Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1891-09-17
FACTS WORTH MONEY.
Valuable Figures, Reasons and
Arguments for Higher
Wheat Prices.
Of the PlOwed Fire
Guards on Nearly Every
Farm.
Delay i'm Threslling Wheat From
Shock, Exposing it to
Increased Danger.
Food for Reflection.

Food for Reflection.
The St. Paul State, the official paper
of the Minnesota alliance and the source
OF the -your-wheat circular which
gave the 1rst accurate information OF the
great European crop shortage to the
farmers of the country, again urges every
Minnesota and North Dakota farmer to
hold all the wheat possible. Its reasons
for this are many and of most convinc-
ing character. The following facts are
worth money to every man who has a
bushel Of wheat to sell:
About week ago congress OF gram
dealers from all parts Of Europe met at
Vienna, Austria, and computed figures
about the crops in Europe. The figures
of the Vienna congress show that Europe
raises 25s,OOO,OOO bushels wheat, and
49O,O00,OOO bushels rye, less than last
year. Last year it consumed all of its
own wheat crop and at least 5O,OO0,OOO OF
reserves, 1OOOOOOOO bushels imported
from America, all that other countries
could supply, and all its rye crop.
1t will have 12O,OOO,OOO bushels extra
from America to make up deficiency OF
79s, 100000, and must consequently eat
100000 bushels less grain. Rye be-
ing dearer in Europe than wheat, the
latter becomes substitute and is equally
affected by deficiency in rye or wheat
supply. When it is entirely certain that
Europeans will have to economize IN
bread to the extent of 67S,0O0,OOO bush
els, and when the situation is aggravated
by the partial failure of the potato crop,
1t IS to be considered what prices they
would pay for American wheat.
Certain advisers of the American
farmer, tell him, that price Of 100 per
bushel in Chicago Is about the highest
Europeans will stand, and that they will
rather eat other things than pay more
for wheat.
Let us Gee how true that Is. They
can surely not substitute meat for bread,
because at the highest prce of wheat
ever known, bread still remains the
cheapest food. When driven to extremi-
ties they could substitute corn, barley,
or oats, and they will have to do so any
how, without question, for OF wheat and
rye there is not enough on this planet to
come anywhere near making up the de-
ficiency, but when it becomes necessary
to draw upon these products to fill the
shortage, they will also rise to heretofore
unknown prices.
The average price for wheat for the
last 81 years in England on gold basis,
was $1.41 per bushel, which now CORE
spends with price of $1.21 in Chicago.
During the eight highest years of that
period, namely 1861-67 -6S-71-72-73-74 and
and 1877, the average price was $1.77A
equal to Sl.5724 in Chicago. During
1867 and 1868 the average price was
81 95 and prices went as high as 1921
per bushel equal to more than 50 in Chi.
cago. Though we'll posted about Euro
pean affairs, we do not recollect that
these high prices of wheat changed the
diet of Europeans to any great extent,
and the exorbitant prices at which Eu-
rope, as the farmers advisers say, will re-
fuse to take our wheat, must, therefore,
be somewhere beyond past experience.
The shortage in Europe being four
times as large as the American surplus,
there is no doubt that the price Of wheat
will reach the highest figure ever known
before this year is up. and will exceedi it
by far before the new crops come in.
European countries which lend us
thousands of millions of dollars, are not
going very easily on boiled hay and root
diet.
The talk that 81 wheat in Chicago is
high price under present circumstances,
is absolutely idiotic, for an aver
age price in England being $1.41, on one
in Europe Gares expect to eat wheat q
cents below an average price this year
Spectators having made reckless con-
tracts with Europeans succeeded in
drawing out Of the farmer enough winter
wheat to fill their engagements SO far, by
offering for cash wheat, about as much
as they promised to sell for in December.
It is talked all over America and
Europe that wheat from Minnesota and
the Dakotas will flow into the market at
a rate which will be limited only by the