The Dakota chief. (Gann Valley, Buffalo County, S.D.) 18??-1913, 1895-02-28

The corn price, 1916 cents per bushel, is
G3 cents higher than the average price
for the decade 1SSO-S9, and is t cents
higher than the average of the last four
years.
The wheat price, 1913 cents, is the low
est for twenty-five years, and is $50 cents
lower than the average for the decade
1SSO-S9, and oil cents less than the av-
eragc for the last four years.
The price of cotton. it will be noticed,
is at its very minimum. D~iscarding for
the moment all other elements which en-
ter into the problem-such as the total
yield of the crop or the comparative cost
of production, and comparing the prices
for 1894 with those for 1892 inasmuch rs
1S03 was also Il year of unusual depres-
SION, it appears that, with the exception
of corn and oats, prices have declined 20,
30, and even 10 per cent.
That startling variations exist in vari-
Gus estimates of the wheat crop of 1871
we are well aware. The United States
Governments last estimate is 400, 100000
bushels, but, in view of the fact that this
is 3O,O00,O00 in excess of the Govern
mcnt's preliminary estimate, and that the
III = III ~ las
years crop is believed to have been wide.
ly erroneous, we may discard these fig
ures in favor of some of the trade esti-
mates, which run as follows: w. NJ.
Grosvenor, $50, 10000: Liverpool Corn
Trade News, 100000, 900: Cincinnati
Price Current, SO, 1900; Statistician
Thoman, 503, 100000.
Assuming the estimates of the Corn
Trade News for 1892 and 1893, and the
conservative figures of Mr.. Thoman for
1904, further assuming all wheat of IL
uniform grade, and all sold on farms
about Dec. l at the prices quoted in the
Governments farm price list, we nave the
following:
Aggregate
Year. Crop Du.) value on farm,
1892 ....... .5S0,OOO.OO 1851 ,92O.O 900
1893 .475.O0 $1,000 247,475,OOO
1884. ...... .5O3, 600, 1000 go, 49,, 900
This would Indicate that, while the ag-
gregate money yield from wheat for 1894
is approximately equal to that for 1893,
the loss in money, compared with 1892,
is over $1O0.0 100000; or, more exactly, the
loss on the 1894 crop, rs compared with
that of 1892, is Sill, 426,0 200. Assuming
the United States official statement of the
1894 wheat ~crop-namcly, $225, 900, 900,
the loss, as reckoncd on this comparative
basis, would be $136.O2O, 900.
Gain in the Price of Corn.
AS Il partial offset to this loss there ap-
pears to be II gain III the item of corn.
where the high price per bushel would
seem to net an aggregate sum in excess OF
that obtained for the crop of 1893. The
following table is made on the basis of
Mr.. Thoman's estimate Of the 1891 corn
crop and the United States official esti-
mates for 1892 and 1893, and combines
with them the Governments farm prices:
Total value
Year. Crop in bu. on farm,
1892 ...... Il, G2S, 464, 900 SOIL .G14,S1G
1893 $40, 496, 1871 591. 116,OS7
1894 Il ,i9G, 943,0OO GS2, G0G,O0S
If the Governments doubtful figures for
the crop of 1871 be taken wiz, 1.212,710,-
600 bushels, the farm value is only $5o4,-
10000.
The excess in the total market value of
last years crop over that of the previous
year appears, according to Mr.. Thoman's
figures, to amount to over $4,000, 900; or,
compared with the yield of two years ago,
to over $4O,00O,OOO. The Governments
figures would turn these estimated gains