Arizona republican., 1897-09-21
THE WHEAT SITUATION.
Statistician Hyde Tells of It In His
 Monthly Report.

Statistician Hyde Tells of It In His
 Monthly Report.
 The following relating to the wheat situation is an extract from the com plete monthly report of Mir. Johr Hyde, statistician of the agricultura, department:
 High prices for wheat for severa- weeks past have been bringing out supplies quite freely, and increased supplies have in turn reacted upon prices, causing some decline from the highest figures of August. The gen. eral tenor of the information gleaned from all available sources is not, how ever, of a character to warrant the expectation or the fear, according as the matter is regarded from the con- sumer's or the producers point of view. of any material cheapening of wheat until another crop is in sight with prospect of amp1er stocks.
 With an annual average European product of over i 1,428, 100000 bushels during the six years from 1881 to 1896 inclusive we exported an average of 166,373,872 bushels a year. This year
 
 Broomhall's Corn Trade News, will. in round numbers, amount to 1.329,- 100000 Winchester bushels, or 99, ,OOO,- 900 bushels less than the average of the six years in question If we make the comparison with the figures given by Beerbohm for 1857 the deficiency in the European crop is still greater the figures, of bushels, being:
 AVprapa for 1901 I Zoo oan non Crop of 1897 315 t1Df1 oO0
 Dlnerence ..... .... =. 113 GOO GOO
 That is, according to Beerbohm's estimate of this years crop, there is deficiency of 113,000, 900 bushels in European countries, as compared with their average product for the six years 19o1-1S96, an average which in- cludes the exceptionally small crop of 1891. To make up this deficiency lit tie help is to, be expected from India. Argentina, or Australia for months to come, and in so far as Europe will have to import a larger quantity than usual, she will have to draw 1t main ly from North America, and espec- tally from the United States. the Ca nadian contribution being relatively small. Official returns for Ontario and Manitoba give for these two prov inces an aggregate of 51 ,042, ,253 bush els. If the Argentine crop shall es- cape the ravages of 1ocusts it seems likely to turn out unusually well. and from January, 1898, when the bulk of the harvest will be got in in Argentina and that country may nave more or less wheat to export, as the latest mail ad- vices represent the crop as being in fine con6ktion and the weather high ly favorable There are. however. many chances of serious damage dur ing the next three or four months. ] The latest accounts from Australia indicate that the drought, from which that country has suffered for the last two or three seasons, has Deen broken and that the wheat crop is giving good promise throughout most of the Australian colonies but the area was narrowed by drought at seeding time. 1 and, as stocks must fbe low, it is not 1 likely that even with a full yield the 1 crop4 will be nne~nnLnf which any 1 great ar1ount can be spared for expor 1 tation. The present high prices would ordinarily te-d to encourage 1 the sowing of an increased breadth l in India, should the weather be ia i vorable this fall; but any inclination | on the part of the poorer cuhivators | to take advantage of such favorable | conditions will probably be in great measure thwarted by the impover- ished conditions in which they have l 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 up, on the United States, it is evident that there would, in any case, be a demand for a larger surplus than is to be expected out of tHis years crop If to our average annual export for the six years, 1S92-1997, we add a European shortage of 99,O00,O0O bush els, figured out by Broomhall, we get a total of 265, ,373, ,S72 bushels, and in so far as we fall short of supplying that quantity, Europe must suffer q scarcity in her bread supply, except in so far as she can avert it by draw ing on the stocks that may remain out of previous crops. The worlds have, however, been reduced in consequence of the short wheat crop last year and a deficiency in some of the other important food crops will not tend to relieve the tension of the wheat market. |