The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-11-17
THIS YEARS cROPG WHEAT.
ESTIMATES GIVEN NJ THE GOVERN
MENT.s MONTHLY REVIEW.
Denriency sn Russia Not Yet Deter
mfned-France shows a shortage
OF Is Per Cenf.-Rye short In Ger
many-Argeptine Drouth Broken.

WASHINGTON. New. is-The agricui-
t'iral department has issued its monthly
review % the foreign crop situation. Much
attention Il devoted 20 the grain crop OF
Russia, especially what or account OF
i1s magnitude as a factor Ia the European
Supply. The review says thar all accounts
agree IN representing the wheat crop as
deficient. hut as 20 tie extent Of the de-
neseficy much difference Of opinion exists.
AFTER quoting many dispatches painting
the crop situation IN various provinces ia
very black coiors and the statements OK
our consul at Odessa that this years crop
has proved a failure. the. review calls at
ter1tion TO the fact that since harvest Rus
STA has exported grain very freely The
review says:
The exports of wheat from August 10
October e amounted 10 i.i52 80 quarters,
against 2.sss."49 quarters and s.SsS. 80 quar-
lefs during the corresponding period IN
hS and fsa9. respectively. These very
large exports have led commercial papers
10 withhold their cresience from the mare
pfssI!nistic reports published. That the
crop was deficient was admitted. but that
the failure was so serious as such reports
Implied few Of the grain dealers II West
ern Europe believe. Recently. however,
some change of attitude has become appar-
ent. Stocks in ports are not increasing IN
the manner usual for this time Of year.
and the opinion Il freely expressed that.
after this month. Russia can he relied on
Tor only Very moderate shipments.
1T is generally understood that Russia
had large stocks Of wheat left over from
the crops of the preceding year. and this
TACT coupled with the good prices which
have prevailed, may account for the large
exports which have taken place. even
though the crop failure IN large parts Of
Russia has been extremely serious.
The review says the estimates OF the
Russian crop are so uncertain that their
reproduction would be Of doubtful utility.
The preliminary official figures for France
show reduction of &c per cent. below
1886 and IL per cent below the average for
ten years. AS for five years France and
Russia produced % per cent. of the worlds
crop. the review says. heavy shortage
In both countries would. therefore be suf-
hcient in Itself TO produce a very sensible
effect on the worlds supply. independent
OF the short crops In Australia Hungary.
the Danuhian and Balkan countries and
elsewhere, and the shortness of the last
crop in India, Ausir ala and Argentina.
In Germany, rye, which Is the princi-
pal bread grain. has been officially esti-
mated at per cent. less than last years
crop.
The various estimates for Austria-Hun-
gary are more or less conflicting. but there
II no doubt as to there being a heavy de-
felt in the wheat crop.
The wheat crop of the United Kingdom
is estimated at 5oss0.eeo bushels.
The preliminary estimate OF the italian
wheat crop makes II 80 coo bushels
against 14t7a 100 bushels last year.
The Roumapian wheat crop is estimated
at 81 lsi73o bushels.
The Bulgarian wheat crop Is estimated
at 40 per cent: rye at % TO 10 per cent.
and barley at % per cent. less than last
year.
The wheat crop of Turkey has been esti-
mated at 80 see. 900 imperial bushels.
As regards crops now growing in the
southern hemisphere, the news continues
10 be favorable on the whole. In Argen-
tina drouth. which for time in some
provinces threatened serious injury. seems
to have been generally broken, and dam
ger of any serious loss from such a source
seems now. in the advanced state of the
crop, to have passed.
The Indian wheat crop has been sown
under favorable conditions. and the same
is in general true of the winter grain crops
Of EUROPE, and both in Indian and Europe
the weather seems. in tine main. to have
been very favorable to the growth of the
seed.