Middletown transcript., 1893-10-07
rHr zvnRI.n,s WHEAr cRoP.

The New York Sun, In its issue o.
September 25th, publishes an articleor
the worlds Wheat Crop" and goes
into q careful analysis Of what purports
to be compilation Of crop estimates
by the Hungarian Minister Of agricul
ture, and shows conclusively BY the
minister's own tabulations, that instead
Of the worlds supply of wheat for
1898 being three hundred and thirty
four thousand bushels in excess Of
requirements, it Is one hundred and
ninety-six million bushels short OF the
quantity required for seed and bread
for the harvest year. The Department
of Agriculture Of the United States,
in its June report, shows that the area
under wheat, is thirty-four million and
six hundred thousand acres, and the
report Of the same Department, on the
9th Of September, shows the condition
to be "a per cent of full crop: The
officials Of the Agricultural Depart
ment put a full crop of wheat for the
whole United States at IA bushels per
acre. Taking this acreage, with the
condition as reported September 9th, we
find the wheat crop of the United
States for 1893 to be three hundred and
seyenty-one million and two hundred
and fifty eight thousand bushels. Al
lowing fifty-one million bushels for seed
and As bushels per capita for bread, our
domestic requirement in wheat is three
hundred and seventy-eight millions
bushels, showing this years crop to
be {, zoo, 900 bushels short Of domestic
requirements. The United States has
= surplus of 100, 600, 900 bushels of
wheat carried over from 1891 and 1892.
This amount put against the Worlds
deficit Of 196, ,OOO, 900 bushels, still
leaves gap between the worlds pro-
duetioD and the worlds need of 96,-
0O0, 900 bushels. That the crop in this
country will fall under, rather than
beyond the official estimate, is evident
for two reasons.
First, That since the acreage turned
In by the June report, many fields in
Illinois, Missouri, Nebraska and Kan
cas-, are reported to have been aband-
oned. And sec ond, the fact that the
Government estimates of the crop in
1891 and 1892 fell Is per cent. shortof
the actual yield cannot be taken as
evidence that the report for the present
year must also fall short of the actual
yield, because every farmer knows,
that in his own experience, acreages
which produce more than what is
termed an average yield. are almost in
variably underestimated, and acreages
which produce very much un der what
is termed an ave rage yield, are as often
With this fact in view
it is easy to see how the crop in 1891
and 1892 overlapped the estimate Is
per cent. and as reasonable to assume
that when this years crop Of wheat is
all measured, it will be found still less
than the government estimate. With
these facts before him the farmer may
expect to realize a paying price for his
wheat before the spring months are
here, and it is more than probable that
no living man will ever again see wheat
sell as low as the lowest market price
OF the past summer.
A gentleman Of long experience in
grain dealing, called our attention to
the fact that In 1873, corn went so low
as 20 cents per bushel, and be then pre-
dicted that the like would probably
never be seen again. Notwithstanding
that we have ever since been raising
still more corn each year, yet from 1873
to the present time corn has been more
often above 40 cents per bushel, than
under that price, for the simple reason
that consumption In that cereal has
been, since that date out pacing
production. And we may steadfastly
expect the same result in the
wheat product, because the annual
report OF the Commissioner of the
General Land Office. at Washington,
4
shows that the present year marks a
decrease In the area Of land disposed of
By the government to the extent of
,500, 900 acres as compared with last
year, and the report further shows that
the area Of public lands in the several
States and Territories, exclusive of
Alaska, aggregate 81, ,013, ,595 acres,
nearly all OF which is mountainous and
unfit for agriculture. or cultivation Of
any sort. The States Of Nevada and
Montana alone having 127 .689. .524 acres
of public lands, included in the above
which are practically worth
less for agricultural purposes. There
fore we say the conditions of the fu-
ture, beginning with to-day, will be
such as not to encourage or admit Of |
an over production in cereals such as
we have recently witnessed.
IT Is hard 10 tell which is the worse,
j leadership that cannot lead, or fol-
owing that win not follow. The g.
). Senate is evidently afflicted with