Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1891-08-13
WHAT WILL THE HARVEST Be
Everybody Interested in That
all Absorbing Topic. The
Present Outlook.
Grain the Past Week has Done
Quite Well and is Rapid
ly Maturing.
Statistics Oh the European De.
ficiency. Facts and Figures
Indicating High Prices.
The European Shortage.

Vhe European SnOrta&e.
Everyone is greatly interested IN the
shortage Of food products in Europe, and
particularly of wheat. Referring to this
all important subject the Minneapolis
Journal collates the following figures,
and says: II we shall have an exportable
surplus of 15O,OOO,OOO to 160OOO,0OO
bushels as seems likely, it will all be
needed by Europe, as the intimations of
an unfavorable outcome of the crops
there have grown into formidable facts.
Bradstreet:s places our exportable sur
plus at 52,OOO,0OO; Russia's at 64,OOO,OOO
and Indias at 44,OOO.OOO. Hon. w. D..
Washburn, however, cabled from St.
Petersburg yesterday that Russia would
have no exportable surplus. This is like
Iy as the winter wheat crop has recently
been reported failure, except in few
provinces, and an estimate of the worlds
supply Of grain in the New York Sun
places the loss of Russian spring and
winter wheat at 10O,O0O,000 bushels,
which is 100000 bushels more than the
average exports of the last five years.
In France, according to the Suns re-
port, the wheat crop is 134,O00,OOO BUSH
els below the average of3lO,0OO,O 900 bush.
els average of the past decade. And the
estimated required imports of wheat and
rye in Europe are 87S,OOO,0OO bushels
and the probable exportable surplus of
exporting countries 259,OOO,O0O bushels.
making an apparent deficit in the worlds
supply of wheat and rye Of 100000
bushels. This estimate OF the Sun ap-
pears very large, but it must be recalled
that rye is enormously consumed in
Europe by the poorer classes. Russia
raises 725,0O0OOO bushels OF rye year
and consumes most of it.. This season
the rye crop is practically destroyed.
In Austria-Hungary wheat and rye
are Is to 20 per cent below the average.
India is not so short as has been sup
posed. She is shipping more wheat to
Europe than last year, and her exports
are likely to be the largest for some years.
India has normal wheat area OF &c, ,OOO,-
600 acres, and a normal average yield of
10 bushels to the acre, and. in good years,
India exports 1900, 900 quarters "a quar-
will not figure very largely as source of
supply AOI Gu0 0S1AC0UAy OlA 4IuAOPcdu
deficiency of this year.
Outside of Russia there will shortage
in Europe of 369 ,OOO,O 900 bushels of wheat
and rye, after the exporting countries
have sent what they can spare. That is
the Suns estimate, and 1t is bullish
enough to suit the most militant bull in
the grain exchanges. Yet 1t evidently is
not gross exaggeratlon as all recent
cables coincide as to an unusual short
age.
The Sun suggests corn to supply the
European deficiency after the absorption
of the outside wheat and rye exportable.
That would be solution of the food
problem; but the Europeans are bitterly
prejudiced against corn as food. They
may have to come to it. In this country
it Is the healthful food OF the masses.
And we have plenty Of it. The sum of
the whole matter is that Europe is pain
fully short and will take all the wheat
and rye we can spare at fair prices.