The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-05-12
THE BOOM IN WHEAT.

The members Of the Produce Exchange.
awaiting themselves of hot, drying winds
and absence Of rain, have got up little
excitement of their own in wheat. But the
staple is not high. Wheat at cent and a
half pound in distributing market is
property, especially with freights at twenty
shilllEgs. The moment was curiously
chosen. Just as the bulls Oh our exchange
were deploy ing their columns The Agrieul-
tural Bureau announced that the condition
of wheat in California is ten points better
than it was al this time last year. But on
the other hand the same authority an
nOunced that the average condition of the
six principal winter States-Ohio, Indiana,
Illinois, Michigan, Missouri and Kansas
which produced among them, in 1892, 1885,
100000 bushels, as against 40, 900, 600 bushels
produced IN California, was six points below
their condition on the 1st of a prl last, and
thus perhaps the bull movement was not
wholly without foundation. The price of
wheat being made Mt Liverpool it is much
more likely to be Influenced by the crop
prospect in the great winter wheat States
than by the outlook in California.
The wheat crop OF the United States in
1852 was as nearly as possible 516, 000, 00O
bushels, being the largest crop ever raised
except in 1891, when the enormous amount
of Gil, $50, 600 bushels was harvested. If
subsequent reports from the department
should conform to the May report it would
be p1ud ent to look this year for a diminu-
ton OF per cent That would bring the
yield below that of the great crop years
1882, 1884. 1899 and 1S91-but would still
leave it above the average for the uast fif-
teen years. If such a diminished crop
should coincide with q crop failure in the
great wheat countries of Europe France,
England, the Danube Valley and Russia,
it would be natural to expect high prices.
But it is Europe's turn to have good crop
in 1898; and if so, crop of 400, OOO 900
bushels in this country might not be &C
companied with dear bread.
The wheat crop Of the new States in
this COMMUNICATING CalifOrnia-is sub
ject TO such wide fluctuations that IL is
always perious to speculate on its volume.
Take this State, for instance. Last year.
on wheat acreage of 100000 acres, we
raised little less than 100000 bushels,
or l3b bushels to the acre. But in 1890,
on an acreage of about 200 GOO acres, we
raised less than 100000 bushels, or less
than u bushels. In the year before that,
on an acreage Of 3,290,000 acres, we har-
vested 43,7S0.000 bushels, again about Is
bushels to the acre. Again, in the dry
year, 1885, on an acreage of 1920 900 acres,
we only raised 17.s00,000 bushels. or a
trIfie over 6 bushels to the acre. The
yield OF some OF the 'Northwestern" States
is sometimes relatively larger, but not
always. Minnesota has now more acreage
in wheat than California, the number of
acres planted in 1892 being over 8, 900, 600.
But the crop Of that year fell off from 1891,
so that Minnesota only raised about a mil
lion bushels more from 8, 550, 600 acres than
California did from 5000, 0G0, the yield per
acre being rather less than more than 10
bushels. The Dakotas have now raised
their wheat acreage above the 5000 600
acre mark. In 1892 they planted 5.4I0.00O
acres in wheat, and raised thereon &C, 7OO.-
900 bushels, under Is bushels to the acre.
Yet much Of this crop was grown on
virgin alluvial soil; the neagery Weld of
the grevelly plains. or the fields which
were devastated by drought or frost. re.
dnclng the general average Of the whole.
OF all the wheat States Kansas has lat
terly done the best. Her acreage in 1892
was 100000. ana on this she raised TO-.
$4,000 bushels. say 17h Bushels to the
acre.
The wheat problem involves two factors.
fertility and transportation. The aver