Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1855-08-18
LABORATORY OF STATE CHEMIST,

DeetWcfey AuSuSl 9, 1000.
GENTLEMEN: In communication to
your paper some sisne since l expressed
the opinion. derived from my own per-
sonal Observations and frem' a large cor
respondence, that the wheat crop of the
present would not exceed that of the last
year. One Of the morning papers (the
American) doubted the correctness of my
opinion and the accuracy of the facts on
which it was founded, and appealed to
the coming harvest to prove the ineor-
RICHNESS Of my opinion.
The harvest is now ended, and we have
statements as to its product from all parts
of our country. What do these say
when collated and compared with each
other? That we have an extra crop? BY
no means; only that we have full crop
of wheat of fine quality to meet the de-
mand for the next twelve months. In
some parts of the country the wheat crop
has been inferior in quantity to that OF
last year, in other parts it has exceeded
that quantity, but in many parts where
large crops have been made, they have
been injured by the heavy and continued
rains succeeding the harvest.
Compare, then, the present quantity
of wheat on hand with that at the same
time than we had last year. Then there
was a large stock of wheat sn hand now
thnre is scarcely any. This plainly
shows a deficit, then, as to this year Of
the quantity of wheat for consumption
WHAT'S the latest news of the wheat crops
from Englandl BY the Agricultural
Gazette of July DIST (and here let me
say that the reports for this paper arc
eellated from reliable correspondents u
eeesy district in England) nave Ii tie sa
lowing: There can be little doubt, ta-
ken as whole, it (the. wheat CROP will
prove considerably shortof last year. II
at any rate cannot supply the home de-
mand. There can be no importations
from the Baltic, none from the Black
Sea. Food must be sent to the armies
and nayies herewith what loss and
waste we all know. One-fourth of the
quantity would feed the same population
at home as is now consumed in the
Crimea.
From all these facts, then, there must
be foreign demand for our wheat, and
we have a less quantity to meet that de-
mand and our own wants than we had at
this time last year. h the face Of al
this, prices must be maintained at a HAL
figure. 1t may suit the views Of specu-
lators and monopolists to cry out no,c,
large crops tremendous crops! bring
down the price Of wheat; and when they
have purchased, change their tune, sing
out great scarcity Of breadstuHsr' OBJ
tain the highest prices, and make for
tunes on the labor of honest industry. -
But if the producer will attend to his own
interest, he win not be deceived by any
artifce Of the purchaser to reduce the
price OF wncat:- u, ~ :, IL com ernn-and in.
decd, all the crops which depend for
, their growth on this season--bids fair 10
be very large, being benefited liz the
drought Of the last year, as explained
in the .'Sun' a few weeks since; but
this willnot materially make up for the
deficit in our wheat crop, as corn Is most
ly converted into pork and beef, or fei ia
horses. mules, Sc. andwith large part
Of our population il is but very little us
cd as a breadstutf,