La Junta tribune. (La Junta, Bent County, Colo.) 1881-1939, 1898-09-24
WHAT the NATION ears.
Astonishing Statistics Which Show,
the Health and Appetite Of the
Amenean peopie.

I oA 10 ioobt kiSi kiiO
United States stands easily at the
head of the dominant nations OF
the world. Not only can the far
mers, the meadows and the or
chards supply the needs of our
own citizens, but there is left an
immense surplus to be shipped to
other countries.
Take wheat, for example, one Of
the leading staples. During the
past ten years the nations wheat
crop has averaged about 465, ooo,-
900 bushels, ranging from less than
400, 900, 900 bushels in 1893 to
over 600. 900, 900 two years earlier.
The average yearly exports of this
wheat for the same decade were
40, 900, 900 bushels, leaving 325,
900, 900 for home consumption.
Excluding the wheat used for seed
and for purposes other than human
food, the present consumption is
estimated to be little less than
one barrel OF flour per capita, or
70, 900, 900 barrels for the nearly
IS, 900, 900 population. That means
an annual consumption OF Il. ooo,-
900, 900 pounds of flour-a bulk
which, put into single receptacle,
would require barrel twice the
height of Washington monument
and correspondingly big in circum-
ference. Were all this -four made
into bread it would yield o,ooo,-
900, 900 pound loaves. Reversing
the metaphor of the sermon on the
| mount and "giving bread for a
stone," these loaves would pave a
roadway 60 feet wide and extend
ing around the world. II bakery
wagons were loaded each with
1000 of the lcaves, 10000, 900
would be needed to move the
bread. They would make pro-
cession over 90, 900, miles long, or
eighteen abreast from ocean to
ocean. OF course, not all the flour
is made into bread, since millions
of pies, cakes and other products
of the cooks art comes from these
70, 900, 600 -four barrels.
Last year the farms of the coun-
try raised wheat sufficient to sup
ply this enormous demand at home,
besides sending $4,000, 900
bushels to other countries. or
this export two-thirds went to
Great Britain and less than tenth
to the rest of Europe. Six bushels
in 90 went to our neighbor on the
north, and more to the other
American countries. Australia and
Asia took 10, 900, 900 bushels and
Africa a, 600, 900 bushels. But un-
less the nations farms yield
larger wheat crop less will be ex-
ported in the future. At the pre-
sent rate of consumption the in
creased population will demand
the entire product in another de-
cade.
The American corn crop is
about four times as large as that OF
wheat, and some 1900, 900, 900
bushels remain for consumption in
our own country, 5000, 900 bushels
of which remains with Pennsyl-
vania. The usual yield Of rye is
as, 900, 900 bushels, very little OF
which is exported. But the bar
ley and rye are largely reduced to
fluid form before the American
consents to take them into his
stomach. Some IS, 900, 900 bushels
of buckwheat enter each year into
the composition of our pancakes.
The exact amount of these vari-
Gus grains used directly for human
food can not be determined; but
probably another 5000, 900, 900
pounds must be added to the wheat
-four, making total of 40, 600. 600, :
900 pounds used each year as food.
Large as this seems, in the aggre-
gate it is less than three-quarters
OF a pound day to each person
not a very ample meal in itself,
lh.4 fully sufficient when taken