Morris tribune., 1893-11-15
The grihn,1e.
PUBLISHED WEDNESDAYS.
HI. II. STEVENS,
PUBLISHER.
100 Printing a Speoi .lty.
MOVEMENT OF WHEAT
uNPRECEDENTEDLY RAPID MARKET
ING OF THE CROP.

ING OF THE CROP.
OF the Eighty Million Bushels Over Two
thirds Is Out of the Hands of Farmers.
Balance Scarcely Sufficient Tor the
Needs of Northwestern Miilers-Some
of the Causes.
ST. PAUL, Nov. 13.-The Pioneer Press
publishes the following regarding the
movement of the wheat crop:
The heavy movement of wheat in the
Northwest this fall, considering the fact
that the crop is generally conceded to be
a short one, has attracted widespread
attention and given rise to considerable
discussion. The majority of the esti-
mates agree on 100000, 600 bushels as
repress- ting the yield for 1898 in Mime
sofa and the Dakotas. Deducting about
10000, 900 bushels, the needs and require
ments for bread and seed, and it leaves
0,000, 900 bushels as the amount which
was available for market purposes at the
commencement of the season, Aug. /,
1898.
From that date to the close of business
on Saturday last there had been received
in round numbers at Minneapolis about
19,900,000 bushels, and at Duluth, in
cluding Superior, 100000 bushels.
Northwestern interior mills of all de
seriptions are estimated to have absorbed
7,750,000 bushels, and the amount
which has gone out to Chicago and other
markets from that portion of Southern
Minnesota and South Dakota not directly
tributary to our markets placed at
3,500,U00 bushels. The amount in store
in Northwest country elevators is about
100000 bushels, the aggregate of these
figures being so, 100000 bushels, indicat
ing the portion of the available S0,000,-
900 bushels which has left the farmers
hands, leaving balance of about 49,
600, 900 bushels to be disposed of during
the balance of the crop year, a period of
eight and one-half months.
Several Causes For 1t.
Several causes have contributed to this
condition, primarily the farmers debts.
The obligations of the farmer for agri-
cultural machinery and lumber fall due
in October and November; then there
are the store debts contracted during the
growing season and the harvesting and
threshing period. The expenses of the
farmer do not increase or decrease with
the rise and fall of the markets, hence
his money needs are approximately the
same each season. With good prices he
can discharge his pressing obligations
without exhausting his whole crop,
but with present present prices he is
obliged to sell almost double the ordinary
quantity of grain to accomplish the same
result Under strained business condi-
tions such as have obtained lately, little
leniency is shown by the creditors, and
to satisfy their clamorous demands he
has been forced to sacrifice his grain at
current prices.
1t is asserted that in some localities the
supply is practically exhausted; this is
undoubtedly true in those sections oc-
cupied by the more INDECENT farmers.
Although prices are abnormally low,
there appears to be no immediate pros
pect of improvement. The visible sup
ply is the great bugbear. Bradstreet
makes the available supply in the United
States and Canada ON Nov. Last as
95, $50, 900 bushels, the heaviest on rec
ord at like date, the nearest approach
to it being year ago, or SO, 173, 900
bushels. With the markets of Europe
on lower plane than our own, and a
huge supply staring them in the face, it
is hardly probable that revival of ex-
ports will take place until the disparity
in prices is removed.
Wheat Needed at Home.
It is clear, however, that no further
considerable quantity of wheat can be
spared from Northwest supplies in hand
or in prospect, unless the estimate of the
yield proves to be grave error. 1t will
be needed for milling purposes. There
is now in store the following amounts in
round figures: In regular elevators in
Minneapolis, 9,250,000 bushels; in pri-
vate elevators in Minneapolis, $50, ,O00
in regular elevators in Duluth and Supe-
rior, 6,7U0,O00; in country elevators,
100000.
This aggregates total of 21,000,000
bushels, which added to 28,000,000 now
in the farmers hands gives us total !
supply to draw from of 49, 800, 900 bush
els.
The ordinary milling needs of Mime
apolis are estimated at 100000 bushels
per week, those of Duluth at 275,000,
and at interior mills 100000, a total
weekly consumption of 1,375,000 BUSH
els. At this rate the supplies required
here in the 40 weeks to follow would be
about 55, 100000 bushels, which not only
indicates that the Northwest has no
more grain to spare for the outside
world, but that our home market will
be comparatively high and strongly
maintained That this is anticipated is
seen in the avidity with which all cash
offerings are taken each day by North
western millers.