The herald., 1897-09-14
WHEAT CROPS
in Every Country
but America
A HUNDRED MILLION BUSHELS
WILL NOT SUPPLY EUROPEAN
DEFICIENCIES
A HUNDRED MILLION BUSHELS
Experts Of the Agricultural Depart
ment Look for Dear Wheat for at
Least Another Year

Associated Press Special Wire.
WASHINGTON, Sept. 1s.-The fol-
lowing relating to the wheat situation
Ii an extract from the complete monthly
report of John Hyde. statistician Of the
AGRICULTURAL department, which will be
issued tomorrow:
High prices for wheat have for sew
eral weeks past been bringing out sup
plies quite freely and increased supplies
have in turn reacted upon the prices,
causing a reaction from the highest
figures Of August The general tenor
of the information cleaned from all the
available sources is not, however, or
character to warrant the expectation or
the fear, according as the matter is re-
garded, from the consumers or the pro-
ducers' point Of view, of any material
cheapening of wheat until another crop
is in sight, with prospect OF ampler
stocks.
With an annual average European
product of over l, ,42S, 000, 900 bushels dur
ing the six years from 1891 to 1896 in
elusive, we expected an average of 1861
37S,S72 bushels year. This year the
European crop, according to Brom-
halls corn trade news, will, in round
numbers be 1929, 100000 winchester
bushels, or 99,000O00 bushels less than
the average of the six years In ques-
ton If we make the comparison with
the figures given by Beerbohm for 1897,
the deficiency in the European crop is
still greater, the figures, in millions OF
bushels, being: Average for 1S91-96,
laps; crop of 1897, 1875; difference, 113.
That is, according to Beerbohm's esti-
mate of this years crop, there Is de-
ficiency of $4,000, 900 bushels in Euro
pean countries as compared with their
average product for the six years, 1881
'96-an average which includes the ex-
ceptionally small crop of 1891. To make
up the deficiency little help is to be ex-
pected from India, Argentina or Aus
tralia, for months to come, and in so far
as Europe will have to import larger
quantity than usual, she will have to
draw it mainly from North America,
and especially from the United States,
the Canadian contribution being rela-
lively small Official returns from On
tario and Manitoba give for these two
provinces an aggregate Of 51,O42,253
bushels. If the Argentine crop shall es-
cape the ravages of locusts it seems to
bid fair to turn out unusually we'll, and
from January, 1898, when the bulk of the
harvest will be got in in Argentina, that
country may have more or less wheat to
export, as the latest mail advices repre-
sent the crop as being in fine condition
and the weather highly favorable. There
are, however, many chances Of serious
damage during the next three or four
months.
The latest accounts from Australia in
dicate that the drouth. from which that
country has suffered for the last three
or four seasons, has been broken and
that the wheat crop is giving good
promise throughout most of the Aus
tralian colonies. but the area was mar
rowed by drouth at seeding time and as
stocks must be low. it is not likely that
even with full yield the crop will be
one of which any great amount can be
spared for expectation. The present
high prices would ordinarily tend to
encourage the sowing of an Increased
breadth in India should the weather be
favorable this fall, but any inclination
on the part of the poorer cultivators to
take advantage of such favorable con-
ditions will probably be in a great meas
ure thwarted by the impoverished con-
dition in which they have been left by
the famine in the greater part of the
wheat growing districts.
By leaving out of view the fact that
the burden of supply for Europe will
fall more largely than usual upon the
United States, it is evident that there
would, in any case, be a demand for
larger surplus than is to be expected out
of this years crop. If, to our average
annual export for the six years, 1S92-97
we add European shortage of $4,000, 900
bushels, as figured out by Broomhall.
we get total of 265,373,S72 bushels, and
in so far as we fall short of supplying
that quantity, Europe, as compared
with an average year, must suffer
scarcity in her bread supply, except in
so far as she can avert 1t by drawing on
the stocks that may remain of previous
crops.
The worlds reserves are, however,
reduced in consequence of the short
wheat crop of last year, and deficiency
in some of the other important food
crops will not tend to relieve the tension
of the wheat market