Smyrna times., 1897-09-01
GREAT EXPORTS OF CORN.

GREAT EXPORTS OF CORN.
Ihat this country has reached new
era in respect to his manifest DESTINY
OF feeding the nations has been by many
overlooked. For thirty years or more
some of the ablest officials at home and
dlplomatlsts abroad have been striving
to open a 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 elected the deris-
ion of the unthinking. But the per-
slstent efforts have proved entirely in
vain. 1t is not the fact, as some have
earelessly stated, that exports of corn
never exceeded those of wheat in ear
ller years. That happened in the fiscal
year 1877, with a short yield of wheat,
nor was there a wide difference in ex-
ports of the two grains in 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 1O9, ,OOO.
900 bushels and exports of corn ex-
ceeded 103,OOO,OOO 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 country when for two successive
years the exports of corn and of wheat
have each surpassed 100, 900, 900 bush
els.
Since 1S92-when the partial failure
OF crops abroad brought an unexpected
demand for American wheat. SO that
225, ,665,S12 bushels including -four.
were exported in that year, and 191,-
9l2, l35 in the following crop year-the
foreign demand both for wheat and
corn materially diminished, until in
1896 the quantity of wheat exported fell
to 126, 443, 96S bushels, -four included. |
But In that year corn took new start. |
and exports rose to 101, 1000, 275 bush
els. Exports of cOrnmeal are here in |
cluded with corn, as exports of wheat |
Hour are with wheat. Many expected |
that the famine in India and the short |
ness of crops in some other countries |
would make the outgO of wheat phe-
nomenal in the year which has Just |
ended, and no doubt it would have
been much larger, and the price in this
country would have eruled much higher.
but for the enormous crop of corn and
the disposition of foreign countries to
take from the United States larger sup
plies of it than ever. So the exports
rose in the crop year recently ended to
17S,S17, All bushels, meal included,
against 145,OS2, ,616 bushels of wheat.
-four included.
The extraordinary crop of corn came
just in the right time to supply Euro
pean needs at low prices. For many
years it has been observed that when
corn could he supplied in large quanti-
ties for less or not much more than
half the price of wheat the foreign
taklngs of corn have intended to in
crease. Thus in the four years 1878-'S1,
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 re-
mained steady between 1000, 900 and
100000 bushels. Again in the
years 1S89-'9O 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 half the price of wheat, and
the average for the first half of the
crop year was but 31.6 cents for corn,
against 71.9 cents for wheat. The rise
in the price of wheat has since made
the difference still wider.
The increase in demand for Ameri-
can corn. in foreign markets opens the
way for a larger business hereafter
than has ever been done in grain, be- I
cause there is scarcely any limit to the
supply of corn which can be- produced ,,
here cheaply in a year of favorable
weather. III more than 1900, 900, 900
bushels can be grown, as in 1890 or !
1892 or last year, there is every reason !
to suppose that the quantity can be '
materially increased without any ma )
terial advance in the range of cost. If I
so, the dependence Of foreign countries I
upon the United States for food may
increase, so that even in G
years our farmers may be
called upon for somewhat larger sup /
plies, and in years when crops abroad :
run short quantities much exceeding /
those hitherto sent abroad may be re- :
quired. The financial independence of
this country will be hastened, it is OBJ
vious, if a much larger share of its b
products comes to be required for the v
food of other nations, and the indus a
tries or finances of the country will be-
come less liable to be disturbed by
business disasters or by wars and ru- c
mors Of wars in Europe. -NesO York 4
Tribune. .
Don't Tobacco Spit and Smoke Your life Away.
TO quit tobacco easily and forever, be mag L
netic filI of life uprva and vfoor falra Man, u