Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1893-11-30

reporting on DreadStuHs In germany,
indicates by his silence on that cereal
that recent attempts to inculcate
knowledge Of and a demand for corn in
that country have proved Intellectual.
He says:
No fault is found in Germany with the
quality of American wheat and flour, ex-
cept, perhaps, that they are too good and
costly for the general trade Of country,
where very little white bread of fine
quality is eaten except by limited class
OF foreigners and wealthy people who live
mainly in cities. The great bulk of the
bread consumed by the peasantry and in
dustrial class, as well as in the army, Is
made of rye or of rye mixed with low
grade of wheat. The cereal principally
imported is therefore not wheat. but rye,
and this has been hitherto brought mainly
from Russia. When, in 1891, the harvest
failed and Russia prohibited the export of
rye. German importers turned to the
United States, the only country which
then bad any considerable surplus, and
not finding in our country sufficient rye to
meet their demands, they imported wheat
III enormous quantities, and the use Of
wheat bread, which was then cheaper than
rye bread, became more general than it
had ever been before.
Not word, it will be noticed, about
corn, although in that year American
government agents and others, regard
ing the exigency as propitious for en-
deavoring to get into the German mind
some faint comprehension of the fact
that corn is edible, palatable, nutritious
and cheap, exerted themselves to this
end with what were at the time re-
garded as encouraging prospects. But
1t now appears that either the acquisi-
ton of this information must have been
confined to an Insignificant few or that
there is something in corn repulsive to
the German palate. 1t is not to be sup
| posed that Germans are absolutely un-
acquainted with corn; they import that
grain to some extent; but they have
always regarded it as food for stock
not for man; although many of them
must have learned from neighbors who
have visited the United States and from
other sources, that corn in various
shapes is frequently seen on American
tables. We can imagine that the staple
comment would be; "Queer people,
those Americans; eating hog feed;" and
there they would drop the subject and
30 on munching the rye that their
fathers and grandfathers had accepted
unquestioningly before them as the ma
tional staff of life.
| Consul-General Mason goes on TO say
that the German duty on wheat and rye
flour-$2.50 per 800 pounds-is out of
all proportion to that on unmilled grains,
and mas been, of course, purposely fixed
at this high figure to favor the German
millers and keep the grinding of even
imported cereals at home. According to
the theory of our own protectionists,
this ought to ensure high wages to the
German millers by discriminating, as il
does, against the cheap labor Of Ameri-
can mills; but it would be safe to wager
that the German mill laborer does not
receive more than the ruling price fol
his daily labor, Notwithstanding. And
the consumer has to bear the brunt, Just
as he does on this side of the Atlantic.
For, even in fruitful years, Germany il
unable to raise sufficient grain to feed
its population, and there is a large
deficit that must be made up by importa
ton. The import duty on grain, wheat
and rye, unground, is $1.19 per 22t
pounds; SO that even the peasants ry,
loaf comes much higher than an equiva
lent weight of corn bread; the impor
duty on corn being only AZ cents pc
22opounds. Moreover, Mr. Mason show
, that the farming lands of Germany, OK
! hausted by centuries OF tillage, requir
!. constant and liberal manuring, and, a
, wheat lands are worth from 5000 t
a $500 per acre, the raising Of grain is S
!, costly that even in good seasons bn
, little profit is left for the farmer.
There is grain of comfort for Amer
!, cans, however, in the reflection tina
: wheat and rye from this country ento
: Germany under more favoring condi
!, tions than the cereals of Russia. OWN
:, to commercial disagreements betwee
= Germany and Russia, retaliatory dutie
n have been adopted by both countrie
which add so per cent to the tart
>. schedule on all goods exchanged BE-
). tween them. Consul.general Mason says
, This has the effect of increasing the dut
l. on Russian wheat and rye imported int
n Germany from 80 to 45 cents per bushe
u giving to imports of those grains fror
America and other exporting countries a
,, advantage of l6 cents per bushel over sim
e lar imports from Russia. Russian flour
rye or wheat now pays as duty So. rs DC
go pounds, while -four from the Unite
J. States would pay but $3.50 for the sam
10 quantity-an advantage of $l.25 per II
n Kilograms, or something more than 81 pr
barrel, over the Russian exporters. Ho
lie much this advantage may be PRACTICAL
h worth during the months which wi
IN elapse before another crop. can be ha
- vested will largely depend on whether u
3, negotiations now i'll progress at Berlin
IN frame new treaty of commerce succet
I or fail. In any case, the Germans wi
9 first consume the homegrown supply
c. cereals; so that the heaviest importation
i'd will be made during the latter part of wi
ter and early spring, and will be governe
4 as usual. by the two controlling fac
he already cited, viz, that the general preft
al ence of the people is for rye instead
wheat bread, aud that their tariff fave
~ the importation of unmilled grains rath
ct than flour.
ed
ms That speech which Minister Willis