The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1888-07-08
FARM AND HOME.
Farmers should Not Trust
to Wheat Alone.


rts.our firm belief that wheat ear
- raised cheaper ia Washington Ter
,ttorv. for the labor bestowed and
vsrra paid. than any other locality on
dis continent, and set il h aoabsfal
vhesber the growing Of vhezs npon
an extensive scale for export can b
confsnues, or that the wheat acreage
Tor that purpose can be rapidly in
creased prodtatiy. The great bulk Of
M the cereals heretofore consumed BY
The people Of Europe has been pro
duoed there, and viii doubtless con
tinus 70 be. Thecon-umption Of grain
rer CAPITA In all Europe Il about 70
6asbeis. Of which trif.e over
three bsshei- Is wheat, the remainder
heinz made cd d nasize. rye, oats and
barIey, OF the whole consumed, no
more than three pecks psr capita Is
imported. or approximately ssre-
ssecks ont 81 every sifteen bushels.
The asricsa1fnrissA Of Europe must
continue 20 raise the great bulk OF
their wheat. else their occupation Il
gone and starvation stares them in the
lace. Another factor entering iato
this problems in the inexhanstibls sup
ply rsossitsse from India. where the
yaiue OF both land and labor Is nom
inal. the latter running as low a. fsS
essks dry.
Touching upon the bsundlcss capaci-
" Of our own continent in the matter
Of wheat production, the Farm ashi
Fsresiff. saws HIn his interesting
articles OF. the cost OF producing
wheat. Mr.. Edward Atkinson says
that Dakota IL capable OF producing
on oue-sixth Of her area all the wheat
Required for consumption by the popHr
IAtion OF Great Britain and Ireland
This statement, on first reading, seems
impossible. But Daksfa Is three hun
drei and fifty miles In bread h and
four hundred and fifty in length
The area OF this magnificent territory
is over ninety-hse million acres. ans
One-Sixth OF this could produce, a
Che present average yield per acre
nearly two hundred and forty million
bushels OF wheat-morc than enough
% give bread 10 all the people OF tn
Unilei Kingdom. These figures give
one bat faint idea OF the vast pro
duetise capabilities Of this country
IL does not necessarily follow tha
because Of these facts wheat land
In Washington Territory are salaeiess
or that wheat raising must nee'ts b
abandoned, or even eurtailed. Wha
We have In mind j. the fact that il !,
not now nor likely viii be profitable
% raise wheat for export. IL does no
follow that il cannot he raised prof;
ably 10 supply the home market foi
I.r~ad and for other t,,IrtstS..< a. well
30 long as a pound OF pork, fitch Of
bacon. cured ham. a dozen OF eggs, .
pound Of butter or case Of cheese !.
brought into our markets from with
out our borders. 20 long is there need
10 Increase our wheat culture.
Where wheat can be produced at q
cost OF twenty-five cents bashel. a
Il can he done In Eastern Washington
Territory, In pork raising we can com.
pete with the corn belt. With the silc
ns an auxiliary, wheat en-lage viii
supplement the hay and make cheap
heel possible ard an abundant flow oi
rich milk an accomplished fact.
We wish our neighbors Of the eastern
portion OF the Territory all the pros
parity possible. therefore would cal
attention To these facts. 10 the end
that farmers may see IN advance tbs
inevitable outcome Of all this strife foI
the foreign markets and shape Their
course accordingly, for il i written in
the book Of fate that our wheat export
trade can not increase very consider
ably. and that we must look to other
channels OF production for relief; and
thai our profitable market is at home
for the vast products OF our farmers.