The Warner weekly sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1885, 1884-05-02
some Interestinr Calculations.

The Mississippi Valley is at present
the greatest wheat field of the world,
and produces large surplus to feed
other portions Of the United States and
Of Europe. California has evidently
arrived at about her highest production,
ana must now gradually decline, as no
soil can stand constant cropping of this
cereal which SO orapidly exhausts the soil
Labor in California is as high as it is IN
this valley, but California is three thous-
and miles farther from home or foreign
markets, even if she takes the most ex-
pensiye way by railroad across the
continentto tide water. waterroute
it's 10000 miles farther from the mar
kets. So it can never become a COM
petitor with the Mississippi Valley.
Russia is a wheat producing country,
but their fields are far removed from
cheap and efficient transportation
They are ages behind us in skill and
machinery, but it il really our strong
est competitor for supplying the
European demand. 1t has not the
capacity to supply the full demand, so
we become natural contestants, with
the certainty when wheat is cheap at
home, and the transportation lines are
in a favorable mood, we can drive Rus
sia from the English market.
India, however, has the capacity in
amount Of richness Of soil, as well as
cheapness Of labor, to supply all the
deficiencies of all other nations. But
their labor stupid, unskilled, and they
are deficient in labor saving imple-
ments In fact, labor is SO cheap they
do not desire such machinery. And
although labor in India for saving and
preparing the wheat crop is not one
eighth as much as it is here, our great
advantage over them is in distance and
cheapness Of transportation. The
wheat fields of the Mississippi Valley
are about 1000 miles from Liverpool
The fields Of India are 5000 miles from
the same market. The freight on
wheat from the Mississippi to Liverpool
is about SO per ton. From the princi-
pal grainffelds of India, which are from
77f0t0to too miles inland from Bombay,
freight is about $15 per ton to Liver
pool The long distance by water and
the limited railroad facilities in India
will probably continue as long as the
United States viii have any surplus
wheat. This EVENTS not far distant in
the future. The extension of our
wheat belt towards the frontier is but
little faster than its contraction IN the
older portions Of the states. While
we consume three-fourths Of our pro-
duction with a population of 50,0O0,0 1000
inhabitants, soon our population will
be double that amount, with bat slight
increase in production. In all proba-
bility some Of our present business men
will live to see the time when there will
be. even with average crops, a deficiency
of wheat to supply home demand.
One hundred million of inhabitants
will require five hundred million BUSH
els Of wheat-at least one hundred mill
ions over our present full crop. jan
nary |, 1884, the population Of the
United States was twenty-five millions,
doubling iii twenty-six years. AT this
rate In l906--26 years from 18S0-our
population will be one hundred millions,
only twenty-five years hence. Then
the wheat question will be one of more
interest than it IS now.