New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-05-18
WHEAT md RAILROADS.

II has been said many times that TINS country
was too large to be pOcketed by any one man
or set Of men. In estimates OF the possible in
crease of wheat production in future years this
fact is illustrated. The present demand, for
eign and domestic, may temporarily exceed in
any year the crop of wheat expected. But the
capacity of the country for increasing its pro-
duction is rarely taken into account, and it is SO
large as to be practically unlimited. Nor is it ill.,
tended here to refer to the obvious possibility
that the farmer who now puts ten acres into
wheat, ont of farm % one hundred acres, may
at any time put thirty or fifty acres into wheat
For such change. on a large scale, there
would be requisite an advance in the price of
wheat rs compared with the price of other farm
products. As a rule, the farmers divide their
production as they find it most advantageous to
them in the long run, but period OF excessive
demand and unusually high price for wheat
would lead many to pnt more land into that
crop and less into others. Putting aside all
such changes, and assuming that the price of
wheat is expected to be barely maintained
without advance, we may nevertheless increase
the production of that grain almost indefinitely.
New railroads at the West mean new wheat
lands At present the production of wheat is
mainly restricted by the cost of transportation.
To move grain by wagon is said to cost about
twenty cents per ton per mile, or over half cent
per bushel. But the cost by rail is only or wo
cents per ton per mile. The direct saving to
the farmer may be loosely estimated Mt about
half cent per bushel of wheat for every plile
of distance. The farmer who was twenty miles
from railroad station, and who could not
afford to raise much wheat because il cost him
ten cents q bushcl to put it on the cars, sud
denly fnds that n new railroad has brought
him within milo or two Of n station. He
therefore has a great deal more land that he
can afford to put into wheat, which no had pre-
viously employed in raising and feeding cattle
and hogs, or other products on which the cost
of transportation is relatively smaller. Thus
without an addition of single acre to the area
of the country, or a single inhabitant to its pro-
ducng population, it's capacity for wheat
growing is Immediately increased by every
mile of railroad completed.
Within three years there have been nearly
10000 miles of railroad built in this country.
Part of it was in old States. and part in mining
or manufacturing districts, but at least 10000
miles must have been in regions where most of
the soil is adapted to wheat-growing. Within
four miles on each side of these new roads lie
$4,000 square miles of land, or 51,20OO0O
acres which presumably became more advan-
tageously located for wheat-growing by reason
of the building OF these roads. II only one
acre in five, on farms thus situated, should be
actually applied TO wbeat-growing, an addition
of l25,000,OOO bushels to the yearly yield
might be expected. The acreage thus employed
would be much larger in the regions where the
soil Innate and freedom from forests or other
obstacles favor the cultivation of this grain
from the outset. Anywhere from 100,000,000
to 3OO,OOO,OOO bushels of wheat might be
added to the yearly yield, on account of in
creased railroad facilities alone within three
wears, and there would be no occasion for sur
prise. There has been no such increase; in fact
the crop this year Is likely to be smaller than
that of 1850. But any evidence that Il foreign
market could be found for a greatly increased
crop, without material depression in prices,
might cause q sudden expansion of 20 to 60
per cent in the production.
Hence it is easy to see that the progress of
the chief industry in this most favored land
depends upon the enlargement Of its markets
for consumption and for export. The guam
tity of food that can be raised here is virtually
unlimited. The Investigation of home in
dustry tends to increase the demand f0I con
sumption in this country, and there are very
few farmers whOrealze how much of their re-
cent prosperity is due to the measures which
have promoted such dverstcaton But a still
larger foreign market for American products
has as yet been bareN opened. Measures look
ing to the increase of demand from abroad for
American products ought to have the most seri-
Gus consideration both of farmers AID of law
makers.