Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1884-08-12
Competition in European Grain Supplies.
BY JAMES CHEEsMAN.


I
Competition in European Grain Supplies.
BY JAMES CHEEsMAN.
From the Agricultural Review New YORK.
The distinction OF supplying the Euro
pean countries with the most grain, which
this country has so long enjoyed, is being
very vigorously questioned just now, and
by rivals little suspected. Competition
in trade does not always assume the form
we most readily anticipate, nor does it
come from the quarter we should look to
soonest. If six or seven years ago any one
had predicted that India would enter the
country county; lew & OF u. us %oala nave supposed 1t
Posslule. let tne lacI stanus OUT tnat In
olan Wneat mas attalneo a positlon OF I'M
rivals. Pressed to her Wits ends to find
revenue for the ever.orowinc demands of =
complex and fificnlt government her
agriculture has deyeloped a new sonrce
Of wealth which her rulers will not he
slow to cultivate for all it is worth.
There is no other source of revenue which
can be made to expand like the land tares
and the wheat crop of all others is the one
which promises them tb8 most :. IN 1a75
India first appeared in the Erplish markat
with the small quantity of 100. 0NDl hnsh.
els of wheat, which increased to 1000 .O0f
the year following. and to 12. OO0 OOf) in
1879 In 1980-1 The exnort to ENGLAND
rose to IL. OOO. 600. and reached M 1ess tban
| 81. 600. 600 bushels for 1SS1~2 or nearly half
| the British imnorts The entire e~nort Of
India amounted to 81. & ner cent of the re-
uuirements of Great Britain in 19S1-o and
of this. not more than half was CONSIGNED
| to British norts Statistics arc not orrooo
BILE matters to listen to or to read bnf thev
are not the less willful facts The follow.
ing will show at what rate the trade in In
dian wheat ia advancing in ENGLAND,
To-, ,n+, ,a,, 100. . omIs; oni cor
/. 0 oun0 1890 1890 'a'oe9' oe9 9oo 40
6 &c u 1oos So, coo eoo' aoo 10y
looo'"bo9u'oso
From these figures, it would appear the
increase for 1883 over the corresponding
period of 1882, is 7S per cent, and is 113
per cent. over those of 1881 for the same
period. In France, Belgium, Egypt, and |
Italy, Indian wheat has won high posi- |
ton, and will very soon outrun Russia in |
all her markets. Instead of having to |
reckon with Russia in future, it seems that |
our contest is to be with India, and If is NOT |
likely to be child's play either.
The Indian office of the British Govern
ment very soon displayed an interest in
this new feature of Indian affairs. and verv
early took steps to ascertain the character
of the new grain coming to it's ports.
From information elected from the princi-
pal millers, it has been learned that this
wheat is dry and sound, and admirably
adapted for mixing with the damp and
poorly-gotten wheat of the English-grower.
The miller's experience indicates for Eng
lsh wheats a yield of 65.2 per cent. of
flonr; American, 72.2; and for the thin
skinned, plump wheats of India, 77,46 to
90.52 per cent, according ta their kind.
Prices of the Indian wheat are much lower
than those coming from other countries.
ranging about 20 cents per bushel in 1885
in the Paris and London markets. During
1888, prices made nearer approach to 9th,
er wheats, and it may be expected to realize
fully as much as the other well-known
grades coming from this country and Rus
sia. Competent statists estimated the trade
for 1888 on the following basis Russia was
expected to supply Sc millions of bushels,
India A millions, and the United States 90 |
millions, or rather more than double the
quantity which would come from India. |
Major Barring, the Finance Minister of In
dia, some time ago estimated the capacity
of the country at 80, 900, 900 bushels. Judg |
ing from recent exports and the disadvan-
tages under which the trade is carried On, |
this estimate errs much ON the under state |
ment side. Indian farmers are poor and |
are much enslaved by the village money
lenders, paying from 10 to 36 per cent. in
terest on loans; the average rate is fully "a
per cent.
The cost of Indian wheat at points of
shipment within 400 miles of Calcutta is
about 25 cents per bushels. The average
yield per. acre is 700 lbs. as compared with
$50 lbs. American; the wheat is dirty, show
ing loss of from to 8 per cent. in the ship |
ments. 1t is not graded, and is very much |
in need OF Improvement. At present, not |
only is none hand-pioked for seed, but it is |
not even maohlne-cleaned, and this in face
of the cheap labor OF that country. Freights |
are much higher there than here, and the
cost Of land-borne wheat for distances of 400
to 800 miles is high; but these drawbacks !
are fully met by the low cost of growing
and the ocean freiOitS. IISuallv freirhfc