The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1890-09-14
FOOD SUPPLY or NATIONS.
II. Magnitude Very Difficult to Com
cciye.

The announcement Of heavy failure IN
food crops Of the United states is arousing
some intelligent attention, not only 10 TIA
/ immediate consequences. but question "l
food supply generally. No subject can ne
of more importance. and perhaps there i
none I'm the whole range OF economic science
iiitle studied. We can see in statistical
tables how many bushels OF wheat were
/ loaded on shiu- ~ odessa. and now many
were unlOaded in Liverpool. Every hog that
zoe. into "a barrel for eX port has hi, obituary.
| If not ms tail. and the distribution Of beet.
/ butter. cgg-. and nutmeg7 II ialthiully lau~
ulatcd We read market reports oi prices
/ Everything is scheduled; sugar. -alt. and
| hor-o-bean-. We hear Of puts and calls
options and futures. and Of men making
millions i'm selling wheat they never saw.
and of corn that Was never yet seen 10y man
or mouse: but how II comes about IN the
economy Of commerce that Russia ami
| India will. without instructions. grow grain
| for John Bull 10 grind. and China suppl!
rice for the puddlngs OF Britain ana illr
soups Of France, and the whole matter oi
interchange De 80 complete. ana Yet 40
| spontaneous. that every man VINO can
| pay for his breakfast is sure 10 get
! IL. and whatever nation may need another
has 10 10 sell. is an economic arrange
mont with more complications than a
railway timetable. Every product is coin
cidlnt Niil want, and H. distribution OPP
uouune 80 certain D. the average man oi
| Tins that Doe eats his pork without any care
as tO the supply OF hogs, and spreads his
| butter with no reflection ON possible NOR
/ taliiy among Iowa COWS, and yet simple
I cnau-c Of crops m Russia will starye the
poor of London, and decrease in the pig
| product Of Illinois leave Britain without
! his bacon. Ina DAYS 10 come, when popuia-
! lions are dense and the areas OF valuable
! land limited. and the world has a mouth for
! every loaf the science Of food supply Will
/ he of more gravity than amy other ID the
range of economies. We have had run
OF rro-perty nr some wears. and been It.
called with tine thought that we had
/ moro food material than the ma
ton could consume. and as much
90 spare as the rest Of the world
mi.ut want tO buy. The indications are
/ that tine day of heavy surplus production L.
/ fast waning. our wheat crop I'M 1871 was
| the magnificent total Of jl2 l6O,Wn bushels.
A. has moi Kept ai that upper nOtch. ana IN
the year l-~9 it figured maximum
Weld of iIn, JOn.oO bushels. We have 4
/ greater population by nearly l',uVooOo
fhan ID decade ago. and the increase OF home
/ CONSUMPTION would neccssitate larger
, tf.fI. asi NOT q smaller u Is not likely
/ tl.f Ne can add very largely % the annual
! nrslucf. The wheat areas are fairly Occu-
u.,l. excepting those north of W ashinSton
and the possible service Of the ARID sub
mountainous districts when successfully
! irrigated. the Canadian wheat fields nav
3u ,ncm, in Jack Frost, and some sectors
/ 0f iuc Ddk0taS are TAR from being like me
/ tallc, Of tine Nilc. The fact Is, we are be-
/ ing fenced in, and i'm the matter OF lood
/ .llrult lcNccut mcJtsl We are not likely To
! .f.t.f- tf Ntl world ftffN
/ n.u,o wheat, 10. indeed, the time does not
/ soon come when We may have iO import 10
meet our deficit. The magnitude OF the
/ food supplies OF nation lbs not very easily
/ conceived. We get an approximate idea 30
/ fr. imports of GREAT Britain. ln l>-9 no
/ loss than l- NN.NH0 bushels of wheat went
. into British ports. and Hour 90 the value %
/ sli.NuI.uNl has circulated ~ English
/ lfead-pau-. 90 is calculated that the short
leo ~ wheat in the present year >
riuu will mot Doc Ices, than lNi.OOuWl
/ bushels. P0tat0e, are placed at the same
shortage. Fruits. vegetables ana berries
lre credited witha deficiency of lw,uD,ou1
/ bushels. Europe reports 2~',"".V"'
bushels lackin. iu the average potato crops.
and tlo wheat crops as tclng N'V"W"
bushels les, fnal !bn anuuM CONSUMPTION.
Should these figures Dee bat approximately
lric they indicate a gravity n the siiua-
tnu that the coming year VIII very per-
tmaniN Show. The whole question Of the
food supply of nations has get 90 bee stu.liod
and 10, international bearings. made prac-
lncalpnt of commercial life. Nlti~ vital
question. and ih- more ~ when we sec thai
th..driit 0t human energy is away from
agriculture go manufacturing. This STAN
pcI. continued, and the world vet Will have
fn face u famine, or 60 its business with bui
Little iu il- stomach and less On iisrihs. Tine
science Of farming. and the best methods Oh
production. international Arrangements
la.ain-t the results Of crop failures. ana
more OF GOOD. honest men willing TO iill the
SOIL aud NOT afflicted with city fever and
craze to get rich i'm -quatting on town lots
these Indicate the line of security against
ANY national disaster resulting from
scarcity in its food supply.-Age OF steel.