The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1897-09-14
Even American Exports
Cannot Make Up the
Big Deficit.
Canada'S Contribution to the
Deficiency Will Be Com
paratively Small.
Little Can Be Expected From the
Argentine. Australian and Indian
Fields.

WASHINGTON, d. c., Sept. 13.-The
following relating to the wheat situation
is an extract from the complete monthly
report of John Hyde. the statistician OF
the Agricultural Department, which Will
be issued tomorrow:
High prices for wheat have for several
weeks past been bringing out supplies
quite freely and increased supplies have
in turn reacted upon prizes, causing re-
action from the highest figures of August.
The general tenor OF the information
cleaned from all the available sources is
not, however, of a character 10 warrant
the expectation or the fear, according as
the matter is regarded from the consum-
ers' or the produ point of view. of
any material cheapening OF wheat until
another crop is in sight, with a prospect
of ampler stocks.
With an annual average European prod
uet OF over l, 42s 200, 900 bushels during the
six years from 1891 to 1896. inclusive, we ex-
pected an average of 166, 1878, S72. 900 bushels
year. This year the European crop, &C.
cordlng to Bromhall's Corn Trade News
will, in round numbers, amount to l. $685.
600, 600 Winchester bushels or $1,000 900
bushels less than the average OF the six
years in question. II we make the COM
parison with the figures given by Beer
bobm for 1897. the deficiency in the Euro
pean crop is still greater, the figures, in
millions of bushels, being:
Average for 1S91-1S96, 142S; crop of 1897,
1915; difference, i13.
That is, according to Beerbohm's esti-
mate of this years crop. there is def
cheney of 113, 000, 00O bushels in European
nTNy Nfrfno h
product for the six years 1891-1896-an
average which includes the exceptionally
small crop of 1891. To make up the de-
flciency little help is to be expected from
India, Argentina or Australia for months
to come, and in so far as Europe will have
to import larger quantity than usual
she will have to draw it mainly from
North America, and especially from the
United States, the Canadian contribution
being relatively small.
Official returns for Ontario and Mani
toba give for th sse Two provinces an aggre-
gate OF 81, 042. 253 bushels. Ii the Argen-
tine crop shall escape the ravages Of
locusts it seems likely to turn out unusu-
ally well, and from January, 1893. when
the bulk of the harvest will be got in
Argent tina, that country may have more
or less wheat to export, as the latest mail
advices represent the crop as being in fine
condition and the weather highly favor
able. There are, however, many chances
of serious damage during the next three
or four months.
The latest accounts from Australia in
dicate that the drouth from which that
country has suffered for the last two or
three seasons has been broken and that
the wheat crop is giving good promises
throughout most of the Australian col
onies, but the area was narrowed by
drouth ct seeding time, and as stocks
must be low 1t is not likely hat, even with
a full Weld, the crop will be one out of
which any great amount can be spared
for expectation. The present high prices
would ordinarily tend to encourage the
sowing of an increased breadth in India,
should the weather be favorable this fall,
but any inclination on the part of the
poorer cultlvatorS 10 take advantage of
such favorable conditions will probably
be in great measure thwarted by the i'm
poverished condition in which they have
been left by the famine in the greater part
of the wheat-growing districts.
But leaving cut of view the fact that the
burden of supply for Europe will fall more
largely than usual upon the United States
it is evident that there would, in any case
be demand for a larger surplus than is
TO be expected ont of this years crop. If
to our average annual export for the six
years 1S9297. we add a European short
age of so, DOC, 600 bushels, as figured out by
Bromhall. we get a total of 265. 1873. 872
bushels, and in so far as we fall short OF
supplying that quantity. Europe. as COM
pared with an average year, must suffer
scarcity in her bread supply, except
in so far as she can avert it by drawing on
the stocks that may remain out of pre-
viouS crops.
The worlds reserves have however,
been reduced in consequence OF the short
wheat crop of last year, and a deficiency
in some of the other important food crops
will not tend to relieve the tension OF the
han bot