Ratio Wheat to Linseed _ _ 1.2 4.3 1.4 4.4 2.1 (c)
South Eastern Wheat bush. per acre - 22.1 22.1 21.2 23.4 22.8 22.8 22.4 16.8 21.7 Linseed bush. per acre - 8.3 11.5 8.3 6.8 5.4 2.0 4.5 12.9 7.5 Ratio Wheat to Linseed _ 2.7 1.9 2.6 3.4 4.2 11.4 5.0 1.3 2.9(d)
Western Division Wheat bush. per acre 10.7 7.0 6.11. •••••I 16.2 11.3 Linseed bush. per acre 4.6 .9 .3 ••••• 1.9 Ratio Wheat to Linseed 2.3 7.8 54.0 5.9(e)
Murray Malice 10.2 Wheat bush. per acre 8.8 10.5 11.3 bush. per acre 1.8 7.7 .8 11•••11 ••••• 3.4 Linseed 3.0 (e) Ratio Wheat to Linseed 4.9 1.4 14.1
(d) Linseed grown in 8 (a) Linseed grown in 6 years only. (b) Linseed grown in 7 years only. (c) Linseed grown in 4 years only. years only. (e) Linseed grown in 3 years.