Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1893-03-17
Interesting Facts about Corn and wheat.

The March report of the staisiician of
the Department Of Agriculture, Hon. J. r.
Dodge is devoted to the distribution and
consumption of the wheat and corn of the
country. The investigation shows many
interesting facts. Thus the corn on hand
in the country March / was total of 626,
-, $50 bushels, or 3s.5 per cent, of the
last product. This proportion has been ex-
years, and the quantity has been exceeded
| i've times. The consumption of eight
months. / .00i ,6l6, $50 bushels only exceeds
that following the mailer crops of lss1 and
| 1890
The aggregate sold from farms to go be-
yond county lines is 277 $50 900 bushels, or
II per cent. of the crop. The proportion
rnerchantable is / ,3i5 AS 900. or $50 per
| cent. The values returned for merchant
| able corn average t29 cents for unmer-
charitable, 257 cents. making an aggreg gate
of $685. 900 900.
The amount consumed up TO March | is
! ,O02 900 900 bushels, a little less than the
| average quantity. The cold winter has
tended to increase consumption; the re-
markahlc shortage of hogs to fat,en has
diminished it. Corn is so profusely used
Is a rule, that large consumption always
follows a large crop and rice rcrsa.
The amount on hand aggregates G26 81, -
| $40 bushels. two-thirds of it in the Western
States, which always have smaller pro-
porte on remaining at this date than the
| average for the country, while the South
always has 4 larger proportion-ne nearly half
of the crop, for feeding plow teams in the
months of cultivation, in spring and early
summer, while there is little winter feeding
of hogs or cattle. There is more on hand
than two years ago, and only two-thi,ds rs
| much az in $500, after the great corn crop
of the census year, ami the quantity is less
than three-fourths as much as remained In
March of last year,
There are only seven states which supply
the general commercial movement of corn,
and the relative scarcity or abundance in
| these states is of more commercial impor-
| lance than the proportion on hand through
out the country. 1t is seen that the quantity
ia little more than half as much as in 1890.
While on March |, 1890, the seven states
of ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri,
Kansas and Nebraska had on hand a total
of GG7 ,2i3,ll0 bushels, or ~ per cent, of
their entire crop; on the first of March
1888 thss same states had on hand but
a7s ,s9t,570 bushels, or s7.7 per cent. Of
their whole crop.
The estimated proportion of wheat on
hand is ga per cent. of the last crop. the
smallest percentage in ten years. The
quantity on hand aggregates lbs, 100000
bushels less than last March and 90 900, geo
| more than the remnant of the very small
crop Of 1880. A very large proportion is
found in states that do not spare a bushel
for commercial disuibution only 81 ,ooo.o
10 the principal spring-wheat states, more
than half of which il required for seed in
the spring of the winter-wheat states only
kansas and California have any considerable
surplus available for commercial distribu-
ton. The average weight of the last crop
as calculated from returns of millers and
correspondents, averages IL . per measured
bushei This is slightly under the average
of a series of years.