New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-09-21
THE QUESTION OF WHEAT.
AMERICAN FARMERS THE CREDITORS
OF THE WORLD.
CHANGES THAT HAVE COME IN PRO-
DrCrTON AND DIsTRBUTION-THEIR
EFFECT on PRICES
Edward Atkinson in Harpcrs Weekly.

Edward Atkinson In Harper's Weekly.
! In the discussion Of the silver question I'm Grea;
Inc whole question Is dealt with II wheat and
mainly due the British system of land tenure.
and to the conditions of agriculture based thereon.
session OF land the direction Of its cultivation AMI
the labor upon the soil must by a sort OF necessary
law be divided between three parties-hrst, the
landlord. who supplies land and buildings his share
of the product being taken In the name of rent;
second, the tenant farmer who Is expected TO pro-
vide the working capital and the executive direc-
bore Who o"p the MANUAL on work for %age
The ordinary conditions Of farm leases Gus
TEN. in which wheat comes in rotation on the
other hand. wheaton bread Is more absolutely the
staff of life In Great Britain than In any other
country.
1t is due to these conditions that the British land
constituted the majority of the recent Royal Com
mission on the Depression Of Agriculture have be
come almost incapable Of thinking or speaking on
the silver question except In terms Of wheat There
part of those who have only half mastered the
facts. TO support the free coinage of silver OF full
this country had been capitalized wheat at 81 %
bushel." 1t is therefore held that we must de.
full legal tender in order to raise the price OF wheat
and of other farm products
Some one may ask what that expression capital
ICED on 81 % wheat really means. The writer
must refer that question to the young man who
what it means himself it serves me cas- as a con
OF dealing with this subject by uniformed or in
competent men. II this phrase means anything. 1t
| price
bread without any regard to the wages of those
who eat bread lest the wheat farmers should not
some influence among those who do not know the
facts In dealing with this subject the ex x,
the Bureau OF Statistics of Minnesota. and soon to
be published by the state will be chiefly made use
tanned by the auhorties Of other States. as well
culture. Figures Of ten grea, States of the north
f err Mississippi Valley are given emitting the two
recent years The States Of Ohio Indiana. Illinois
Michigan. Wisconsin, Minnesota, Nebraska, Iowa
Kansas and Missouri produced 70 per cent of the
whole crops OF Indian corn. oats and wheat of this
country during the period under consideration: II
is at this centre OF the worlds supply Of food
that the comparison Of prices should be made If by
ton of gold is to be demonstrated. These ten
the excess Of grain which is sold for export at
gold standard the market price of the entire crops
will bring for export to foreign countries.
The average gold value per ton of corn. wheat
inclusive-was SIS Il; per busRe sss cents. The
crop Of 1881 was exceptional both in quantity and
price, being met by very short crops In Europe In
that year or one OF the years of that period. the
quantity Of wheat exported from this country
suficed TO give every inhabant OF the British
United Kingdom depended wholly upon the United
States for her supply of wheat and bread. We
should have supplied in that year the whole popula
on of the British Islands and of this country also
In the interval between 1862 and 1895 soOOoOOo
acres of land previously unoccupied were put under
1862 was under mortgage there is means of tell
ing. Suffice it that nearly every acre since occu-
pied has been improved and brought under cultva-
ton with money borrowed and cured on mort
gage he average tbe OF epd Of b peTIod
namely. in 1892, moro than one-half. and outside Of
panies have misled owners into purchasing land
unfit for cultivation except by irritation more
farms were free Of any mortgage whatever ana
were well stocked. -. A.. ,,, ...
ment OF the is given in these words; covering
the whole Nation I'm regard to the families occu,
pying farms the conclusion is that AS per cent OF
the families hire and 6S.s2 per cent own the farms
cultivated by them; that % p per cent OF the ow "
per cent own free of incumbrance. Among 100 farm
families on the SyeTese and nTe Without he incm
brance on the owned farms there "a are EN- mems
/ the value OF the incupbered farms, and this debt
bears interest at the average rate OF ~ per cent
Each owned and incumbered farm. on the average
Is worth 50 IA and is subject to a debt of 81
The American farmers have protected them
selves In great measure against the dangers OIL resi-.
Ing upon single crop. In the early part oft period
1862 to lssl-the a-wheat system OF cultivation alton
prevailed in many Of the states put IN al these
States varied agriculture has been adopted wheat
has become like the cotton Of the SOUTH me or
in the spring autumn In planting ana rev
inG The farmers have become year by year self
sustaining on their products OF meats rod,
ucts to the end that the wheat has become sur
plus or profit crop If the readers OF TINS artee IN
m rn the writer earnestly sollcts information
thereon. a., ,,aors
changes which have occurred In the process OF p'o
duction and distribution .ao,,,o,oa ron.
dered efccti'e and increased from o about VV w
moving bushel OF wheat from Chicago to Newc
York by lake and rail has been reduced from 40 go
TO 5e cents in 1872 and It Is now even less.
Modern agricultural machinery mas neeh S', NOS
brought into existence, while the price Oh e bn
more and more effective plough. :eaper ana mar
ySser has been in her Ps Forms complete
revolution has occurred In milling gram. orxin
on a grain farm raises 20 per cent more gram
with less personal effort than ne was or, Po"ge 1ongT
instead of driving it, and he direcs the hart ,hs
ing machine instead or Workhg H. GOV ot hyod ~
feeding he raises 80 per cent more I'VE s'ocK a aru
out more than 80 per cent rAG esn u twenty
wears since with less manual labor The average
hog reached G fa"r9en the
erage steer thirty years since was sH o oy o
less. OF even weight. The average COW produces zee.
30 per more milk than her predecessor oI uu'
a few years since at lessened cost OF pronuc-
On the other hand the wagons tools furnpTs
End comforts OF life for which the farmer ex-
changes his products were mace anu so the 10 mos
abundant supply at one,haf or less than the prices
that prsvaed even az as se as 1 the G arts Of pro
Iucing the nccessaries of life which the farmers
the wages or the NOrkinch "hH
aoid standard as they had been in deprecated
isgal-tender notes when the purchasing power OF
those notes had been reduced % per cent ana also
very much higher than they were IN 1853.
r. viii be necessary well as interesting for our
rri,ish consumers remark that the average return
n.r acre in wheat from 1892 to 1894 inclusive varied
hu, = fraction from s2 go or. at two cents TO a
penny 70 lOs When the writer first began to study
his wheat question. in 1872. II became apparent 10
hIn mai the only possibility OF lnianing any
rent Whatever upon wheat land IN Great britain
would rest upon the maintenance OF hign COST Oh
,r9nsnortatlon from the Mississippi Valley. How
ranIdiv that cost would be reduced ne did not him
sH iare 10 prcdc;. At that time. so far as he could
cot ex1ct information. the rent and poor rates upon
good land devoted 10 wheat In Great Briiain were
r,ora han 20 p.r acre, in many Instances r. These
acts were disclosed In article In The Fortnighty
Review" for July nv - ,...,.,, ,o,
total return equivalent to rent and rates only IN
prifain they twenty years ago, our
80, cron has nearly irebled while our grain crop
: l.-nla IL frlr hos lrna