Morning journal and courier., 1884-10-21
THE WHEAT PROBLEM IN ENG.
 LAND.


The Heavy Losses of English Farmers.
 From the London Economistl
 The tremendous drop in the price of wheat
 has produced something like panic among the corn-growers of this country. When they had to sell at 40s. quarter, they de- elared that they could only do so at a loss, and now that good red wheat is selling in country markets at 30s., while the imperial average price for last week was only 39s., they are talking of giving up wheat-growing altogether. Low as prices are, it is probable that they will be lower still during the win ter, as it is estimated that the surpluses in the United States and India alone amount to double the quantity that we shall require to import, and other exporting countries have more than enough to meet the small demands of the remaining importing countries. There is the usual talk about holding back the sup plies on the other side of the Atlantic; but no one pays any attention to it. American No. 2 red winter, which forms the bulk Of our supply from the United States, has been selling at 32s to 33s. per quarter of 496 pounds. ex ship, in the port of London, and vet there appears to be no likelihood ot the falling off of quantities shipped. What IS still more significant is the fact that prices for future deliveries are lower still, while the
 demand is slack at the lowest quotations, and
 buyers scarcely know how to offer little enough to be within the bounds of reasona-
 ble safety. There is absolutely no element
 of strength on the side of sellers, and ne
 would be bold prophet who would fix the
 minimum for the cereal year. Under the
 circumstances, it is probable that English
 farmers who succeed in making 32s- guar ter as an average of all their wheat Will pc comparatively fortunate.
 What will farmers do? They certainly cannot keep on growing wheat to sell at 5os. quarter, and if they were sure that such q price would prevail next year, there would probably be greatly diminished area ot land sown with the cereal. Various estimates Of the cost of growing wheat in this country have from time to time appeared. Of courSe the cost differs considerably according to soil, climate rent, cost of labor and other expenses But if we take fair example case, where rents are moderate and wages only 12s. asweek for day 1aborers and 13s. or 14s for ploughmen, it will appear that the returns on most farms for wheat-grow1ng will not cover expenditure. In order to De sure that we do not exaggerate the cost ot wheat-growing, let us suppose the case Of a farm on which four quarters of wheat per acre can be grown in an average of seasons. To simplify matters, we will also suppose that the tenant can sell straw, and that the straw from an acre of land will purchase town manure for an acre, delivered on or close to the farm. As four quarters are over the average produce per acre tor Englano, and there is waste or inferior land on every farm fences and ditches and all waste being reckoned in) we cannot put rent, t1the, rates and taxes at less than e2 an acre, even at the reduced rents of the period. We get then at the following figures, showing the cost or of wheat: