The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1894-05-30
THE LOW PRICE OF WHEAT.
SOME INTERESTING AND vALUA-
BILE INFORMATION.
Increase in Wheat Contributing Coun-
tries-What Farmers Must Do to
Meet Competition.


'In the first place, wheatis now and
for many years to come will be crop
which invites competition from coun-
tries in which farming is poor and land
or labor abundantly cheap. It is es
sentially a crop of cheap lands or in
ferior tillsge, or both. In India, in
Egypt and some other countries the la
Dor is cheap; in Australasia, and here
tofore in our own Northwestern terri
tory, while the labor is high, the lands
are cheap and the farmer, moreover,
ruthlessly robs the soil. Now in South
America we find cheap wheat lands,
and, compared with our own, cheap Ia
Dor. So in Southern Russia, where
there are comparatively cheap lands
and positively cheap labor.
''In arecent statement of the worlds
wheat supply issued by the Depart
ment of Agriculture are found dozen
countries contributing whose existence
is probably ignored by the majority of
American wheat raisers, and of whom
little is known even to American COM
mercial men. Among them we may
mention especially the Caucasus, Ru-
mania, Bulgaria, to say nothing of
European Turkey, Turkey in Asia, Ser
via, Persia, Poland, Cratia and Sla-
vonia, and in Africa, Egypt, Tunis and
Algeria. In the aggregate the coun-
tries mentioned have contributed n
| yearly average of over 800, 900, 900
bushels to the wheat crops of the last
three years. The aggregate popula-
tion of the first three countries named
is in all about II, 900, 900. and of this
large number are not users of wheat
flour, using for their own wants rye.
Hence the average home consumption
per capita is not more than o-thirds
as much as ours, and yet these three
countries produced wheat IN the years
given as follows: In 1891, 100, ,575, 900
bushels; in 1892, III, $50, 900 bushels,
and in 1898, 146, 529, 900 bushels an
average of 159, ,6S8, 900 bushels, with
probably home consumption barely
exceeding 40, 900, 900 bushels. A few
years ago the products of these coun-
tries, or at least their exportable sur
plus, was too insignificant for record.
"The London Miller states that the
total figures for Russia show the ship
ments from that country for January,
1894, to be SO, 900 quarters, compared
with 210, $50 quarters in January, 1893,
and 575, $50 quarters in Janury, 1891.
In 1892 they were prohibited.
"Another factor, and one that
promises to count more than all the
rest in the next decade, is to be found
in the rapid increase in the wheat
crops of the Argentine Republic, an
increase which promises to be phe-
nomenal. According to the paper al
ready quoted, shipments from Argen-
tina to the United Kingdom were, for
the six weeks ending February 10th,
over $50, 900 quarters, or ut the rate
of 9, 2,444, 900 quarters lover 10, 600, 600
bushels) per annum but, adds the
paper quoted: March and April ship
ments will show II material increase
The director of the Department of
Agriculture of Argentina, recently in
this country, assured me that within
ten years that country would export
more wheat than is now exported by
the United States. Moreover, Chile,
Australasia and the great Northwest
territory of British North America
seem likely ere long to show their
ability to supply any deficiencies
which may occur in the other countries
named.
According to the Department au-
thorities the wheat supply of the
world for the three years 1891, 1892
and 1898 was respectively, in round
numbers, 1850, 900, 900, 2,303, 900, 900
and 1880, 900, 900 bushels, an ample
supply for the worlds demand, with Il
very considerable surplus in 1892, to
say nothing of the alleged underesti
mates of the Department in the years
1891 and 1892. 1t is true that without
marked increase in the supply there
has been a steady diminution in price,
but that is readily accounted for by
the large available increase from coun-
tries not formerly contributing in any
marked degree, but which, by the de-
velopment in means of transportation,
as in the case of the Caucasus, or
owing TO changes in their political
status, AS in Bulgaria, and from other
causes, have now permanently joined
the ranks of exporting countries, and
are able to sell at low prices.
"The situation in this country can
only be met by a general reduction in
acreage and a considerable increase in
yield per acre Our farmers must
learn to attain the yield which prevails
in the more civilized countries of
Europe, instead of tagging among the
more backward. Our pitiful thirteen
bushels to the acre must be increased
to eighteen or twenty, and our wheat
acreage reduced from $4,000, 900 or
$4,000, 900 acres to 10000, 900. At
eighteen bushels to the acre, an aver
age more than equalled by France and
greatly exceeded by Great Britain and
Belgium, the farmers on the cheap
lands of the Northwest can make
small profit with wheat at fifty or sixty
cents a bushel, where yield of thirteen
bushels means an actual loss. In this
reduction in wheat acreage, the older
States, notably Ohio and Indiana,
which together raised nearly 70, 0O0,-
900 bushels last year, must take the
lead, their opportunities for diversih-
cation being greater than those avail
able to the farmers of Minnesota and
the Dakotas and the other newer
Gtakaa -