The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1884-04-19 00:00:00

THE FOREIGN CORN TRADE.

Values for wheat in the United States have ad-
vanced sharply. On Thursday at New York quota-
tions were as follows: Spring wheat, 31s. 10d. ; red
winter on spot, 335. 7d.; April, 335. Bd.; May,
345. id.; June, 345. 9d.; extra State flour, 13s. 6id.
to 14s. ; maize, 19s. per 4801 b. f.o.b. As com-
pared with the rates current on the Saturday of the
previous week, these quotations show an advance
of 10d. on spring wheat, is. id. on spot winter,
is. 71d. on April, is. 4:3d. on May, and Is. sid. on
June; is. advance on flour, and 2d. advance on
maize. The reports of the California Agricultural
Bureau show that unless any disaster should happen to
the crop on the Pacific coast there will ba an unprece-
dented yield of wheat this year. According to the
April report of the United States Agricultural Depart-
ment from 5 to 6 per cent, of the winter wheat acreage
has been ploughed up, leaving an estimate of
27,600,000 acres standing, which would be an increase
of 5 per cent. on the acreage of the 1883 winter wheat
crop. The condition of the plant is returned as 95,
the number 100 being taken to represent a good
average plant. The total wheat crop of 1883 is now
given as 420,134,500 "measured bushels," equal to
398,935,481 bushels of 601 b. A telegram from
Geile, in the Baltic, dated Monday last, states that
navigation there was then open. Lloyd's agent at St.
Petersburg telegraphed on Thursday that the ice is
breaking up above St. Petersburg, and that it was
expected that navigation would be open in a few
days. At Narva the river and roads were open on
Wednesday, and the port of Riga was reopened on
Thursday. A telegram from Taganrog, dated Monday
last, stated that navigation was open that day in the
Azow. In India the new crop of linseed is coming for-
ward freely, and arrivals at Calcutta are large. A
telegram from Ottawa, dated Monday last, is to the
effect that the Welland Canal will be opened by about
the 28th of this month. A postal advice from Val-
paraiso, dated February 18, stated that the new crop
of wheat was then arriving freely at port markets, but
that quotations were above their European equiva-
lents. A telegram dated Wednesday week gave the
c.i.f. quotation for wheat as 375. per 4801 b., United
Kingdom ports, including Valparaiso commission. A
postal advice from Buenos Ayres, dated March 7, is
to the effect that the new crops of wheat and lin-
seed were coming in very freely, and were thought '
likely to amount to double those of 1883. A tele-
gram from Alexandria, dated Wednesday, states that
freights for grain are depressed, and that values for
cotton seed are "demoralised," the market through-
out being in a state of panic. In New Zealand the
harvest period has been very wet, and such an unpro-
pitious time is said not to have been known for the
past twenty-two years. A plentiful rainfall in
Morocco has caused harvest prospects to improve
materially, and grain values are consequently falling.
On the continent of Europe the weather has been
propitious to the growing crops, and valnes for
rain have shown a general decline.—Mark Lane
apresS.

POPULAR ESTIMATION.—First Errand Boy: " Hnllon
Bill, he's a hartist, he is." Second Do: "Well, leave
him alone, can't yer ? It ain't his fault, poor feller!"
—Fun.