Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1891-07-30
HOPE TO BULL WHEAT.
ALLIANCE MEN APPEAL TO THE
FARMERS.

ALLIANCE MEN APPEAL TO TIL
FARMERS.
Agriculturlsts Informed that the Euro
Pean Crop L. Much Below the Averag,
and Advised to Hold Their Grain Unu
Prices Are Much Higher.
The Farmers Alliance folks are great
ly interested in the reports of small
shipments of wheat and increasing
prices The Alliance prophets have
been predicting a rise in the price Of
wheat and have been advising farmers
to hold their crops as long as possible In
order to get tie advantage of the In,
crease. 1t has been said that the ALI
ance was going to try to make a corner
In wheat. This the Alliance leader:
deny, but they say they have done theii
best to inform the farmers of the condi
tion of the wheat crops of the world, SC
that they may know what to calculate
on In making their sales. Through the
"reform press bureau" which is located
in this city, says Washington dis
patch, the Alliance leaders are
sending out circular, pre-
pared some time ago and re-
Gently adopted for circulation among
the farmers, which enters into a
full discussion of the condition of the
crops, predicting an excellent crop In this
country and quoting the indications In
crop reports that the foreign crop will
be short and prices high. The recon-
mendation to the farmer is that he hold
his wheat for the rise in price whenever
II is possible for him 10 do so. Since the
12th of this month 400, 900 of these cir
culars have been sent out to the farmers.
Two hundred thousand will be sent out
during this week, and it Is contemplated
circulating 1,00o, 900 copies. 1t is ex-
pected that the result will be slow ship
ment of wheat to the markets, and that
the farmer himself will claim the in
creased value of his product. instead of
giving the spectators the benefit of the
profits.- In othor~ words. tho farmers
will do little specializing in their own
way. The circular says in part:
= sonr AgfTcnltpTal i Department issues
the crops. These reports estimate the
number OF acres sown and give the per-
centage of condition. A percentage OF
100 is somewhat ideal crop and would
indicate yield OF thirteen bushels and a
fraction to the acre. 1t has been sur
passed only once-namely, in the year
1882, when the condition at harvest was
1O4 and the yield thirteen and one-half
per acre. Onr nrasn.:A.aa,,.- - C>,o..,
similar to the crop OF 1851 Ine UoNelh
,aant renort report making the acreage
80 so,on and the condition somewhat
-fess. In 1884, at harvest time, the con-
dition of winter wheat was reported
at 90 and of spring wheat at 90.
This year the condition of winter
wheat is 96.6, and that of spring
no oh 1ncc
than the final report of 1884. AS the
harvest of 1884, the largest we ever had,
was 1000, COO bushels, the last Govern
ment report would indicate a crop OF
494, 900, 900 bushels, say 500, 200, 600 In
round numbers. The home consumption
has increased with the population and is
certainly over 350, 900, QUO bushels, prob
ably 800, 600, 600, which leaves us 140,-
600, 600 for export. During the last ten
years we exported 127, 000, 900 yearly In
average, of which Europe received 107,-
600, 600 and the West Indies and South
America O,000, 0CO. This year we may
have 13, 10000 more to spare, which,
however, will go TO South America or
account of the reciprocity treaties, and
Europe will receive the average guam
tity OF about 107, 600, 600 bushels and nc
more, as we have no reserves to draw
upon.
This would make both ends meet
there II Europe had good average crop,
but Europe has not good average crop
in fact, ii has the worst crop failure OF
the century. Last winter was phenom-
enal all over Europe in its severity and
into Africa. vessels ea on taGSsrS& tGes S&oditsselrS ditsslS
ranean came into port thickly Gov
cred with ice, and this abnorma
weather worked incalculable dam
age to the winter wheat in al
the countries of the continent
The spring has bcen late and very un'
favorable, and even In June snow and
frost destroyed most of what was left In
half of Germany and a great part oi
Austria. That the crop disaster is not
local or moderate or exaggerated can be
clearly seen by the action OF the differ.
ent governments. Russia appointed a
commission to investigate the crop dam
ages, which reported wheat II per cent.
below average and rye much worse. II
is the custom Of that government To
quiet the alarm of the people, and the
damage, therefore, is surely not less than
reported, but probably much more"
The circular discusses generally the
condition of the foreign crop and tells
the farmers how to take advantage OF
the situation to get the full value of their
product "There will be very few, in
deed" the circular suggests, unwilling
to hold off to see what will become OF
this move, as in view of the situation
prices could never be lower, but even II
one-half or more of the farmers should
be persuaded by the arguments of rail-
road and elevator men to rush their
wheat into the market, the result would
be the same, for IL q considerable num-
Der of those who are I'm the habit OF
marketing early hold back, I'm little
while the farmers deliveries would fall
short OF the requirements, and the effect
would be the same as II no wheat had
been brought IN at all. There Is, how
ever, little danger that any considerable
number of farmers could be induced 10
market their product in hot haste at
present prices, They all know that the
remnants OF last years crop are smaller
than ever, and that present prices are
entirely out of proportion to the con-
dit on of the worlds crop. No crops
that can be raised this year can change
the fact that the worlds supply is i'm
mensely below the requirements The
American farmer is intelligent enough
to know that whoever markets his prod
ucts late In year like this receives the
best prices, and there Is really no dan
ger that many will show enough sym
I,o fn 90