The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-12-07
A WONDERFUL EPITOME.

acquainted with the extraordinary abiii-
ties of Mr.. C. Wood Davis as an expert
statistician, nor ignorant of the fact of
his authorship of some wonderfully far
reaching and comprehensive papers bear
ing on the economic conditions of this
and of other countries, which papers
have from time TO time appeared in the
Forum and other publications. He has
not only genius for figures but evil
IDENTIFY delights in the pursuit of ulti-
mates through the labyrinths of numerals
and official data. In the discussion of
the food-grains problem and their past,
present and probable future prices, he
has given months of constant research.
Luckily for him he has a personal
! friend, who is much given to figures,
residing in London who has access to all
the British records and reports, covering
the dependencies of Australia and India.
He has also a friend in Russia who has
been enabled to secure the data, the av-
erages, etc, of the crop products, popu-
lation, etc. of that country and its de-
Tendencies. In pursuing these fields for
facts bearing on the present and future
of the farmers of America, and incident
ally, for facts bearing On the Henry
George single tax theory, Mr.. Davis has
come into the possession of the worlds
economic methods and measures,
which he has reduced down
to their disinence of seven
tables which he has placed on single
sheet of cap paper with explanatory
marginal and foot notes, and which
makes IAN Epitome of the agricultural
situation and an estimate of American
productions and requirements for four
quiquenial periods. a copy of this
Epitome lies before US with more in
formation and of reliable facts, of wide
spread interest, than we ever saw before !
in so circumscribed form. To tell all |
the facts held by this small sheet in
detail would require a book of several |
hundred pages. Its exhibits are not |
only accurate but its conclusions irrefut- |
able. The history of breadstuffs and |
their prices for the whole world are |
mirrored in offic al figures for the past,
and what must inevitably occur in the
future shown. How many readers of
the EAGLE, for instance, know that
within the present century wheat sold
in Liverpool for $3.50 per bushel in gold?
One table shows the increase of cult
waited area in the United States for
twenty years and the rate per cent of IN
crease: another the twenty years ex-
ports of wheat from India and the Uni
ted States; another the annual average
Of wheat in England and at Chicago and
the annual average values per bushel of
wheat exported from the United States.
This last exhibit shows that from 1871
10 1889 the price of British grown wheat,
as measured in gold, in the local mar
kets of Great Britain. shrank (47) forty
seven per cent, as against fall of (33)
-hirty-three per cent in the currency
price at Chicago, and (3D thirty-one
Der cent in the value of American wheat
which wide difference in de-
probation of the products of British and
American farms does not appear to be {
lue to either protection or free trade, and
s evidently not due to a change in
America from an inconvertible paper to ]
4 coin standard of value.
In short this wonderfully succinct and
-eliable epitome seems to contain more :
acts bearing on the food products of the :
world than is known to all the United ;
states congress, or at least more than
hey have ever disclosed in their discus 4;
ions of these problems. According to
hese tables there will be a deficit
n the food grains of the world {
n July, 1891, of 159,OOO,OOO bushels.
But we can go no further in these mat !
ers without disclosing more of the val !
les of Mr.. Davis labors than we would {
Ne warranted in doing, and will close J
he allusion by quoting a single deduc-
ion, which will be Of interest to every
,ody: ..
Granting the substantial correctness ,
f the data containei in the accompany
ng exhibits. the farmer will very soon :
e, by far, the most prosperous member {
# the community wherever-in the I
owns and cultivateS lands of :
verage fertility producing the staple i
ood forage and fiber crops of the tenn ;
'erate zone" +.
For further information touching this
pitome, Mr.. Davis should be addressed
n person or by letter. he having had I
My few copies printed at a consider |
bic cost.