Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1885-06-19
Wheat in India.

The question, in how far the supply of
Indian wheat on the European market
is able to compete with American grains,
is OF great importance 10 the AGRICULTURAL
list as we'll as TO the miller Of this cnun-
Try. Bradstreets' says: A review of the
evidence which has been collected
suggests the conclusion tlat it is as yet
too carly. to pronounce as to The future
relative rank of India as a wheat produc-
er> 1t is 10 be borne in mind that there
are as yet no complete agricultural
statistics for India, and that such figures
as are forthcoming are based for The most
part on official estimates. According 10
an estimate leccntly made by the Indian
government as the result Of an irvcstl-
gatiba anllerlaken tas the request Of the
ho.ne ~. hAHtties, the, area. un<3eI Wkeat
,in British India is about twenty n1illie.
acres, and that in native territory il about
six million acres, and the total yield
is about 220 million bushels yearly .
India was able to export III 1881 SO over
thirty seven million bushels, of which
nearly one.half went to Great Britain.
The exports Of wheat, however. fell off
about one.fsurtll i'll the year 1852-83.
The question 0; most interest is the
important one to what ext>nt that
production and the consequent export is
likely to be increased by the extension
OF railways and by improvements in
cultivation. Upon this question no very
confident conclusion appears to be
entertained by those regarded as best
VuaIifled to express an opinion. Sir
James Card ia giving testimony before
q recent sitting Of the parliamentary
railway committee said, that while he
looked to a general increase Of great
many Indian products as the resul. Of
railway extension, yet that in his opinion
tue population of India was increasing
SO rapidly that in two years il would
require the whole quantity Of wheat now
exported, unless there was a much larger
production than at present. lie thought
that the signal progress which had been
made in the cXpor, of Wheat during the
last two years was owing to the eXcep-
tlonal seasons which had occurred since
the last famine. Whether any great
increase Was to be expected from
imp owed agriculture in India was, he
said, |. question the solution OF which
depended ON the price Of wheat and the
TEN ptation' offered 10 cultiv;.,c it. II
many parts of Iudia where the land was
good and there was Il command of water,
there would be an increase, but the
cultivation would not be greatly extended
unless the price became :enuncrutive.
1t is evident from recent indications
that this question is not to be lcf' in the
lazy region Of expert conjecture, but
that, On the contrary, every effort will be
mace to bring it to a practical test. The
Indian GOV ernments are addressing
themselves to the investigation with
energy. Commercial bodies are also
seeking to secure the adoption OF meas
ures intended to improve the quality of
Indian wheat by inducing a more careful
cultivation. Tie Bombay chamber Of
commerce has suggested the giving of
prizes for the best tarmed fields, and the
dissemination among the peasantry Of
'he'knowlel &c Of the advantages to be
derived by culliyators from reaping I'm.
mixed grains, The Bombay government
acting upon these suggestions has
Instructed the director Of agriculture to
distribute useful information among the
producers and intermediate agents who
deal with the wheat crop, and to place
before them samples of the wheats which
are most in demand for export. The
Bombay authorities have also arrived 1T
the conclusion that seed of pure quality
should be supplied either free or at a low
rate TO selected cultirators and that small
prices should be awarded to the most
approved cultivation. Not the least
important assistance rendered by the
Indian government to the cultivators is
the improvement Of the systems Of
irrigation on which it has for some time
been engaged, and which it is steadily
perfectiny. Again, to facilitate the
development of the wheat resources and
to facilitate the export trade the Indian
government is pursuing a policy OF
encouragement which has already
resulted in better facilities for transit to
the scaboard by the construction of new
railroads and the reduction of freights,
and in the removal Of taxes and export
and octroi duty. Nothing will be left
undone 10 place Indian agriculture in as
favorable a condition as possible for
competition with the TEST Of the world, a
| fact which the American farmer vii. do
we'll to take into account.
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