The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1876-07-05
The Granary of the World.

The New York Sun claims that the
United States is destined to be-f not
now entitled to be called-the .granary
of the world, and supports the assertion
by figures which show that of the bread
eaten by the millions of Great Britain,
the United States furnishes nearly fifty
per cent. of the wheat. That our export
trade is growing is vouched for by the
fact that from January 1st, 1876, 10,-
900, 900 bushels of wheat were shipped
from the port OF New York alone, against
6, 400, 900 bushels for the corresponding
period of 1876. ~ .'"' .i.
The future growth Of the exports of
-four and grain from the United States
cannot be measured. During the last
six years it has increased from 27, 978,- :
669 bushels in 1869 to 107, ,243, 158 bush
els in 1874. With undiminished land
resources, we can supply almost any
conceivable demand. In the very nature
of things that demand must largely in
crease. The principal customer, Great
Britain, received from that port alone,
from September 1st, 1874, to Septem-
Der LIST, 1875, of wheat, 21,S71, 1854
bushels of corn, 10,48S, 993 bushels.
In the very best crop years she looks
abroad for bread. With q population OF
over $4,000, 900, in 1875, her supposed
requirements Of wheat and -four for
home consumption (not including seed),
at the rate of five and one-haf bushels
per capita, amounted to %, 293, l25 quar-
ters, of which she imported 11,77O, ,372
quarters. While her total home pro.
duction of wheat falls SO largely short OF
! her requirements for home consumption,
the acreage of the United Kingdom, in
cluding the Channel islands, under crops
of grain has actually diminished from
II, 755, ,053 acres in 1870 to II, 1868, ,059
acres in 1875. It will thus be seen how
entirely Great Britain is dependent on
foreign countries for very nearly fifty
per cent. of the bread annually eaten by
over $4,000, 900 of people, and how OK.
tremely precarious becomes her situa.
tion in the case of the failure or partial
failure of her grain crop. ..
In the event of such calamity to the
people OF Great Britain, their principal
sources of supply would be from this
country. The natural and artificial
facilities for transportation by water in
North America are unequaled by any
other great division of the earth; and the
railway facilities are unparalleled. The
United States and the Canadas share
alike in these mixed transportation
facilities, and are competitors for the
vast and growing carrying trade between
the interior and the Atlantic seaboarG
ports. The low rates of transportation
from the interior to the seaboard have
enabled the United States to supply more
than one-haf of the wheat and flour i'm
ported into Great Britain, while we have
almost the monopoly of British corn i'm
ports-namely: in 1874 the total imports
of maize into the United Kingdom were
1858, ,625 cwts., of which the <Unitet
States supplied 13,454,617 cwts. Ii
1874 the United States sent to Grea
Britain, Of wheat, 81, ,2O6,052 cwts., ant
British North America only 4,206, IS:
cwts. Russia, Moldavia, Wallachia
Turkey and the Austrian territories ar
being gradually driven out of the grain
markets of Great Britain, by the abilit.
to lay down American grain in British
ports at such rates as almost def.
! competition.