New-York tribune., 1896-10-26
THE RYOT AND HIS CROP.
CONDITIONS OF LIFE FOR THE AMERI-
CAN FARMERS INDIAN COMPETITOR.
From The Philadelphia Press.

From The Philadelphia Press
For the first time since the exports of Indian wheat
began to play serious part in the worlds supplies
the failure of the Indian wheat crop has drawn gem
eral attention in this country TO the wheat OF India
which In the last two months has increased the profit
OF ins american RE- % IT by about ANA an acre
to depress prices II first appeared on large scale
caused by the failure of American wheat in 1881
Since then the exports nave varied They have been
as high as A. 900 100 bushels year 1856 and they
have fallen as low as 2l.ooo.0Oo bushels In other
words. they have supplied from 10 per cent TO D per
cent of the total amount Of wheat sent out by export
Ing or desired by importing countries.
The United States furnish quarter OF the wheat
another quarter.
WHERE IT IS GROWN
India ia abou, big the United States east Of
the Mississippi and on that area it has about four
times the population which all the United States
contains But the wheat crop of India is only grown
over small snare Of this territory Il Is confined TO
the northwest provinces. and the region from which
Export takes place IS practically limited to the valley
Of the Indus Wheat is grown in India in about the
States. but the conditions vary altogether from any
agriculture practised in this country. and exist on
Indian official reports give about 26,oOoOU acres
under wheat In all. including the regions in native
about 20 OO0COo acres of wheat in India. This s
about three-fourths the wheat area OF the United
bushels In good years. like lsssj to 2OOOO0.0O0 in
poor years. like 1922, and running down to moth
half the product of this country.
OF this fully l5G0.0O acres artihcally
watered and all of ii depends more or less upon
irrigation. In the last twenty-five years the area
under wheat in India has about doubled on ac-
count OF the irrigation enterprises of the British
Government a single of which. the Sarda prof.
ect. is expected TO add 100000 acres to the wheat
HOW IT Is GROWN
What has really taken place in India Is that an
ignorant cultvator. VINO scratches the ground with
a wooden plough plants his wheat In rows. weeds
| IL as he would garden patch drags "A ladder over
II to harrow the field. threshes II out by driving
| cattle over threshing floor. houses it In a pit
! and carries 1t on his back to the nearest market
or In crclking bullock cart has had his capacity
for raising wheat nearly doubled and his capacity
! for reaching "A market created outright. because
| English administration has networked the Puniab
| with irrigation canals OF which "A single has
d.tches 800 miles long. and has then provided rail-
roads carry the products to the seashOre. where
! il reaches the worlds ocean steamer communica-
| tion.
Wheat for the HndOo ryo Is. therefore, not food
! II l. extra. ~" does not live II, he
does not sell IL 10 his neighbors for food. and the
| share II that is used for food by the native
population of India is consumed In the cites or by
| Europeans. The cultivatOr himself lives almost
| wholly other food crops, which he grows In the