The Dickinson press., 1898-11-05

the ever increasing population q stb,
United States will congume All az,
wheat grown within its borders anf
Will be driven to import and, like our
selves, will scramble for . lions shar,
of the wheat crop OF the world. Thu
withdrawal Of l4b, 600, 600 bushels will
cause . serious gap In the food supply
OF wheat importing countries and uniesl
this deficit can be met byincreased sup
plies from other countries there will IS
. dearth for the rest Of the world after
the British isles are sufficiently sup.
Piled"
Even less comfort IL 70 be found IN
an examination Of the Russian supply,
Russia. with an annual export Of o..
600, 600 bushels, il second to the United
States az . wheat provider. and, "a
quote Sir Williams words: "Although
Russia at present exports 90 lavishly,
this excess is merely provisional and
precautions. The Russian peasant popu.
lation increases. more rapidly than any
other In Europe The yield per acre
over European Russia is meager-not
more than SO bushels to the acre,
while some. authorities consider Il a
low as 4.6 bushels. The cost Of produc.
tion is low-lower even than ON the
virgin soils Of the United States. The
development Of the fertile though
somewhat overrated black earth,
which extends across the southern o
ton of the empire and beyond the Ural
mountains into Siberia, progresses rap.
idly. But, a. we have indicated, the
consumption Of bread in Russia has
been reduced to the danger point. The
peasants starve and fall victims to hun.
ger typhus,' while the wheat growers
export grain that ought to be consumed
at home.
considering Siberia a. q wheat
grower, climate is the first considera.
tion. Summers are short, as they are in
all regions with continental climates
north Of the forty.hfth parallel, and the
ripening Of wheat requires q tempera.
ture averaging at least 66 degrees F.
for 66 to IS days As all Siberia lies
north OF the summer isotherm of 66 de-
grees, it follows that such region is ill
adapted to wheat culture. unless some
compromising climatic condition exists
The oultivable lands Of western Siberia
adapted to grain bearing neither equal
in extent nor in potential productive
powers those Of Iowa, Minnesota and
Nebraska. Prince Hilkoff, Russian min
lister Of ways and communications, de-
clared In 1895 that Siberia never had
produced and never would produce
wheat and rye enough to feed the ST.
berian population And a year later
Prince Krapotkin backed the statement
as substantially correct"
Turning next to Canada, references
was made to the fertile plains Of Mani
toba and the Northwest provinces:,s
"Here were to be seen !, 400, 600 acres
Of fine wheat growing land yielding
10. 8 1850 bushels, one-fifth Of which
comes to hungry England. Thus far
performance has Jagged behind PROMISE
the wheat bearing area of all Canada
having increased less than 500, 900 acres
since 1854, while the exports have not
increased in greater proportion. AS the
wheat area of Manitoba and the North
west has, increased, the wheat area of
Ontario and the eastern provinces has
decreased, the added acres being little
more than sufficient to meet the grow
ing requirements Of population. We
have cen calculations; showing that
Canada contains 500, 600, 600 acres Of
profitable wheat land. The impossibility
Of such an estimate sven being fulfilled
will be apparent when 1t ia remembered
that the whole area employed in both
temperate for growing all the
staple food crops is not more than $50, J
00Q, 600 acres, and that in no country
has more than 9 per cent of the area
been devoted to wheat culture"
Turning to other sources Of supply,
Australia was next considered. Climatic
conditions limit the Australian wheat
area to a small portion Of the southern
l~ittoral belt. Queensland seems to be
the most promising district, as, accord:
ing to Professor Shelton, there are still
80, 900, 900 acres there suitable for
wheat, but hitherto it has never had
more than $50, 600; acres under cultiva-
ton. For the second season in suoces-
sion the wheat crop last year was de-
stroyed over large areas il, Victoria, and
In South Australia the harvest averaged
not more than about 81 bushels per
acre. After meeting colonial require
ments for food and seed only 6s4, 900
bushels were available for, export In.
most other districts the yield falls to
such an extent AZ to eaHse Europeans to
wonder why the pursuit Of wheat raia-
ing is continued.
As to New Zealand, it has q suitahle
climate, and only two countries in the
world yield az much wheat per acre-
VIZ, Denmark and the United Kingdom.
But notwithstanding the great yield Of
wheat, due to an eqnable climate; New
Zealand finds fruit and dairy farming
still more profitable. Thus the New
Nsealanderl ships his butter more than
half way round TIE world and ;ceompNetes
sneoesfnllysWtth western; EpropA, #
TheaAustrja,HungAFia n.:exports5have
practically ceased. Roumania in 1896
exported 81, 100000 busheli, but for
many years now the wheat area ilnot
likely to exceed home requirements.
France comes next to the United King
dom asa wheat producer. but IL depend
emit on foreign supply for ~ average
quantity Of 14rper cent Of her own pro-
duction. Germany IL a gigantic inn