The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1866-12-01
The wheat suppIy-TheA grIcul-
tur0l BUreot

The Whcnt Supply-The Agricul.
tural Huren !.
The Philadelphia Commcrt hal List says
that Mr.. Newton's crop staten ent excite dis
content, by leading people to expect to pur>
chase breadstuffs at impossible low rates.
We cannot excuse him for permitting his
Gesire to appear as the savior of the people
from the plots of crafty grain spectators, to
lead him away from the truth The Bureau
is brought into contempt w making the
statsmcnts which are ccatradicted by every
well-inforned man in the cou htry. 1t is not
worth while for the Bureau to say that "ex>
cited and hasty individuals, farmers, grain
dealers, and commercial editorsp know moth,
ing about crops, or the amount of wheat in
the country. If the three Ct asses thus dis.
respectfully named know nothing about
crops, we should very much like to know
whence the Der artmcnt derives its own in.
formation. The head of the Bureau is not
ubiquitous, and however majestic his intel.
lect, cannot bring it to bear upon every por>
ton of the country. He is, therefore, in.
formed at second hand, and, we take the
liberty to say, very i'll informed.
We add, in support of observations upon
the crops heretofore made by the Commercial
Last, the following statements The receipts
Of wheat into st. Louis from the close Of
harvest to November /, 1866, have been
3,3OO,OOo bushels. and for the same period of
1865, 100000 bushels. This shows OH ex>
cess in deliveries by farmers into ST. Louis,
for 1866, of 500, 900 bushels over those of '65.
An inspection of the supplies into Chicago
for the corresponding times will show SINH.
lar result. This disposes of the assertion
that farmers are holding back their grain,
while the very free shipments from these
great cities show that the grain dealers are
| also letting go very freely.
IT. then, 20 large quantities of ..breadstuffs
have been received since harvest at St Louis
and Chicago, and subsequently sent away
| With all dispatch from those great centers
what has been their final destination? How
is 1t that, in the face of these outpourings
from the Northwest, New York city has to.
day only one-fourth as much -four, and
| scarcely BALI rs much wheat, as at this time
last year?
The answer is plain. There has been q
disastrous failure in the wheat crops Of Mich
gan. Indiana, Kentucky, OHIO, ennsylvania
Delaware. and Maryland. with more or les.
sever" injury in the other States. IN short
We have bat hall a crop of wheat. Comse'
quently, the wheat and fosr Of the North,
west have been arrested IN their transit to
the seaboard, in order to supply the domestic
| wants of the States first named. Iha, the
latter have nothing Of their own 10 spare
| can be promptly attested by every receiver
and commission merchant ia our Eastern
cities
We asser; on good authority, that the St.
| Louis milers have but two Or three DAYS
stock Of wheat on hand, and hat the trinter
wheat is out of the hands of ther farmers.
Their receipts are expected to decrease, and
there is very light stock of iout in store, and
held by millers in that city.
We might repeat precisely the same oh
serSai.ons concerning Chicago.
At this time last year the millers Of St.
Lo lis had 200,0 900 bushels Of whea, ia their
mills. Thew now have hardly 10000. They
are all confident ,ha, price, vii be higher.
II may be the Bureau men VI Ill no, believe
our statements, since having made up their
minds to reject or muiilaie n testimony o!
"iarmers, grain dealers, and commercial
editors" They have only ihei own inagi-
nations 10 fall back upon. to supply them
with facts.