Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1886-02-24
Something About Grain.


Those young men who have regard
ed the far West as the coming granary
Of the world, and have deserted their
ancestral acres to engage in wheat
raising, may find they have been mis-
taken in their calculations. India is
becoming formidable competitor liz
the wheat markets of the world.
While our crop of wheat fell off during
the year just ended, as compared with
that of '84, thecrop of India increased.
Ous was computed at 430,O0O,O00
of bushels, being much less than the
preceding year, when it was over $780,
100000; the crop in India for 1885
was computed at 286, 100000 BUSH
els, being 100000 over the proceed
ing year.
The India wheat crop, it will be OBJ
served, Is more than one-haf of what
is raised in the United States. And
although our crop of wheat was less
last year, and our shipments to
Europe during the same period were
less than those of the year previous,
the price of wheat in Europe has fallen.
This is said to be owing to the impor.
tation of wheat from India.
LILO LII 1uOlc5 HOS DGCu
in the cost of transporting the wheat
from the ports of Delhi to Bombay, a
distance of 822 miles by rail, what it
is from Chicago to New York, a
distance of Oil miles But the costs
here have been somewhat reduced.
The price of farm labor ia India is
from six to seven cents of our money
per day. Thelaborers feed themselves
on these wages. Therailroad facilities
are being increased, which will open
up large tracts of rich, cheap lands
equal in fertility to any We have for
wheat culture, and which heretofore,
have had no communication with the
seaboard. With these large tracts
opened and their abundant cheap
labor, there IS no reason why, in the
very near future, they will not produce
double the quantity of wheat they ere
now producing.
This India wheat. it is asserted, can
belaid down in the London and Liver
pool markets at seventy-fve cents per
bushel, which is lower than our farm
ers can do it, and at these prices will
pay the India farmer larger profit
than our farmers are now realizing in
Uu0 WuOSdU UuoJ Sell. 1ulS 1nOIdH WQ0dU
can be brought to New York, by way
of the Suez Canal, for eighty cents; and
but for our protective duty of twenty
cents per bushel, it would be laid down
there at that price. With the duty
added it can now be placed in New
York at 81 per bushel.
With the reduced rates of transport
ing wheat to the sea board, which will
follow when new and competing roads
are built, as they soon will be, open
ing up and developing the country,
with their cheap and fertile lands and
the low price they are paying for labor,
the India farmer in the next ten years
will be in the United States with his
wheat, competing with the farmers
here in our home markets, unless the
present duty OF twenty cents per BUSH
81 shall be increased.
The price of wheat does not greatly
effect the farmers of New England, but
in other states the introduction of
cheap wheat will be disastrous. Mean
while let the boys on the farms of
New York and New England make up
their mind to stay Oh the old home
steads. They will be more profitable,
in the long run, than orange groves or
prairie wheat fields.