The Dickinson press., 1884-12-20
5000 AEsSn Esr
Western Crops.

The Minneapolis Tribune has a
very sensible article in reference to
western crops, which we give below:
The crop center moves westward
by annual stages. Illinois this year
loses her rank as the largest producer
of wheat and corn. Kansas surpass-
ing every other state in the size of
of her wheat crop, and Iowa probably
leading in the amount of corn. Very
likely Kansas will i'm a season or two
succeed to the dignity of leading the
union in 10th crops. 1t may be eX-
pected, however. that Kansas. like
Iowa. will become predominately
corn state within decade. The two
cereals are not permanently to he so
Intimately associated as they have
been in Illinois and as they once were
in Ohio. The center of wheat grow.
ing promises to move northwest from
Illinois. while the center of corn
growing moves southwest. Missouri.
Kansas and Texas are to he the great
corn region. while Minnesota and Da-
kota and the parts beyond will win
supremacy i'm the production of wheat
Present prices will emphasize and
accelerate this tendency. Corn is
much more profitable relatively than
wheat this season; and the cOnse-
quence will be the reduction of wheat
acreage and the increase of corn acre
age in the states which are best
adapted for corn growing. On the
other hand. the temporary decline in
wheat, making it an Improbable crop
i'll states where land is high priced
and where ON account of the eXllaus-
tion of certain elements from the soil
the crop is at hest precarious and the
yield light-all this must result in adj
vertising northwestern wheat lands,
and in stimulating wheat production
i'll those portions of the world where
the best wheat can he raised the
cheapest. The human family is go.
ing to eat more wheat bread in 1855
than in lsSl-5. But acreage is going
to he reduced, perhaps ten OF fifteen
per cent i'm Europe, and about rs
much in older portions of this co,ln-
try. 1t follows that there must he @
reaction in prices and that the wheat
country of our own northwest will
receive the, greatest stimulus. The
writer's Oh the worlds wheat supply.
! in estimating India's future export,
sideration. The natives of India will
not sell wheat under certain prices,
prcferring to keep it and use it them
selves as an unwonted luxury. Ac-
cording to statistics, all imllahitant of
1 the United States consumes more
than five times as much wheat as Il
nrtive of India. The very agencies
put forth by the English to increase
| the Indian export are morally certain
to increase the native consumption;
and the low prices now prevailing
will tend to foster the habit of using
wheat instead OF coarSer and less nll-
tritous vegetable foods. The whole
situation, intelligently scanned. con-
firms the opinion so frequently en-
pressed by the Tribune that the
wheat interests of the northwest are
not only not in peril. but that they
promise in the near future to receive
a great impetus.
But because the agriculture of the
west prospers and the center of pro-
durtion moves toward the setting
sun. it should not for n moment be
thought that the agriculture of our
older states declines in value or inn
portance. In general, the total agr-
cultural product of an Illinois county
is of vastly more value than that of II
Kansas county which boasts prod
uct of as many bushels in amount.
Manufacturing has made Il great
home market for the crops in Illinois.
The consumer is near the producer.
to the great advantage of both. \
strictly agricultural country is al
ways poor country. Mr.. Blaine in
his admirable little speech some time
ago ut the Worcester county, M;tssa-
chusctts, fair, pointed out the fact
that the annual value of the agricul-
tural products of that county is
equalled i'll only two or three other
counties in the United States. and he
justly assigned as the reason the de-
velopmcnt of the manufacturing i'll
dustries of that section. The corn
growers of the southwest and the
wheat growers of the northwest will
be much more prosperous than they
are, when the home market has
grown great by the development of
western manufactures.