Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1894-03-12
CEREAL STATISTICS
Facts That May Explain Why
Wheat Is Cheap.
A NEW FACTOR IN CONSUMPTION

a'ot One That Does Not Increase the Mar
ket Price-Large Quantities Of Corn and
Wheat In Fsrmers' Hands-Herbert Re-
plies tn Questions of the House Regard
Ing the Hawaiian A Anair-wellman Starts
for the Pole. :.
WASHINGTON, March 12-The statistical
returns OF the department of agriculture
ior March consist principally of estimates
OF the distribution of wheat and corn, the
amounts remaining in farmers hands, the
proportion Of merchantable corn and the
average prices of both the merchantable
and understandable. The report is based
upon returns of corps of correspondents
OF each county of several states and terri
tories and also by an independent corps Of
iumbermen reporting through the state
agents of the department All grain in the
hands of farmers, including the surplus of
| previous years, is embraced in the esti.
mates given.
Feeding the Wheat to Hogs.
The returns of correspondents of the de-
department throughout the great wheat
surplus states indicate a new factor in
The consumption OF wheat, viz, the feed
N,
fact due, as declared, to the unprecedent-
edly low prices, the claim being made that
this mode of disposing of the cereal is
profitable as compared with marketing it
| Tor human food. The returns also indi-
cate that considerable proportion of the
| wheat now in farmers hands comes from
crops prior to that of 1S.r}, and especially
from the crops of 1S9l-lSy2 Such stocks
have been held principally by large grow
ers. Some damage to such storms is re-
ported from Michigan and Washington.
| Quantity Now in Farmers Hands.
The indicated stock of wheat in farm
ers' hands is ia, 10000 bushels or 2SS
per cent. of the volume of the crop of 1893.
This is nearly 81 ,OOO,00O bushels less than
the estimate for March last year and
nearly 20. 100000 less than the average of
the past eight years. The amount remain
ing III farmers hands in the eleven prin-
| cipai wheat growing states is about as
| WU,OOO bushels, or 63.S per cent. of the
amount in producers hands in the coun-
try mt large.
| The average weight of the crop of 1893
per measured bushel, as calculated from
correspondents and millers and state
agents, is 57.6 pounds, making the esti-
mated product little over 3Sl ,5OO, 900 meas
ured bushels, against 3o6, 900 600 measured
bushels, rs heretofore reported
| The Corn We Have Left.
The corn in producers hands, as esti-
&plAfeds aggregates 5S9. coo eco bushels. or
3G4 per cent. Of the crop of 1893 This
proportion is less than for any year in the
past five, except that of 1891. The aggre-
crate of corn in farmers hands in the
surplus states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois.
Iowa, Missouri, Kansas and Nebraska is
GIL per cent. of that in all the entire
entire country, being in quantity S6O, ,1oO,-
600 bushels. The proportion of merchant
able corn is $50 per cent, of q present
average value of 349 cents per bushel
The understandable averages 322 cents
per bushel.
Worlds Crop of Wheat.
The official and commercial estimates of
the worlds wheat crop for 1893 make it
32,OO,00 bushels less than last year The
final estimate will probably still further
reduce the total for 1898. as the preliminary
estimates for Russia and Germany are
gently reduced by the final estimates.