New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-06-19

DISTRIBUTION FROM The CROP OF isse>
OVER FIVE HUNDRED MILLION BUSH
ELS PROMISED rHIs YEAR.


DISTRIBUTION FROM The CROP OF lsse>
OVER FIVE HUNDRED MILLION BUSH
ELS PROMISED rHIs YEAR
To The Editor of The Tribune.
Sir: The preliminary statement OF exports n
May makes the output Of wheat and -four equal
to S166, 761 bushels. against 8.2eS,7O9 last year.
The final Official statement fer April makes the
exports, less imports, Of wheat and -four from al
ports in ten months equal to 1ts POI bushels.
against 107 42S2 35 last year Thus in eleven
months 137, 0S0.022 bushels went out, and In the
first fourteen days of June 3.sS6i12 bushels from
Atlantic ports alone. With over A1.O0O.OO0 bush,
els exported already old wheat is still coming
forward at fair rate, and new wheat has begun
to move. So much for the ghost stories OF famin"
which have so tortured some minds for months
The quantity remaining In visible supply Is
still %, 6S6 900 bushels. which woild imply a;
least half as much more invisible J,ly /, and at
this date several million bushels more. A San
Francisco dispatch gives the official figures for
California as 100000 bushels. and other Pa.
cific holdings count for something. 70 that at
least forty million bushels must be reckoned on
hand besides 141,OOo000 exported, and mean
while an acreage considerably larger han was
harvested last year has been sown, and the
needs OF the people for food have been 'upphed.
II the consumption has been I'd bushels per
capita, the quantity allowed in Government est
mates for many years, the mean population ac'
c)rdng to the Treasury. being '2,loo'Vo the
quantity required for food would be 35o''oooW
bushels. and without allowance yet for increased
seeding 391 900 900 may be taken as the guam
tity consumed. Add Isl 100000 exported Or op
hand, and 572,0OO,OO0 bushels appear to have
fho
estimated at 427.6Si.OO0 bushels.
There was visible supply July ], 1896 o
A. 1853 900 and the invisible stock was reckoned
at 3OOOO000 bushels. This would make the
total supply, on Government estimate. 66,50o,oM
bushels less than the quantity actually distrb
uted Mr. Thoman's estimate was 433 00O,UP
bushels. which with stocks year ago would be
20 GOO Ooo bushels less than the quantity dis
tributed. The estimate Of THE Orange Judd
Farmer" was larger. 4100O0O00 bushels. which
with the stock a year ago would make the total
supply about 2i,000000 short OF the quantity
already appearipg to have been distributed. The
facts appear To prove as they did in other form
March 1 that all these estimates or the yA@
of 1896 have been considerably too small, andr
saying repeatedly during the year that the daa
indicated 500 100000 bushels or more tot
writer does no. appear to have been In error
In fairness the demonstration OF larger yleN
is also proof OF a larger acreage and II So I'M
quantity taken for seed must be larger tnan u
conventional allowance Of 5i,oOOo0 bushes
made for years by Government. AT the sam
rate per acre, the years requirements lof Inv
acreage reported in wheat by The Orange Juao
Farmer would be about 81 100000 bushels ane
the apparent distribution during the laSt y sc
579UO0o0 bushels, implying yfeid OF ooWvv"
900 bushels unless consumption as tooo has oee'
diminished. ,,, .. .o
Since this is the only point on when room 10
reasonable dispute remains, II may pe opseIsss
that the difference between actual ostriouuos
and supposed supply must come out OF 1000
Take out this difference, with the allowance toi
increased acreage and seed just stated ana w
quantity remaining for food according 70 NJ
Thoman's reckoning would be $3.50 bushels PEI
CAPITA and according 10 Government oore
bushels per capita, against 40 allowed "
Government until after 1S92, and ioio pushen
demonstrably consumed during the nine year
ending with 1891 II it is possible TO believe tns
decrease has been SO great, Is IL not ahaEW
that nobody can produce any proof OF II wnas
ever? In the following statement the cohsuH!p
ton for food at % bushels per capita, anu ~;
seed as officially estimated prior TO 1870, WIZ
actual exports az officially reported eacn year
is compared with Government reports or tn'
Weld.