The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1888-10-20
The Wheat Crop.

For very many years the price of flour had
not been so low in the United States. as in
1887, and, with the single exception ofmeat-
the price of which was kept well up despite
the largely increased attention given to stock
raising and the superior facilities adopted for
dressing the meat-beef, mutton and pork
and transporting it to the most distant mark
cts of the country-the cost of all the neces-
saries of life were on the same low plane with
breadstuffs.
But the price of wheat has largely increased
and the bakers everywhere are declaring that
in order to fairly remunerate themselves they
must either increase the price of bread or re-
duce the weight and size of the loaf. In New
York the bakers have already added on cent
to the cost of each loaf, which is not much for
one loaf, but great deal to thousands of the
poor of that great city when added to the ag-
gregate loaves of year or month. The
addition of that one cent may, and probably
will, carry with it good deal of suffering into
the tenement houses of the metropolis.
The increase of the price of wheat was not
the result of the "0ld Hutch" wheat deal in
Chicago, that being but the sequence of a
comparative failure of the crop. The clearest
account regarding the decreased harvest
which, we think, has been published is to be
found in this weeks issue of the Farmers
Rerie,c, of Chicago, which states that the
shortage in ''the wheat crop of 1888 is due
not only to decreased acreage but also to
damage from various causes"-from winter
killing, largely; from rust, from excessive rain
in some instances, and, in rare ones, from
drought and from chinch bugs. From this
latter cause two entire counties in Iowa re-
port total loss of the harvest.
The following statistics, carefully collected
and compiled by the Farmers Recie,c, show
the condition of the crop in the principal
wheat, raising States:
Kentucky-Acreage, 1,035, 018. Yield in
1888, IA, 400, 252 bushels; in 1887, 1l,1lS,OOO
bushels.
Ohio-Acreage, 1855, 4s7. Yield in 1888,
2S,277, 796 bushels; in 1887, S5,s95,0O0.
Indiana Acreage, 2,549, 1896. Yield in
1888, "a, l4S,635 bushels; in 1887, SO, 49,
635; in 1886, 37,S2S,000.
Illinois-Acreage, 1,9ss,575. Yield in
1888, %, S2S, 625 bushels; in 1887, 36,861,-
900.
Iowa-Acreage, 2, 46s, 1881. Yield in 1888,
%, 1896, 281 bushels; in 1887, 26, 1887, 900.
Missouri-Acreage, 1,541,342. Yield in
1888, %, 100, $50 bushels; in 1887, 27,744,
600.
Kansas-Acreage, 752, IA. Yield in 1888,
Is, $40, 932 bushels; in 1887, 1867, 900.
Observation-Disclosures, 1860, 020. Yield in
1888, 2o,2so, 26O bushels; in 1887, 1885,
600.
Michigan-Acreage, 1,466,52O. Yield in
1888, 2I,997, 800 bushels; in 1887, 21,672,-
000
Wisconsin-Acreage, 1,141, 1887. Yield in
1888, l2,555, 257 bushels; in 1887, lS,063,.
600.
Minnesota-Acreage, S,035,S3l; yield in
1888, 81, 247;3l7 bushels; in 1887, 36,299,-
600.
Dakota Acreage, 1894 1858; yield in 1888,
35, 951 ,067 bushels; in 1887, 81, 406, 900.
The Farmers Rerieic estimates the total
crop of the United States for 1888 to be 41s,-
99S,372 bushels, as against 456, 329, 900 bush
els for 1887. This would show difference
in favor of last years crop of upwards of 81
100000 bushels, or considerably more than
half bushel for every man, woman and child
in the country.