The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1896-12-15
No. As
WHAT GOOD PRICES MEAN.

Men who deal in wheat will remem-
Der the fall of 1895, because of the two
unprecedented features; the unex-
pected rise in the market on the eve Of
presidential election, and the ship
ment Of the staple from Chicago to
Southern ports, writes Dexter Mar.
shall. The first of these phenomena
has attracted the attention Of the whole
world; the second has hardly been
noticed by anyone not directly inter
ested in the sale and shipment of grain.
And yet this is undoubtedly far more
important than the other, since it ie
the beginning Of a new order in wheat
shipment. Chicago and St. Louis are
the great wheat centers OF the cont.
nent. At these two cities millions and
millions Of bushels of grain are nassed
every year over converging lines Of
shining steel. From these two cities 1t
is sent to the seaboard In the past
the Southern ports Of Baltimore, Nor.
folk, etc, have been supplied from st,
Louis, while none Of Ohlc8go's ship
mente, either by rail or water, have
been sent to ports south of New York.
But this year the continued and de-
ter mined efforts OF the Southern ports
aided by certain action on the part Of
the British Board of Trade and the low
railroad freights from Chicago south.
east, have tended to divert part OF
the wheat trade formerly enjoyed by
New York; hence the new departure
in Chicago wheat shipments.
1t is difficult accurately to calculate
the financial benefits Of Americas
wheat crop when prices are fair, but
they are enormous. The total crop Of
1895 is estimated at 495 900 600 bushels.
II the market keeps up and the aver
age price of wheat at the seaboard is
80 cents bushel, this means the addi
ton of 1888. OOO, 900 TO che country's
wealth. Il is true that the farmer does
not get all this immense sum, and that
the railroads co get large elice, but
the bulk Of all the money paid to the
| railroads, lake vesselmen, elevator and
other terminal corporations, for hand.
ling wheat, is paid out again at once in
| the form of wages, to the benefit Of
those who work with their hands.
In this way a profitable wheat crop
benefits almost every class in almost
every part of the country. Itdoes not,
however, bring the full value of the
crop into the country in the form OF
''foreign gold, for the United States ig
not only the greatest producer of wheat
in the world, but the greatest consumer
as well, it being estimated that 375,
600 900 bushels are disposed of every
year within the boundaries of Uncle
Sans dOminiOns. Accepting this esti-
mate as correct, 10000, 600 bushels of
the crop will be available for foreign
shipment. That there will be a de.
maEd fer all this wheat, and more,
from abroad, there is good reason to
believe, because of the short crop else
where. At 80 cents a bushel the inflow
Of foreign money for this years sur
plus would be $48, coo 600 This will
not be the extent of the cash receipts
from wheat this year, however, since
the left over surplus from last year
amounts to 10000, 600 bushels, which
at the same rate, will bring $6l, 900 OOO
more, or$l12 900 600 altogether. Count
ing the population of the country at
70 coo. 600, the wheat for sale outside
the United States this year will SHOW
from the outside world about $I7.4O
for every man, woman and child
enough to furnish hats and shoes for
all and leave a handsome surplus.