The Monitor-register. [volume] (Woodstown, Salem Co., N.J.) 1892-1972, 1897-08-27
Great Exports of Corn.

era in respect to its manifest destiny of
feeding the nations has been by many
overlooked. For thirty years or more
some of the ablest officials at home and
diplomatists abroad have been striving
to open way for larger consumption in
foreign countries of Indian corn from the
United States. Some Of the elaborate
accounts which have been printed and
widely circulated with that object In
view have elcited the derision of the un
thinking. But the persistent efforts have
not proved entirely in vain. 1t is not the
fact, as some have carelessly stated, that
exports of corn never exceeded those of
wheat in earlier years. That happened
in the fiscal year 1877. with short yield
of wheat; nor was there wide difference
in exports of the two grains 10 the fiscal
year 1890, when great crop of wheat
and also of corn were raised and were
met by an unusual foreign demand, so
that exports of wheat exceeded 109. OOO..
600 bushels and exports of corn exceeded
103 600, 900 bushels in the same year.
But the last crop year has been the first
in which the outgo of corn has greatly
exceeded that of wheat, and it is also the
first time in the history of the cou ntry
when for two successive years the exports
Of corn and Of wheat have each sur
passed 100. 600, 900 bushels.
Since 1892, " hen the partial failure OF
crops abroad brought an unexpected de-
mand for American wheat, SO that 225..
665.s12 bushels. including -four, were
exported 10 that year. and 191,912, 1876 in
the following crop year-the foreign de.
mand both for wheat and corn m Materially
diminished, until in 1896 the quantity Of
wheat exported fell to 1876, 443. 1858 bush.
els, -four included. But in that year
corn took new start, and exports rose
to 101, 100, 375 bushels. Exports of corn.
meal are here included with corn, as OK.
ports of wheat flour are with wheat
Many expected that the famine In India
and the shortness of crops in some Other
countries would make the outgo of wheat
phenomenal in the year which has just
ended. and no doubt it would have been
much larger, and the price in this coun
try would have ruled much higher, but
for the enormous price of corn and the
disposition of foreign countries to take
from the United States larger supplies OF
it than ever. So the exports rose in the
crop year recently ended to 17S, S17, All
bushels. meal included, against 145, 0S2,-
GIG bushels of wheat, -four included.
The extraordinary crop of corn came
just in the right time to supply European
needs at low prices. For many years ii
has been observed that when corn could
be supplied In large quantities for less OF
not much more than half the price of
wheat the foreign takings of corn have
tended to increase. Thus in the four
years 1878 81. with foreign requirements
large, the average export price of corn
was less than half the price of wheat
every year, and the shipments of corn
remained steady between 81 600, 900 and
100, 900, 900 bushels. Again, in the years
1889 go the price of corn was scarcely
more than half that of wheat, and the
exports increased. But last year, after
July and August, the price of corn ruled
through the whole crop year below hall
the price of wheat, and the average for
the first half of the crop year was Blu,
81. 6 cents for corn, against II cents fol-
wheat. The rise in the price of wheat
has since made the difference still wider
The increase in demand for American
corn in foreign markets opens the way
for larger business hereafter than has
ever been done In grain, because there il
scarcely any limit to the supply of corn
which can be produced here oheaply in 9
year of favorable weather. If more thar
2. 900, 900, 900 bushels can be grown, as in
1890 or 1899 or last year, there is every
reason to suppose that the quantity can
be materially increased without apy
material advance in the range of cost
Ii so, the dependence of foreign countries
upon the United States for food may
naturally increase, 80 that even in ordi-
nary years our farmers may be called
upon for somewhat larger supplies, and
in years when crops abroad run short
quantities much exceeding those hitherto
sent abroad may be required. The
financial independence of this country
will be fastened, 1t is obvious, if much
larger share of its products comes to be
required for the food of other nations
and the industries or finances of the
country will become less liable to be dis
turbed by business disasters or by wars
and rumors Of wars in Europe.-N. 2
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