The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-07-31

Missouri valleys been covered with such fer
est growths ss covered Ohio. Michigan. an,
Indiana, agricultural development woul,
have been very much less rapid. and 1t 4
probable that such growth. by retardini
settlement and excessive cereal production
would not have been preiudicial to tho oul
tvators or to the nation.
As progressed railway building and Get
Element. so progressed agricultural develop
nent. the Absence OF nrboreal growths en-.
abling the settler upon the prairie to brins
under cultivation moro land In ono yeal
than In avoided region In twenty years
The facility with which this process wa,
carried on upon the treeless plains has. with
| the railways ut hand ready to carry the
| products to distant markets, stimulated
cultivation to the utmost; and the develop
mcnt OF this region was possibly hastened
| by the fact that at the time when we were
| yearly reducing new State to cultivation
the world had no excess OF food-bearinR
acres. and prices were very remunera.
| tive. Prices, however were not. nor are the
| low prices now prevailing. the prime factor
In increasing or lessening production. Man
desires homo and when poor. the assured
means OF employment: both were found on
the new farms which were being carved
from the public domain in such vast num-
bers and now. when the price received is
often below the cost OF production. the
farmer. OF necessity. continues to cultivate
his land and produce grain. He has
neither the means OF living without en-
ployment nor Ii other employment possible
for any considerable part OF the 10000. 900
who find homes and employment upon the
farms Of the United States.
The lower the price falls. the moro grain
the farmer must grow In order to provide
for his Family, pay taxes. and meet the too
common interest account. Hence low prices.
prices below a remunerative level. instead
OF being an incentive to decreased pro-
duction. are. on the contrary. IN incentive
to Increased production. With wheat at
IS cents a bushel. as is the case ut present
In central Kansas. the farmer must provide
three bushels OF grain to secure the dollar
that should come from the sale Of one
bushel. There can be no greater inducement
to full production than the fear OF fore
closure and the loss OF home.
So well adjusted was the worlds supply
of English-grown wheat. as measured by
gold In the markets OF Britain, varied but
20 cents bushel. or II per cent. from the
median line. the average price for the ten
years having been Sl.66. At that time the
worlds wheat area. relatively to the bread
eating population Of European lineage. was
five per cent. less than in 1880. us were the
areas under others OF the food staples. So
delicate are the relations Of supply and de-
mand and so effective in determin-
ing prices is every change in these
relations, that an addition Of Ave per
cent TO the wheat-bearing area, as
proportioned to the consuming element.
caused the price to fall from an av-
erage OF 81. SO to an average OF S129 for the
succeeding ten years. In other words. in
creasing the relative productive power five
per cent reduced the price 20 per cent.
Owing in part to the civil war. agricul-
tural development had not. up to 1869. much
more than kept pace with the home popula-
ton. Yet during the next fifteen years
there was added to the area under grain.
hay. cotton. potatoes. and tobacco no less
than 81 100000 acres. the increase being 80
per cent. The additions made in the ten
SCoi o chAAuB Nibd Aoo1 WGAo WoLiucEluls uuu
during the first half OF the ten. 1874 to 1879
inclusive. we were yearly ploughing up a
new State. and one OF no small proportions
This five years addition to the cultivated
area aggregated some So. 600. 900 acres. which
Is 100000 acres more than is now under
cultivation in Missouri. Kansas. Nebraska.
and the two Dakotas. That Is,
during each OF these five years We added |
more to the area under staple crops than Is
now under cultivation in any one Of the six |
States named with tho exception OF Kansas.
The additions Of the last four years aggre- |
gate but 100000 acres. tho annual incre- !
ment being but about one-twenty-second |
part OF the average annual addition from |
1874 to 1879. Could other than low prices |
result from such an addition to the pro-
iuctive area2
The area under staple food. forage. and |
lbre crops at the end Of Ave quinquenniai
periods and In 1898: the average annual
additions to the area in each period: the
acreage quota Of each unit Of the popula-
ton; and the average gold price Of wheat
n England for the respective periods. are
shown In the following table: