Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1879-08-15
THE EVENING STAR.
FRlDAY............. August Is, lS50s
FRIDAY
Europe and America.
TEE OLD WORLDS FOOD DEPENDENCE ON THE
NEW

Europe and America.
TIE OLD WORLDS FOOD DEPENDENCE ON THE
NEW.
Edward Kings Letters to the Boston Journal
Inc venerable American who went home the
olneI Gay because, as he said, no true patriot
G4 QUO, aHord to remain away from country
mca Is IN the full tide OF prosperity, and who
ADDED, enthusiastically, on the eve OF his de-
parlure, This Is going TO be beautiful year"
M s,'t aeel napier than usual If he were here
gust Hoh, 10 chronicle the many signs which
Idlcate that Europe becomes daily more and
mere dependent on the United States. From
S Spsin, rom Germany, from Italy, from Eng
land come hosts of proof OF this important fact,
ana me french are gradually admitting It. al
tnougn they are the last people to recognize
t d upon other people, In any FASH
French press, moralizing recently on the ilsas-
tTous seasons and failures OF crops which have
latterly affected Middle Europe, takes oc-
cason to point out the important role which
America will soon play In furnishing cheap food
to the French and to other nations. He begins
by remarking that IL new countries did moi
come to the succor Of the old, 10 less than a
quarter OF century the man In Europe who ate
meat or butter. or who drank milk, would have
to be a millionaire. "GOu have only to sup
pose, - he says, .'such an increase in the price
OF meat during the next rs years as we have
been witnesses OF In the last quarter century,
and you will readily understand how useful 1t
was for providence 10 invent America, Australia
abd La rata, TO assure future generations some
thing like substantial nourishment. III steam
navigation had not been invented and IL the
wEeat regions OF the far west had not been
developed this writer believes that Ia the win
Ter OF 1879 SO the population Of France would
have been eating chestnuts, oats and ether sub
sututes Tor proper food, to which their FORE
fathers had recourse In time OF famine. for.
curiouSly enough, as he remarks, the crops
Throughout Europe, with perhaps the single
exception OF Russia, will be altogether iiisuff-
Gent. 1n England, fn Germany. In Austria I'm
Italy, rains and foundations have PLAYED sad
havoc With the fields OF grain. Even Africa
has felt the influence or these hostile elements
and the Bey OF TuniS announced few days ago
that the meagerLesS OF the Tunisian crop would
NOT allow him to pay the interest on his debt
Here In France the rain has been SO frequent
AID violent as TO oyerwhelm the agricultural
population with despair. Violent and cold
storms have been an almost daily occurrence:
and on one OF the last days OF June saw hall
storm ia Paris which would do credit to the
righteousness OF the Boston climate In April
All the agricultural societies in this country
recognize the necessity OF foreign importationS,
alarmed at the prospect, and discuss 1t from
every conceivable point OF view. " Those Amer
lean wbeatS," says one writer, 'thiS American
lard, these American fresh meats, trouble the
dreams OF great many OF our farmers. Our
transatlantic sister appears to be young giant,
serious competition with which would soon rem
der all labor impossible. Its virgin soils, its
immense reserves OF uncleared lands, its posi-
bility OF cultiyating without manureS, without
leases and tenantries, and almost without taxes
will make OF that land an Eden much more
1t is much more extensive, and Inhabited by
much more industrious race. What VIII be-
come Of the old countries OF Europe In face of
this rival? WIN Europe remain habftable and
Inhabited II wheat, meat and lard fall to low
prices? We were told recently with fear and
trembling that the price OF pork had gone down
from 20 to 80 per cent, because large amount
of that provision was sent here from Chicago,
where $4,000 swine are slain daily. We have
also been told that the price OF lard has fallen
10 Paris 80 confines. which must be real bless
lynl 40 70
mers and agriculturists here weep and gnash
their teeth. We appear to be menaced In Europe
with new calamity, which Will surprise us all
the more as we have been heretofore afflicted
with its contrary, and this calamity is to be
cheap produce. after having passed half CEN
fury In complaining OF lie enormous expense of
living, we shall suddenly find ourselves con-
fronted by the specter-if one can call such
real thing spectre-of cheap subsistence;
and this scourge will appear more redoubtable
to us than the constant rise OF pricesn
1t will be seen that this writer takes the mat
ter rather philosophica!ly, but the French
farmer does nothing OF the sort. He foresees
1Yn and he cries out against It night and day
on any protective tariffs from the legislative
chambers, for the people who are at the head
OF French governmental affairs are wiser than
were those Spanish functfOnarieS who, the
other day, desired to place heavy Importation
duty on American wheat. A certain number OF
persons who seem inclined to decry the infiu-
themselves to showing that, with a little
effort, France may hold its own, after All.
Several books have been written with the
evident aim Of cOnsoltng and encouraging
the farming population with the belief that
the capacities OF the United States have been
exaggerated. France Is by no means back
in the science Of agriculture. Stil as
Paul Leroy Boulieu says, in recent article
Oh the subject, "How many OF her farmers
continue to ignore the simplest OF machines
which have been used In England. In Germany
and the United States for more than 80 years,
American and Australian competition will shake
Of all these torpid people" The same author
lty remarks that the competition OF new coun-
tries Will have upon the situation CT Old coun-
tries Ike France three effects, which cannot be
considered as otherwise than beneficial. This
VIII prevent tie constant rise Ia price OF sucl
staples as meat and butter, which have become
inaccessible to the poor ana even to the aver
age small householder. They will prevent. In
popular nourtshment, notably wheat, those
accidental enormous rises In price which come
from bad seasons; and, finally, they Will stimu-
late old country agriculture to ingenuity, to
transformation OF its processes and its utensils,
and even modification of its cultivation
The French agriculturalist feels especially
respondent with regard to this overshadowing
Influence OF the United States, because, at this
critical moment, one OF the StrOngholds where
he has not feared competition has been at
tackled. The rayageS OF the ply llOXera in the
south OF France has greatly reduced and will
perhaps completely destroy one OF the princi-
pal sources of the riches Of France, the vine.
fortune TO almost neceSSitOuS circumstances to
which families have been subjected by the de-
yastation OF their inherited vineyards by the
phylloxera is startling. The latest instance is
that or the favorfte tenor, Capoui, who has lost
many Thousand francs by the destruction Of his
vineyard in the enyironS OF Toulouse.
Extraordinary Versatility Of West
ern ssDusterS.''
A day or two ago motherly looking woman
OF Iorty-five entered Woodward avenue CLOTH
ing store having mans linen buster on her
arm, and when approached by a salesman she
said:
"some one in here sold this buster to my son
yesterday
Eyes, ma am, sold 1t myself" replied the
clerk, as he looked at the garment.
did you tell my son that this buster could
be worn either to picnic, funeral, bridal party
or quarterly meeting?"
al did, madam, and so IL can"
"Did you tell him ii made good 1y-blanket
| when not otherwise needed
81 did"
"That it could be used as a boat sail, 4
stretcher, straw-oed and a bed-spread!u
"1eS, maam, did"
"And that many people used them as table
coyers?"
q did"
And that they would last for years and then
/ make excellent stun tor rag carpet:"
II did,"
y.,p nrIr oh. r,,a - a.,,.a..