The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-05-06

the world OF from ", UUO, U00 to - 600
600 bushels of the product of z, 800, coo {.
2,100, 600 acres, while the entire whea
and rye growing world has, of receu
years, been adding not to exceed 400, 00t
acres per annum, or less than one-sixtl
Of the added requirements, and there /
no country where the present rate of in
crease is likely TO be much accelerated a
| an early day.
Investigations undertaken more than Z
year since for the purpose of determining
from official data the relative increase
during the last twenty years, of popula
ton, and the acreage in each and all o.
the staple food crops of the grain-grow
ing countries have progressed SO far tha
! the data is at hand for the area produc
| ing 50 per cent of such staples, and show:
that all increase of the two principa
breadmaking grains has ceased in Europa
as whole; has ceased in the United
States, and among the exporting coun
| tries is increasing only In Australia
Manitoba and Argentine. and that ever
III these countries it is doubtful if il
| keeps pace with the increase of domestic
| requirements in more than one. The
other staples show somewha;
greater relative increase; but, taking
all kinds of grain and potatoes
! they are increasing-overt the whole area
| included in these investigations-noto one
| fourth as fast as the consuming popula.
ton.
The cultivated acreage in the United
Safes increasing of late but one-haif as
fast as the requirement for domestic con-
sumption, we are yearly making enor-
nous inroads upon the acreage hereto
fore employed in producing the grain
| and animal products sent abroad, and
while we now eXport-exclusive of cot
ton-les5 than per cent of the products
of our farms, this percentage must, from
the increasing needs at home, shrink
more than one-sixth per year, or we must
lower the standard of living, which we
are not likely to do at an early
day. even if it costs more for
food, as the impetus given to all indus
tries by the increase of the purchasing
power of the farmer will, for years at
least, keep every one busy in providing
the things that he wishes to buy, but
cannot now because his products have Of
late years sold at or below cost.
Computations, based upon the amount
OF the staples produced and the exports
thereof during the last ten years, show
that each unit of our population has, dur
ing the last decade, annually consumed
the product of 0.4S of an acre Of wheat,
1.19 ocres of corn, 039 of an acre of oats.
0.64 of an acre Of hay, OIL of an acre
of cotton and 0. rs of an acre in barley,
buckwheat, rye, potatoes and tobacco,
being 2.96 acres per capita of the great
farm staples required for do
m nd
sumo that the world will have
decade, at any price we may put upon
it, then we shall continue to require 3. 16
acres per capita until such time as a re-
dundant population forces us to reduce
the standard of living, and as we cannot
possibly have more than 220,000,0 900
acres in staple crops in 1895, owing to
the practical exhaustion Of the tillable
portion of the public domain, we may
safely conclude that we shall cease to ex-
port food five years hence. when the
world will. with average yields from the
area in cultivation, be yearly short from
$50, 100000 to 100000, 900 bushels of
wheat and rye and immense quantities
of other staples. This means very high
prices for farm products, and high
prices for such products means that the
farmer will not then be under
the necessity of working an av
erage of fourteen hours per
day; that his children will be educated
at the best schools; will read more and to
better purpose. and that he will again
take his rightful place in the world and
receive his share of the good things of
life. He will build better houses, barns
aud granaries; his land will rapidly
double, treble and quadrupIe in value,
and, being able to secure what money is
needful from the sale of a
portion Of his produce, he will not be
forced to sell it just when all his neigh !
oors are forced to do the same thing; |
hence prices will not only be better but
De far steadies and will fuctuate only /
Is affected by legitimate supply and de- I
nand, whereas now they are
affected by his poverty which I
orceS him to market his products 4
when everyone else is doing the same /
hing, and this results in glutted mar
lets and low prices, which once down |
ire hard to elevate.
1t means profound change in all our
industrial and financial rela-
ions, as the farmer will soon cease TO
re borrower and will become lender:
md this will necessarily cause lower
ng of interest rates, and the west, pro-
ucing as now, an immense surplus Of
he food staples which the east must
AVE. and as the east can no longer
redit the cost of this food at low price
n high interest account, great sums
gill yearly move permanently from the
asst to the west. and this will soon re-
ult in converting the west from the
ebtor to the creditor section.
Results so desirable to the farmer will
ONE not by reason of legislation nor
ecause Of the domination of this party
T that or of one policy or an
Their, but because the consum-
lg element has more than caught
p with that enormous development OF
gricultural lands that TO the thoughtleas
eemed to make good the boast that we
ould feed the world.
As too great an acreage in staple food
rops has caused the depression now
apply passing away, an acreage 90
nall as TO ensure n keen demand tor all
lie farmer products will bring higher
rlces than any of US can remember.
Unless the farmer can better his con-
SioH - ploIhIAS cuth ietoidtO1 rs
Ill tax the vender of bogus lard aud
utter, as well as the pernicious option
ealer out OF existence, and put 4 stop to
le evil practices of railway managers.
lere would seem TO be little to DO but
} on raising the best crops that chang
z meteorological conditions will per
1t, selling them for the best price that
obtainable, and wait for the good time
near, and that is as certain TO come as
at two and two make four.
G. WooD DAVIS.