The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1897-09-25
Statlstician Hyde Reports on the
Wheat Situation.

WHcdt SltudtiOii 10 du tAtTuCt lIOih
the complete monthly report of Mr..
John Hyde, statistician of the Agri-
cultural Department:
High prices for wheat for several
weeks past have been bringing cut
supplies quite freely, and increased
supplies have in turn reacted upon
prices, causing some decline from
the highest figures of August. The
general tenor Of the information
cleaned from all available sources
is not, however, of character to
warrant the expectation or the fear,
according as the matter is regarded
from the consumers or the pro-
ducer's poit of view, of any ma
terial cheapening of wheat until
another crop is in sight with pros
pect of ampler stocks.
With an annual avarage Europ-
can product of over 1,42S,000,OOO
bushels during the six years from
1891 to 1896 inclusive we exported
an average of 1e6,373,S72 bushels a
year. This year the European crop,
according to Broomhall's Corn
Trade News, will in round num-
bers amount to 1,329,00O,O0O VIM
chester bushels, or 100000 bushels
less than the average of the six
years in question. If we make the
comparison with the figures given
by Beerbohm for 1897 the deficiency
in the European crop is still great
er, the figures of bushels being:
Average for 1891 -. IL 5000, 900
Crop for 1897 ......1 10000, 600
Difference. l13,000,OO9
That is, according to Beerbohm's
estimate of this years crop, there
is deficiency of 113,00O,OOO bushels
in European countries, as com
pared with their average product
for. the six years 1S91-lS95, an aver
which includes the exceptionally
small crop of 1891. TO make up
this deficiency little help is to be
expected from India, Argentina, OF
Australasia for months to come
and in 50 far as Europe will have
to import larger quantity than
usual, she will have TO draw il
mainly from North America, and
especially from the United States
the Canadian contribution being
relatively small. Official returns
for Ontario and Manitoba give fol
these two provinces an aggregate
! of 81, 042, 153'bushels. Ii the Argen'
tine crop shall escape the ravage'
of locusts it seems likely TO turf
out unusually well, and from Janu
, airy, 1898, when the bulk of tn,
, harvest will be got in in Argentina
that country may have more o
[ less to export, as the latest mail ad
vices represent the crop as being il
fine condition and the weathe
r highly favorable. There are how
{ ever, many chances of serious dam
age during the next three or fou
months. The latest accounts from
Australia indicate that the droutl
( from which that country has SUI
s fered for the last two or three seq
j. sons, has been broken, and that tn
8 wheat crop is giving good promis
J. throughout most of the Australia
a colonies; but the area was narrow
n ed by drought at seeding time, and
}. as stocks must be low, it is nc
t likely that even with a full veal
0 the crop will be one out of whic
t any great amount can be spared fc
: expectation. The present hig
: prices would ordinary tend to Ell
courage the sowing of an encrease
breadth in India, should the weatl
! err be favorable this fall; but an
9 inclination ON the part of the poo
J. err cultivators to take advantage ,
r such favorable conditions will prol
L ably be in great measure thwar
J. ed by the impoverished condition
l. in which they have been left by tn
j famine in the greater part of tn
<, wheat.growing districts.
J. But leaving out of view the fa'
n that the burden of supply for FL
e rope will fall more largely tina
e, usual upon the United States, it
o evident that there would, in an
case, be a demand for larger su
plus than is to be expected out
:, this years crop. to our averag
|. annual export for the six veal
, 1S92-ls97, we add European shor
= age of 99OO0,0O0 bushels, figured oil
! by Broomhall, we get total
" 265,373,s72 bushels, and in so far {
we fall short of supplying th'
. quantity, Europe, as compare
:. with an average year, must suffer
- scarcity in her bread supply, exceI
in so far as she can avert it b