The sun., 1894-05-06

| food has Increased more than four and a hall
| times as fast as the power TO produce food.
and but for an acreage in excess In 1890. and
but for the fact that this excessive acreage
has been supplemented By three world wheat
crops aimee 1880. giving acreage Yields much
above the average. scarcity and high prices
would now obtain.
OF aggregate additions OF 101 100000 acres
TO the food bearing areas OF the temperate
zones during the last twenty-five years no less
than a. out OF each 100 acres have been con-
tributed by the United States although we
have contributed less than 3l.0OO.OOO out OF
aggregate additions OF 10000. 600 to the con-
sumlng populations. That is, the United
Staten haa contributed "a per cent. to the
added supply OF food, and but 20 per cent TO
the added consumers OF food. while the other
bread eating peoples contributed I4.6 per cent.
OF the new consumers and but 30 per cent OF
added supplies. This shows how dependent
tho bread eating world has been. and still is.
upon the United states for the means OF sub
sistence. and indicates what will be the con-
ditlon Of the countries i'm porting food when
we cease to contribute to their supplies OF
bread and meat
Significant as Ia the comparison Of the In
crease OF the consuming population and con-
tributory acres since 1890 II is no less siRnifl-
cant that since 1886 the 'ditions to the cul-
tivated acreage OF the United States have not
nearly edualled the requirements for food OF
the added domestic population.
The augmentation OF the worlds bread eat
ing as well as other populations. in q geomet-
rical ratio. Is evidenced by the fact that tho
yearly aggregates grow progressively larger
From 1870 to 1890 the additions to the bread
eating races were by an annual average OF
4. 300, 900. while the increase between 1880
and 1890 was by an annual average OF 5.OOO,-
600. and the yearly additions now aggregate
$500. .O0o.>
In other words. - bread-eating world Is
now yearly adding 100000 more mouths
than twenty years since. and to add propor-
tionately to the supply Of food there should
yearly be brought under cultivation over q
third more acres than the average additions Of
the eighth decade. During that period the ad-
dltions to the food bearing areas Of the tenn
perate zones averaged 100000 acres per
apnum. while current additions are very much
less than fourth that quantity. ana are equiv
alent to less than nth OF each years aug
mentatior OF the requireme for the primary
food staples consumed by the peoples Of
European lineage. This unprecedented con-
ditiun oompels an inquiry respecting the pos
sibilities as well as the probabilities OF In
creasing the food supply. as well as to how
long It is probable. or even possible. that such
supply shall continue sufficient upon the as
sumption that population shall continue to In
crease In the same ratio rs during the last
twenty-five years.
Exclusive OF cotton. individual annual aver
age consumption In the United States equals
the product Of 2S7 acres. By the absorption
OF the products Of the acreage now employed
In growing food In primary and secondary
forms for expectation. and the product Of
such acres as may be added to the food-bear-
ing areas by the time the products shall be re-
quired. we shall be able. possibly. to provide
for about eight years additions to tho homo
populations without materially lowering the
standard OF living. This being the situation.
exports OF food from the United States may be
eliminated from the problem. and the inquiry
confined to such countries a. are reasonably
certain to aid in feeding Europe and tho peo-
pies OF European blood inhabiting the islands
and tropical lands. who annually derive .
considerable part OF their sustenance from tho
souices furnishing the extraneous supplies OF
Europe.
Western. central. and southern Europe are so
fully occupied as to promise no more than the
added forage required by the local populations.
The additions to tho Austro- Hungarian
grain areas may be equivalent TO the added re-
Iulrements Of the read-eating world for
nearly two years, and the additions made to
tho food bearing acres in Roumania. Bulgaria.
Servia. and European Turkey will probably
equal those OF Austria-uungary.
European Russia has an immense unpro-
ductive and worthless area. and one much less
In extent that is very productive. which
the optimists. measuring social conditions by
those OF the sterile tracts. deal with as sparse
ly Inhabited. when the fact is that such Of the
provinces as lie within the. grain belt have
a population that averages 80 to the square