The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1894-11-22
TIE WHEAT PROBLEM.

VIII - OreeLl, III Lno OOIuSa sun OF
November 18th, under the head of "The
Wheat Problem" says he can see no
reason why wheat should not go down to
twelve shillings per quarter. His opin-
ion is based on the argument that the
profit of wheat-growing is not correlated
with the capital invested in the land on
which it is grown; that the industry is
pursued for wages.
Cheap communication between all
parts of the world has brought us into
competition with the points of production
where wheat is produced at the minimum
of cost. People should think easily; that
IS, should adopt simplicity of reasoning.
If there is part of the world where
wheat can be carried to it's final market
and sold for twelve shillings per quarter,
then the final market Will take wheat
from that point until it is exhausted. If
there is not sufficient in that quarter to
supply the demand, then wheat will be
taken from other localities. In this way
Ihe portions of the world where wheat
can be produced the cheapest will supply
the market if the volume of their produc-
zion is equivalent to the volume of the
demand.
Mr.. Green's argument is very specious
and very plausible. The people of East
India and Southern Russia are very
poor; that peasant with ten acres often
mas no clothes except a few bits of cheap
muslin, no furniture to speak of, and no
wants demanding expenditure of cash.
de can sell wheat for a price which does
not include the things demanded by civil
Lied men, for civilized want demands a
civilized wage.
From this the argument is drawn that
the low price will not diminish the GUAM
tity of wheat produced and simply and
solely because the people who are raising
1t can do nothing else. The basis of ali
this is that the masses of cultivators can
not discontinue the cultivation of wheat.
There is an element of truth mixed
with this mass of error. The two wheat
growing zones which belt the world north
and south of the equator have width of
about 130 of latitude. All regions within
these belts have been exploited and the
lands devoted to wheat cultivation. The
area cultivated in England has been
greatly diminished, and Mr.. Green in his
article admits that there are 100000 of
acres less under cultivation to wheat in
America at present than in the recent
past. But within the wheat-growing belt
other objects of cultivation can be and
will be substituted. There is self-ad-
justment in all these things. 1t requires
no more skill to raise forage for COWS
and sheep, and thereby produce mutton,
butter and wool, than to grow wheat and
the soil viii inevitably be devoted to its
most profitable use.
Mr.. Green omits from the considera-
ton Of his argument one important de-
tail. With wheat at IS shillings per quar-
ter, large areas Of poor land will be cul-
tivated to that cereal. With wheat at 10
shillings per quarter, certain percent
age OF bUS IS2SL ldIO III no
longer be cultivated to wheat, and their
product will cease to augment the guam
iity in the market. At Is shiilings per
quarter. about one-half of the wheat
growing lands Of the world will go into
djsuse for the production of that cereal,
simply because their product is so low
7,er acre that their cultivation is at a loss;
and it is not contended by Mr.. Green
that land will be cultivated when the
cultiyator himself does not obtain wages.
AT the old profitable prices, land which
would produce three or four sacks to the
acre would be planted to wheat. At Il
shillings per quarter, one-half OF the
wheat area of the world would net yield
wages to the labor employed in its Guilt
walton.
But there is an other and far more I'M
rortant factor entering into the computa-
ton. Within the past ten years large
areas of virgin soil have been deVoteo 70
the cultivation of wheat. The pampas OF
South America, the irrigated lanos III
India, prairie lands of Dakota. have come
into use with their virgin productive