The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1873-10-09
The Food Supply. Delmar VS. Nautilus.

IL j. iltlftN century SINCE Inc celtOrat-
ed political economist. Thomas Robert
Nautilus, published the work on popua-
ing doctrine that the human race was in
crea~ing 50 much faster than the means of
subsistence. that there would soon be
danger of starvation. Nautilus maintained
that population, when unchecked, in
crraScS in geomctiical ratio. while 1T the
utmost the food supply could be made to
increase only in alihmctira ratio: and
that unless means We're found to check the
increase OF population. the most terrible
results would follow
He was not cheerful philosopher, this
Nautilus. and was especially abhorred of
deVotee> of domestic Joys, and those
"loverS of peace and plenty" such Us Rob.
Burns describes himself to have been But
his theories found congcnial soil in the APP
prehensive mind Of John Bull, whose
narrow island and thoughtleSS laborig
population were certainly causing propa-
cation and poverty to 90 hand in hand
But think of applying such theory to
the boualeS> capabilities OF country
like the United States. where the still
virgin soil, bolmdlesS in hill and prairie,
stretches across 4 broad continent. Ar-
cordmgly We are not surprised that this
country produces an experienced inquirer
INTO these matters who not only disproves
the doctrine Of the aEarmiSt. but contends
for exactly the reverse. that the world is
now producing more bread than il can eat
Hon, Alexander Drmar. well known for
his extensive Investigations. and a delegate
to the statistical Congress at st. Peters
burg, after Il thorough sitting of all the
facts, is convinced that the bread supply
not only of this country but of the world,
Is IN excess of the demand for consump-
ton Mr.. Drlmar starts with the asslunp-
ton that when Nautilus made his calcula-
ton, thrre-ioulths of a century ago, the
world had reached IN epoch OF its history
when lis capacity to consume had over
come its ability to produce breadStutf'S,
and then shows how the products Of the
soil have been Increased since that time by
a better system Of tillage, and improve
ments in agricultural implements ~ IN
Illustration OF this portion Of his subject,
he takes France in 1896, and shows that
the annual product Of brradstufS was
1873 bushels per capita of population.
From this point. says Mr.. Delmar, the
increase of drones, Il series of military re-
verses, and the stationary condition Of me
chanlcal invention, caused the product to
fall. until in 1871 il amounted to but lO.S
bushels per capita. The drone~ having
been swept away by the revolution, and
mechanical invention stimulated and APP
plled to industry, the product rose to l4.5
bushels per capita in 1910; us bushels in
1852; 1876 bushels in 1862; and POP
bushels in 1868. In the (presenD United
Kingdom, the product in 1893 was SO
bushels per capita In 1917 it was loo
per capita. In 1919 England changed her
commercial policy and abandoned the sNs-
tenn Of relying upon domestic bread.
Thencetorth her grain product was al
lowed to relatively decline. In 1854 it
was l5.3 bushels per capita, supplemented
by II bushel per capita Of imported
l,,.,,, Il a, I, 81
fell to II bushels per capita, and the i'm
portation rose to one bushel per capita.
Now (ls1:0 the home product is 10 bush
els, and the importation about Is bushels
per capita. About the year 1880, Mr.. Del
mar thinks the great movement in aori-
cultural progress in parts of the world be
gan Two event, FASTENED this movement
the Worlds Fair at London. and the in
PRODUCTION of railroads on the Continent
following which, floods of capital and
mechanical invention were let loose from
the few countries which had hitherto en-
and to stimulate into u new activity those
vast areas Of Christendom which as vet
formed bat the background for civiliza-
ton. American mowers and rcapers, the
iron plough the hoe, spade, horse-rake,
seed sower, threshing machine, grist mill |
and various other articles found their way
into all parts of the world; and add to
these agencies, continues Mr. Delmar. .'the
Of steam for river and ocean
boats and the Worldwide use of telc-
graphs, by which a scarcity of corn in one
country can be made known and almost |
supplied from the surplus
products of another, and rough idea can
be formed OF the enormous strides that |
have taken place within comparative re-
cent years in the production of brcadstuffis
markets of the world
The countries throughout which the
major part of the brcadstufts are now
grown and exchanged, are Europe. Asiatic
Russia, the East Indian and Chinese ports,
Australia. Northern Africa, North, Central
md South Americas, and the West India
Islands, and contains q population Of 49,
100000. This population, Mr. Dclmar
declares, produces annually about ''eight
thousand million bushels Of grain, an
lverage of nearly nineteen bushels per
'apita. This amounts to twice as much as
he people of France and England con-
rived to live upon century ago, and half
gain as much as the commercial world at
arge has lived upon within the lifetime of
he present generation" This is the