New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1854-08-19
TIE SUPPLY OF FOOD.

ago. ne alarm tnat hdd Detn leIt III 'ailVls quar-
tiers account Of the killing of the wheat by the pre-
viOus winter had me.suraby subsidized, because it be-
came evident that the calamity was only partial and
that many Of the fields that had been given up by the
doctors were in a conyalescent state. Harvest, too,
had commenced in all the southern States, and, with
few exceptions the yield was fair one; and as the
time arrived for cutting the crop in the great wheat
regions Of In iiana Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin and
Canada, it was found that the yield never had been
better than this year. In the southern part Of Ohio
and the western part Of Michigan it was also very
fue; and in this State and most Of the others there
wss q medium yield la several c0uBtes Of New
York Pennsylvania and Ohio, the destruction Of the
wheat BY the red weeyil was threatened for
time; but il was soon found that the damage was lin
tied; and in summing up accounts from parts of
the Union, satisfied that the total number Of
bushels of wheat harvested was fully equal to the
ersge Of past seasons. With this fact in view, We
did not doubt that prices must reeede to very mod
crate figure particularly as the prospect of the H.
dim crop such to assure every person at
all familiar with the product of thst greatest Of ali
fcOd- giving plants, that without some very uncOm-
mon calamity the yield Of lc54 would far exceed that
Of sny previous year, as the breadth planted was
probably ten per cent. greater than ever before
farmers having been stimulated to plant largely by
the high price Of grain during all the planting
This was especially the case in Illinois, where it was
probably owing mainly to the fact that just at the
right t,me beef cattle, in which form large portion
OF the Illinois is sent to market, reached price
higher than at any previous time in fifteen years. At
any rate, more acres of corn were planted in that
State than had ever been planted before, and the
growth was unusually promising up to the time for
the formation of the grain to commence.
Then, just everybody was congratulating himself
and bis neghbOrs upon the secured crops of wheat,
oats and grsss as well as GA the cheering appearance
of the growing corn, and the bohtiul supply Of pO-
tatOes in prospect, isolated accounts Of drouth began
to excite some unessness but no great anxiety In
places where winter wheat had failed and a back
ward spring had prevented putting in much corr
or potatoes as could have been planted in
favorable great fields of buckwheat and turDips
were sown and the hope Of teeming supply of food
for the coming winter was almost universal.
At first the reports of drOuth came from some of
the western and northern counties of this State but
thes recently became more extensive and more alarm
ing; and new whoever has read our extended reports
in IL present numbers Of The TRIBUNE, mus be con-
WINGED that the drOuth now prevailing is more wide
spresd and more destructive than any beretD fore
known in America The corn in many Of the best
counties Of Illinois aud Indana, that promised an
average yield Of sixty bushels per acre will il many
fields not produce q single bushel, and the product
cannot possibly equal one-balf the usual average if
indeed it equals one-ffth Aswe have before stated,
this drouh Il 10 longer confined 10 few isolated To-
Ia 4 l.
rot only cut of Indian corn but potatoes, tu,nips
and buckwheat and the fall feed for cattle In
places the poor brutes are literally starving Some
feed them out Of their winter store, and some drive
them to the woods to browse;-all sell them ss fast
as they can, and many are sent to the SD mnbles
though only fit for the knacker's yard
Now what is the prospect for We may as well
look il in the face at once 1t is undeniabe that the
greatest Of all American cropsIndian Corn-will be
woeuly below the antcipsons OF every farmer in the
country, and greatly below our actual wants. The
consequence will be- that Western pork cannot be made
at such prices as have prevailed for many years, and
our supply of Western beef cattle, though it mag not
fall of in number, will be like Phsraohs lean kline
sadly deficient in tallOw; and if we have grumbed
at whatwe have heretofore received we shall groau al
what we are likely to get hereafter The loss of the
corn crop must be felt by all classes of society
whether they eat corn or wheat bread or whether
they are consumers meat vegetables. The latter
ing prospect Of abundance Of cheap food next winter
is now to be counted among things past. Let all who
read and think, husband their resources. There is
no danger of famine but there is need of economy
, There is also in some localities positive pressing
necessity for consultation among farmers as to the
amount Of breadstufs on hand and what portion of
the grain can probably be devoted to the making of
meat. Meetings are already called for this purpose
in some Of the counties OF Illinois II is there per
haps that they most needed for there the drouh
seems to have produced the most disastrous effects
1t is there, too, that the Indian crop has hereto
fore been 20 abundant, and the grain of such low
marketable value that it would not bear transpor-
taon TO any considerable extent and therefore those
who grow it have not the first idea of the necessity
to save it, or ability to use it economically Ii has
been frequent mode of treating animals intended for
beef and pork TO turn them into con-felds TO eat and
destroy at their pleasure. For winter feeding the
ears are often left upon the stalks in the fields to be
gathered as requred or, if picked in the fall they
are stored IN the rudest fashion and fed out in the
most wasteful manner. 1t was no uncommon thing 10
see iour-horse wagonoad of corn hauled out among
thousand hogs scattered right and left over muddy
field, for the swine to eat and wallow in the mud.
Beef cattle are fed there in the same mproydent way
wasting precious food to extent that must be sbso
lutey distressing to educated in habits of econo
my. Ills waste has prevailed through all the great
corn region of The western and southern States We
trust it may now be arrested.
Oar hope is that the calamity may not prove SO
serious as it threatens TO be- but is the duty Of