Morning journal and courier., 1880-11-15
A CONTRAST.

The magnitude of the wheat crop of this
 country is something to wonder at and re- joice over, even if it cannot be really con- prehended. The latest returns show that the total yield of wheat in the United States for 1880 ig 455. .649, ,000 bushels. Of this vast crop 1, 1o0,O0 bushels were produced in 1 New England, 36, ,595, GOO in the Middle States and fl, ,929 GOO in the Southern States.
 In the West 323, ,675, 900 bushels were pro 1 duced. Ohio contributes to this total 39,- 1 500, GOO bushels Indiana, 43 O00, ,OO0 bushels :; Minnesota, 42.620, ,O00 bushels; Nebraska, l 3, ,13o,000; Wisconsin 13, 450,0 GOO; Mich igan, B, 375, 900; Illinois, 52, 800, 900; Iowa, 45, ,60o, 900; Missouri. 25, 750, ,o00, and Kan sas, 19, 750, GOO. The Pacific States produced 39, 500, ,O00 bushels. It is estimated that we
 shall need in this country for food and seed
 265, ,000, ,O0O bushels, and that we shall have
 over 19O, 900, 900 bushels to sell to foreign
 countries. As there is large deficiency in
 the wheat crop of several foreign countries
 the prospect is that American wheat growers
 will get good prices for their product.
 In sad contrast to the condition of affairs
 in this country, where there is 'sbread enough and to spare'' is that which prevails in
 large part of Russia, where the rye crop, upon which the poor depend for their black bread, has not turned out well. The OFfcia1 Messenger has just published reports showing that the entire governments of Samara Kherson, Catherinoslaf, the greater part of Tauris, Saratof, Simbirsk, Tchernigof, Tom bof. Koursk, Penza and Poltava have suffered from miserable harvests. And there come equally lamentable reports of the harvests in several northern governmental Nov gorod, Pskof and St. Petersburg. The governments where the crops have been good belong, unfortunately, to the least pro- ductive regions where the supply is at best ! only equal to local needs There has been no surplus this year except in Bessarabia, Volkynia and Esthonid, in the governments of Kief, Kovo, Kielce, Lomza, Radon, Siedlce and in some districts of six or seven central governments. The most suffering provinces have petitioned the government l for winter seed. To this end Samara has | already expended ,000 roubles Saratof | and Simbursk 726,OOO roubles each, and l Astraehan 10000 roubles. The Council of ] Ministers has also granted the sum of I ,0GO,- oOo AOuDiOS tO dlu tAS HlOSb nSeOy III provinces of Samara and Saratof And, un- fortunately, the partial failure of this years | rye crop is not the only or the worst misfor- | tune that affiicts the poor in Russia. The | primitive system of cultivation, together with burdensome taxes and the auctioneering of villages by the Konlaki (nerchant propri- etors) are the ruin of the laboring masses | And the condition of the landed proprietors is far from being normal. Fifteen million deciatines of proprietors' lands under and the annual interests exceed 23, GOO, GOO roubles. In certain governments all private estates are hypothecated, and the in terest due the banks exceeds the revenues ! yielded by the soil Every year a large num- Der of estates fall to the banks, which in turn dispose of them to speculators, to the great detriment of agricultural enterprise. l The condition of small employees is the most sad and precarious of all The Cour- sier R,tsse states that their lives are but one ong series of privations.
 The lower classes, and the upper ones too n this country, grumble great deal about he evils they have to endure. But it is pretty good country, for either poor man 1r rich man, after all.