Evening star., 1898-09-21
American Farmers Can Grow ALI the
Wheat Needed.
THE COUNTRY'S LIMITLESS RESOURCES
Agricultural Department Officials
Contradict Sir VIM. Crooke.
S o U RCE ES OF SUPPLY

There is no danger of the people of the
United States or of the world suffering for
lack of wheat now or at any time in the
future, according to the officials and statis-
tfcians of the Agricultural Department.
This statement was drawn out of them
today by The Star, whose reporter exhib-
tied an article repubished from the New
York Sun in The Star of Monday last, con-
tanning certain gloomy forebodings as to
the future of wheat, made recently by Sir
William Crooke, the president OF the Brit
ism Association in England.
Nonsense" said Assistant Secretary
Brigham, a practical farmer, who needed
no books of reference or statistics to REIN
force his statements. Why, let them keep
the price of wheat up to dollar bushel
and the farmers of the United States will
produce a Thousand million bushels annual
Yves, ten thousand million busheis-and
then nave land to spare. The production
per acre can be doubled, and easily, too by
irrigation, fertilizers and other aids
The theory of Sir william Crooke based
upon figures whose source is not stated, is
completely upset by the conditions which
the Agricultural Department is enabled to
snow by means OF its 5000 correspondents
in all parts of the United States, who
monthly and yearly supply reliable infor-
nation touching every phase of the wheat
question.
Reserve IN very Low.
1t Is a fact, to begin with, that the re-
serve of wheat is very low. Indeed prac-
tically considered the wheat-eating popula-
lion must be fed from current harvests
and not in part, as heretofore in any one
year. from The surplus Of the previous year
as well as the crops of the current period
But there Is no evidence, Sir William to
the contrary Notwithstanding, that there
is large yearly increase in the wheat or
bread consumers. In fact the government
off1clals insist that, seriously and argu-
mentative'y considered, 1t can be mainta aim
ed that the number Is less today than Il
was fifteen years ago, although meantime
there has been yearly increase of possi-
bly, 6,UOO.UU0 in the total population.
The canning of fruits and meats, the
growth of truck gardening near all the
large cities, the development of transporta-
ton facilities, all have tended to decrease
the demand for wheat, and its place has
been taken on the food product list to
some considerable extent by other staples
and articles. Then, again, it is asserted
here that no arbitrary statement of the
number of bread consumers can be made
with safety. even by Sir William Crooke,
and that their potential not actual ca
pacity only can form the basis for such
figures as the EnghShman presents There
is, as a matter of fact no reliable informa-
ton at hand, even with regard to the po
tentiai wheat area.
In spite however of gloomy fore5odings
and the fact that the reserve stock is little
if any at all. there is now enough wheat at
hand for a year, the bureau heads affirm.
The world never will run short of wheat
simply because the ability to grow the
product i'll this country alone cannot be
measured by the ceverest statistician. No
one has ever collected or attempted to col
lect information of Americas potentiality
because of the extent of production is va
riable condition.
Ready TO lie Converted.
wheat statistics in Secretary Wilson'S bu-
leau, let me take Sir William Crooke out
around Beltsville, Nd, or, indeed, within d
radius of fifty miles from here, and L Will
snow him thousands of acres, un-
broken forests, that could easily be con-
verted into wheat-producing land. Land
used for corn and other products can easily
be turned into wheat growing. Just let the
price go up and keep up and farmers every
where would astonish the world with the
crop of wheat
Texas alone" coincide,l Mr.. Holmes,
the noted statistician Of the agricultural
bureau. Speaking lnptticially, is capable of
gIowing all the wheat needed by America,
leaving California. Illinois, Indiana and the
other wheat states to produce the amount
reeded for export. The average yield per
acre is III bushels, but in Massachusetts
many as 80 bushels have been raised By
the use of water. fertilizer, etc; ana there
is hardly an acre of wheat land in the
United States that is not capable of the
same production under similar cOnGit' onS.
So that it is easy to see what the farmers
in this country could do if the pinch came.
Then. too thousands OF acres used now for
other purposes are easily susceptible of
change to wheat growing.
This Years Crop.
Roughly speaking, the crop in the Unitsl
States on July 1 last was within 30 per
cent of the normal yield-that is, not affect
ed by drouth. too much or too little rain
and other conditions What the amount or
percentage will be at the end of the year
one, no official could afford to predict
OF course, some wheat experts, for stock
market purposes, may estimate the num-
Der of bushels to be raised but they make
mistakes more frequently than otherwise.
Until the crop is raised and in hand no re-
liable statement OF its amount can be
haZarded. The department is now trying
to ascertain the amount of land actually
used for wheat growing, but it is a labori-
Gus and lengthy task, and l am not pre-
pared to make any statement in that
gard. l would say however that | would
like to be furnished with proved reliable
statement of the area SO used and its in
crease in geometrical ratio to the popua-
ton. The capacity of this country is well
nigh inexhausub!e, and the arid regions of
the west as well as lands Immediately at
hand can be turned in short order into
thirty-bushel yielderS."
Everybody laughed at Sir VIM. Crooke's
assertion:
practically there remains no uneul.iyat-
ed prairie land in the United States suitable
for wheat growing The virgin land has
been rapidly absorbed until at present
tf ere is no land left for wheat without re-
ducing the area for maize, hay and other
necessary crops. 1t is almost certain that
within a generation the evar-increasing
population of the United States will con-
sumo all the wheat grown within it's bor-
ders, and will be driven 70 import, and, like
ourselves will scramble for lions share
OF the wheat crop OF the world"
Upon this point the year book for 1897 of
the department says:
In racent years predictions have been
made of the near approach of the time
when our domestic consumption will over
take domestic production of various crops
especially of wheat, but the predictions
seem hardly nearer realization as time
passes and the potential expansion of
acreage, demand and price become
strong and high, promises a surplus for
export for many years to come.
For domestic requirements 2S.6 bushels
of corn are needed per capita, 5.5 bushels
of wheat. and 1917 bushels of oats, the COM
putations being made in the usual way
upon the figures of exports, imports, pro-
duction and population, and the annual
average for 1SSS-lS92 being adopted.
''Therefore it follows that | II aoras in