The Dickinson press., 1885-03-07
Encouraging to Wheat Growers.

Encouraging to Wheat Growers.
The prospects for the 1855 wheat
crop are of a character which should
encourage the the farmers of the
Northwest. The great world crop OF
1884 will not be repeated, nor will the
prices Of 1854 ever again confront the
wheat growers of this generation.
The present and recent depressed
condition of the market has been pro-
duced by the coincidence of four
facts. First a year of unusual and
worldwide industrial stagnation,
which has curtailed consumption and
decreased the demand for food prod
ucts. Second, the recent opening up
of new areas of wheat lands, furnish
ing unadjusted elements of competi.
tion in the grain market. Third. an
almost unprecedented bountifulness
of the yield in all portions of the
world. And fourth, new and i'm
proved facilities for calculating the
crop, and controlling it's movement at
the great central markets, thus bring
ing different wheat growing regions
into more perfect and immediate
competition.
The past year has been character
lied by al actual over-production.
and an actual under-consumption of
breadstuffs. The remedy. Of course.
will work itself out automatically.
Reviving trade and industry promise
a year Of normal demand and con-
sumption of breadstuffs. Cnprotit-
able prices are always a prompt cure
for overproduction. The crop Of 1885
will be decidedly smaller than that
of 1884, the consumption will be de-
cidedly greater, and the prices will
advance correspondingly.
Some time ago the Tribune called
attention to the marked decline of
acreage in England as shown by the
statistics Of the fall sowing, and at
tention has also been called to the
falling off in acreage of the winter
wheat regions of IL own country.
1t is now reported that Kansas,
which is one of the chief wheat grow
ing states of the country, has shown
80 per cent less area for the crop of
1885 than for that of last year. Illi-
nois. also a great wheat state, is Is
per cent short. Missouri falls off 10
per cent. Ohio, Indiana and New
York have considerably curtailed
acreage. Virginia reports a shortage
of 80 per cent compared with the pre-.
vious year; Maryland 25 per cent:
Tennessee, 20 per cent; Kentucky, 10
or Is per cent, and various other
states make similar showings.
Evidently, the regions which grow
spring wheat have an advantage, in
asmuch as they can better forecast
the market, and can permit acreage
to depend somewhat upon the pros
poets. Judging from the present out
look, the northwest a not make q
mistake in planning for a great crop
of wheat the coming season. The
crop of 1884 amounted to 50O,GO0.0OO
bushels in the United States. There
is no reason to believe that it will
greatly exceed 400, O0O. 900 bushels in
1885. 1t would be superfluous to sug-
gest that this fact means good prices.
That the northwest cannot afford to
depend wholly upon n crop. and
that it needs diversified farming as a
protection against off year, is perfect
ly true. But it is also true that
wheat is to remain the chief crop of
the northwest and that no other re-
gion can grow wheat of SO desirable
a quality at so small a cost. The cri-
sis in the market has proved one
thing beyond all g%ainsaying, and that
is the superiority of the northwest
over competing grain districts.-Min-
nesOta Tribune.