The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1880-06-26
relegate to the country west Of the Mississippi
the business of shipping corn IN grain, Thus
tie most bulky firm In which illus cereal can

| |
the business OF shipping corn IN grain, Thu
the most bulky form in which tins cereal Cal
: be exported Is that IN which 1t is tending 10 b.
sent the greatest distance To markel---au appaI
ent violation OF the plainest principle of econ
Omy. OF course the anomaly arises from Tin
necessities of primitive agriculture, which
lacks capital to buy the requisite ANIMALS 10
the condensation amt conversion OF the gram
i Ofour wheat crop the Atlantic coast nov
i produces only II per cent, against 30 per cent
IN the year before the war. The central bel
has fallen ia the same period from u per cent
to 40 per cent, while the transit ississlppi ~
gion has liscn from II per cent to ~ per cent
| The surplus Is now produced only in five
States lying between the Ohio river and the
lakes, and IN Minnesota, Iowa Missouri Kan
saS, Nebraska, California and Oregon The
portions OF our own country requiring part OF
this surplus comprise New England, the Md
die States, and the Cotton States. New Eng
land produces only three.tenths OF n bushel ioI
each inhabitant; the Middle States grow thre,
and ene.,hlrd bushels, or little more than
! half the quantity necessary for a tull supply
the Southern, Atlantic and Gulf States almOs,
as much, while Kentucky and Tennessee, with
nearly six bushels are sclfsupporting OF
course the requirement of wheat is not the
same, per capita in all sections. In the South
there is large quantity ofcOrn used by whites
as we'll Is negroes, and taking the twelve States
from Maryland 10 Texas together, four bush
els per head Is deemed the mean amount con.
jsumcd
While the westward progress OF corn pro.
ductlOn has of late been very slow the tenden-
Cy of the wheat centre to move westward is
still active, and may continue 80 for many
years, as wheat culture Subdues the high pla-
teaus and mountain valleys between the Mis-
souri, and the Pacific Ocean. We must bear
in mind that wheat can be grown from 1000
to 5000 feet above the level of maize culture
For Washington Territory, for instance, from
which maze growing Is virtually excluded,
competent observers predict yield of wheat
in the near future, three times as large rs the
present supply OF California, OF Dacotah, it
Is affirmed on trustworthy authority, that the
area especially adapted to wheat growing does
not fall short of 100000 GO acres \ COnsldera-
Die part of Wyoming and Idaho can be turned
to account in the same direction, ana even
Montana, though better suited to grazing pur.
poses was computed by Prof. Thomas of the
Hayden expedition to contain nearly 100000
acres on which wheat could be raised. Count
ing but Onc.tenth of the intermOntane region,
which includes two States and SIX Territories,
with iUur.tcnths Of She area of the Pacific slope
on the west, and of Dacotah on the cast we
have upward of 100000 900 acres Of land, from
much Of which the growth Of maize will al.
ways be debarred, but in which wheat farming
Will ultimately exist as a specially, domnat
ing, for time, all other arabic culture,
With such opportunities of expansion, it is
plain that our wheat area cannot fail to supply
any deficiency in the worlds production for
many generations, without shutting the require.
ments OF our rapidly increasing population