The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1876-12-30
The Grain Trade.

A carefully compiled article on the
grain trade Of this country shows most
wonderful growth. Tho foreign exports
of wheat from all United States ports to
all foreign countries have grown from H.
597 ,5S5 bushels in 1868 to 56,013,935
bushels in 1915, of which Al ,S63, 1897
were exported from the port of New York.
The corn crop of the United States in
1875 was about eleyep hundred million
bushels. With uudiminished resources Of
land for the production of wheat and corn
there would seem to be scarcely any CON
ceiyable limit to the production and ex-
port of both. This country is the granary
to which the millions Of Europe confidently
look when short Of breadstuffs. The
United Kingdom is by far our largest
customer. From September /, 1874, to
September l, 1875, there was sent her
from the port of New York alone of wheat
81 81 1854 bushels, and of corn 10, 4SS,.
1913 bushels. The receipts at New York
of flour, reduced to bushels, and grain for
the crop year ending September /, 1874,
reached the enormous aggregate of 1917
273,l5S bushels. These figures prove this
country the great granary of the world,
and that it is steadily increasing its sup.
plies LIP foreign markets is shown in a
comparative table prepared by the New
York Times, showing that of the foreign
wheat required to'eke out the necessary
supply in Great Britain (some 100000
to 100000 quarters Russia, the next
great source of supply to that from the
United States, furnished in 1867 Al per
cent. and the United States but IA per
cent. Annually from that time to 1873, a
period Of seven years, the Russian supply
has fuctuated widely, ending with furnish
ing only u per cent, while the United
States supplied "A per cent, It is thus
seen that American cereals are steadily
driving Russian grain from the markets Of
Great Britain. Cheap transportation from
Chicago to the Atlantic seaboard has
greatly benefited this country, and especi-
ally the West, through the increased
facilities afforded for supplying Europe
with our agricultural products. The
farming interest is asserting its ascendancy;
it prospers while all else languishes it Is
reaching out to grasp the food trade of
another continent; it has turned the bal
ance Of International trade largely in our
favor, and enables us to pay our foreign
debts with the products Of the SOIL Much
Of the growth Of the grain trade in this
country is attributable to cheap transpor.
tation Of cereals from the Mississippi val.
ley to the Atlantic seaboard and the great
markets Of the world A further CHEAP
ening of rates to any marked extent would
give us such entire control Of the English
market as to absolutely crush out all com
petition. On the Pacific slope, California
has achieved great prominence as a grain
growing State. The receipts Of wheat at
San Francisco have increased from 5O9,-
l63 centals in 1865 to 1887 ,66O centals
in 1875, while the crop Of the present year
is unpreccdentedly large. In 1875 Cali
fornia exported s, sos. $50 ceptals of wheat
Of which 1868, 454 centals went to Europe
and the balance chiefly to Eastern domes.
tic ports, South America, Fast Indies,
Australia and New Zealand. The receipts
of grain at the six leading Atlantic sea-
ports for thirty weeks ending November
II, 1876, aggregate 135,053, 900 bushels.
Of which New York's per centage was
46.S, as against 5S,3 for the same period
in 1873. Within three years there has
been very marked diversion Of the grain
trade from New York to this port and
Baltimore,--PhRa. Ledger, Dec. e6.