The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-09-16
THE VALUE OF OUR
YEARLY FOOD SUPPLY
COST OF FEEDING AMERICAN
PEOPLE ANNUALLY.
The United States Leads the World
in Production-The Amount of
Eatables Required to Feed Our
Own Citizens-What We Export.
Some Interesting Figures.
From the New York Sun.


States stands easily at the head of the
dominant nations of the world. Not
only can the farms. the meadows, and
the orchards supply the needs of our
own citizens, but there Is left an i'm
mense surplus to be shipped to other
countries. During the past ten years
the nations wheat crop has averaged
about 49,, 900, GOO bushels. ranging from
less than 400, 900 bushels in 1898 to
more than 6OD, 900 900 two years earlier.
The average yearly exports of this
wheat for the same decade were 140,-
600, 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 esti-
mated to be "a little less than one bar
rel of -four per capita. or 70000,000 bar
rels for the nearly 10000, 900 popula..
| tion. That means an annual consump-
tion of $4,000. 100000 pounds of flour-a
bulk which, put into single recepta-
Gle. would require a barrel twice the
height of Washington monument and
correspondingly big in circumference.
Were all this flour made into bread 1t
would yield 10000. 900, GOO pound loaves.
reversing the metaphor of the Sermon
on the Mount and giving bread for a
stone" these loaves would pave a
roadway 16 feet wide and extending
around the world. If bakery wagons
were loaded each with a thousand of
the loaves, 20,000000 would be needed
to move the bread They would make
procession over 60, 900 miles lorg OF
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 come
from these 7G,0OO,OOO flour barrels.
WHEAT YIELD.
Last year the farms of the country
raised wheat sufficient to supply this
enormous demand at home besides
sending 149000000 bushels to other
countries. OF this export two-thirds
went to Great Britain and less than
| tenth to the rest of Europe. Six
bushels to a hundred went to our
neighbors in the north and nine to
the other American countries. Aus
| tralia and Asia took 10. 200, 900 bushels
| and Africa 100000 bushels. But unless
| the nations farms yield a larger wheat
| crop less will be exported in the future.
At the present rate of consumption
| the entire product in another decade.
Wheat, however, is far from being
| the only grain used for food by the
American people. The corn CROP is
about four times as large as that of
wheat, and some seventeen hundred
millions of bushels remain for con-
sumption in our own country. But only
a fraction of this reaches the stomach
| IL
is taken in the pork, beef, milk, butter,
eggs, and other products of animals
that fatten on its substance. In recent
years, apparently the direct use of
corn for mans food is increasing with
| the mixed" -four, the patent food pre-
| parations, the brown bread, corn dod-
gers and like cookery. Whole regions
| OF the south use corn almost exclu-
| siVely in preference to the wheat -four.
OAT CROP.
Then there is the oat crop, averag-
ing 7OO,O0O,0O0 bushels, most of which
remains in this country. Americans
are rapidly following the Scotch in
the use of oats as a table food still
only small fraction of the total crop
is consumed in the home. The aver
| age barley crop is 10000. 900 bushels
all but 100000 bushels of which re-
| mains within the country. The usual
yield of rye is 2S,OO0OO0 bushels very
little of which is exported. But the
barley and rye are reduced largely to
huid form before the American con-
sents to take them into his stomach.
Some 15,o00,O0O bushels of buckwheat
enter each year into the composition
OF our pancakes.
| The exact amount of these various
grains used directly for human food
cannot be determined, but proba abIy
another 6,000,000,000 pounds must be
added to the wheat flour, making a
total of 100000 100000 pounds used each
year as food. Large as this seems. in
the aggregate, it is less than three
quarters of a pound a day to each per-
son-not very ample meal in itself,
but fully sufficient when taken with
the abundant varieties of other foods,
Another favorite food of the Ameri-
cans is the potato. Its average crop in
recent years has been about 225,OOO, ,OO0
bushels. The export and import trade
IN TINS vegetable Is insignificant To
supply his family with the average
quantity the head of the house needs
to purchase for each member about
half a pound a day, or three bushels a
year. Sweet potatoes are also a favor
lite food, some 45,O00,OO bushels being
needed for the annual consumption.
The yield of peas is 6,0OO, 900 bushels, of
beans 100000, and of onions 2, SOC. OOO
bushels. More than half a million
bushels OF onions are imported, most
of which are of choice Spanish and
! Bermuda varieties. Three hundred mill
lion pounds of rice are used during the
| year, one-half of which comes from
other countries. This is only about four
pounds year to each person, against
ten pounds in Great Britain. fourteen
In Italy, 800 in japan. and SAT in the
Indian province OF Bombay.
USE OF SUGAR.
Americas sweet tooth is said TO be
abnormally developed. The consump-
tion OF sugar reaches the astonishing
total of $500, 900 pounds; but only
one eighth of this is raised at home,
Last year nearly third Of the supply
came from Germany, and per cent.
more from TIE rest OF Europe. The
West Indies sent "a per cent. and the
East Indies Ii per cent. Fully half the
sugar imported came from countries no
better able to produce 1t than is the
United States herself. Last year wc
raised 125. .000, 900 pounds Of beet sugar.
There are those who prophesy that in
another decade the entire amount OF
sugar needed for home consumption
viii be produced within our own bor-
ders. The present average is about Il
pounds year each, or a pound a day
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