The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1882-05-11
PRESENT. and Prospective Prices of
Food

The important advances in the prices of sta.
pie articles of food, adding materially to what
is termed the cost of living, has been treated
at some length by the New York Financial
Chronicle 1t says the speculations in staples
OF agriculture have received their most active
impulse from the apprehension that had been
excited in the minds of many that there was
danger Of very high prices for many articles
of food, before the proceeds OF another harvest
will become available; so that it is quite worth
while to inquire what is the real situation and
the probabilities as to supplies. The rapid
growth of our cities and manufacturing com
munities during the past twenty or thirty
years gives to the question of the cost of liy-
ing, in its relation to and effect upon general
trade, an importance scarcely less than that
which it has for long time held IN Great
Britain and other densely populated countries.
That the wheat crop in the United States in
1881 was 118 100000 bushels, or nearly twenty
five per cent. smaller than in 1880, Gas estimat-
ed by the agricultural bureau at Washington
there is now no room to question The visible
supply of wheat in the United States and Can
ada, east of the Rocky Mountains, as recently
made up, was 9 100000 bushels, or As per cent.
less than last year, and there is no likelihood
that any considerable quantities are yet in the
hands of growers. The consumption is larger
than last year, owing to dearer corn and other
causes. Yet the Chronicle can see little to JUS
tify apprehensions OF extreme high prices for
wheat. "Stocks of wheat in English markets
are generally larger than one year ago. And
finally the prospects for the growing crop OF
winter are almost everywhere good. In mid
die ATTITUDES OF the United States it is much
earlier than usual, and in very few weeks we
shall have flour from new wheat in sufficient
quantities to at least check the demand upon
distributing points. This will be an important
gain to supplies. Our ability to respond 10 an
export demand in July and August will de-
pend upon the favorable or unfavorable wealth
er during harvest, affecting the shipping con-
dition of the crop. But we may repeat there
is no present danger of great scarcity and ex-
cessively high prices
with Indian corn and its correlatives. ba-
con, pork and lard, the conditions are different,
We are yet "a long way from new crop of corn
10 large extent it has not yet been planted
Under the most favorable circumstances the
new crop cannot come upon the great markets
before December next, though it may become
available to the immediate uses of growers
early in the autumn. The agricultural bureau
estimates that quite recently there was only SO
per cent as much corn in the ha.ds of growers
as at the corresponding date of 1881 The
drought last year was peculiarly disastrous to
corn. The visible supply is about Sc per cent.
OF lastyear. There is scarcity of roots which
might be substituted for it for feeding pur-
poses, and oats are equally dear We are
pretty certain to have forcible reminder of
how valuable a crop Indian corn is to our peo-
pie
But with regard to the home demand for
food, we are to remember that high prices of
any of the foregoing articles will induce ex-
IRENE economy in consumption. And from
this time on, throughout the most OF the South,
this economy will be possible, the gardens
there supplying all their needs. The North
has also through the South, and very soon will
have from its own production a supply of
many vegetables. The deficiency in the growth
last season OF potatoes and some other vegeta-
bles has been made good by importations from
Europe. This spring our supplies from Ber-
muda, as well as from the South, are likely to
be large. There remains, consequently, no
ground for app ehension on these points.
ut is probable, therefore, that while prices
of meats may be high for some months to come,
bread and other neaessaries my be expected
to rule at prices little if any above the average
of seasons The American people eat quite
too much meat, and any exigency that will
cause reduction in the quantity consumed
by them will not be wholly misfortune"