, 1875-09-22
AMERICAN AGNTCULTuRE,

The pohple Of tho british Isles consume
about "qnnrtcr," or 3 bushels, Of wheat
per capita onch yenr. The hgnrea are large.
but none tho less true. Tho poorest classcH
eat bread made of wheat Hour. 4 foolish
psdc or 1ack Of appreciation prevents their
using corn.meal. Efforts to Introduce this
all failed. Jons STUART bIrr1 long ngo
pointed out tho advantage to them Of this
change in their diet, but they will not change
Oatmeal forma pnrt Of tho food used in
3cotland. Tho fact has been matlo historic
by tho Scotchnlan's rotort to DR.. JonNsoNs
rough speech: "'rhey feed hosscs in En-
gland and men in scotland Will, tho samo
food" Tho canny Scot replied: "And
where else will ya 800 sic horsea nnd Bo
lnrn?" Wheat, however, is the staple diet,
even north of the Tweed. Tho supply Of
tho ENORMOUS mercantile nnrino OF England
conEumca great deal Of tho grain. Tho
omigrant-carying steamships have to take
heavy loads of it. English garrisons all ovor
the world, outside Of Amcricn and Australia,
are supplied with flour by England. These
causea combine to produce an enormous con-
sumption.
Since the repeal IF the Corn laws, the
british farmer has not been able to got An
artificial price for his grim. 1fo must sell
in competition with tho other grain-growers
Of the world. Evory nation that has peck
of wheat to spare shipa it to m English port
The result Of this is, TINT cattlo-growing pays
better than whcat-growing. Tho acreogo of
| wheat therefore, steadily diminiahcs and
ras.urnge increases. At the san,e timo. the
population increases at tho ratio of 400, 600
yeM. There are moro mouths to feed and
fawor bushels Of wheat with which to fill
them Thus the Bzitial. Iales import every
ycar about 8,000, 900 bushols moro than they
did tho year before They necessarily i'm
! port moro cat1e, too, The increase in pas-
turo land has not kept pace with tho in-
creased demand for meat England is na-
ton Of bcef.catcrs. Whazs are its beef and
broad to como from2
Tho Continent cannot supply this hungry
country. Holland has hitherto produced an e1-
portable surplus Of moat, cheese, and butter,
but this surplua is Decreasing year by yoar.
| That country still supplies quantitlos OF cat
tie, but they azo importers, not exporters, Of
wheat The American shipments to Rotter-
dn1n and Amsterdam do not by any means
show how much American grim is entered at
those porte. England ia our farmara' oom-
mission merchant Sho buys their grain,
,scs most Of it herself, but ships the rest to
Ireland, Belgium, Holland, md, in bn4l sea-
| BonB, to Franco. Franco has become a NAL
ufacturing, as we'll as an agricultural, coun-
try, enl tho nature Of hor agricul-
ture is changing. Whsat is giving way to
mulberry .raoa, vines, and paaturage. Her
o1portablo mrplus il decreasing. This is
truo Of Germany also. Her population is
concentrating III tho great cities. Flor manu-
factures have been stimulated by free-trade
tariff, and abe now exports largo quantities Of
manufactured wares aud goods. She proba-
bly, produces no moro wheat than she con-
sumea. importing from the south rs much rs
nhe exporta from her Baltic cities.
Il ia avident, tlon, that the English de-
mani for bread and boof ia not likely to DO
as fully supplied in the future as it has been
iu tic past by the Continent. The United
Kingdom now imports from America about
l,alf Of the grain entered at hor ports She
will probably 1oroafter make still larger drafts
upon our GRIM feldH. As aoon 81 safe and
oheap method Of carrying fresh mont across
the Atlantic il devised, saew become pur-
chaser OF our cattle. The conclusion Of tho
whole matter is, that American agriculture
will probably pay eyon better in tho future
than it lay In the past. The increased de.
maud for beef md bread will outstrip the In
creased supply.
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