The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1898-12-14
pIcp,rr fur Al Corn Famine.

the Chicago board of trade and the
New York stock, produce and coffee
exchanges, II circular letter on the corn
supply which, although intended To
promote speculation in that grain, we
think we can put to better use by COM
| municating its substance to the farm
ers of South Carolina for their inf0r-
nation against next springs planting.
1t is insisted that 1.-The best posted
private authorities, the trade Journals,
the crop experts, aud the larger and
best posted grain firms throughout the
country" agree that the government
| estimate of 1900 million bushels of corn
as this years crop is from 100 to 300
million bushels too high and that IN
conservative estimate of the crop would
not be over 100 million to 1850 million
| bushels"
The huSking shows that the crop in
large portions of the surplus corn States
is poorer in quality and condition ilnn
any crop in ten years, much of it tit
only for hog feed The reserves of
old corn have been reduced tn II mini
mum" More cattle are being fed ON
corn i'll the surplus corn States than
ever before. Various Indications go to
prove that the consumption by hogs
will be very large during the coming
year. "The continued shortage Of
feeding stuffs oil the continent of Eu-
rope and in the United Kingdom has
stimulated the demand for corn, both
for human and animal food, and opened
up innumcrably new uses and new
markets. Last year saw the largest
export of corn from this country. This
year will more than equal it. Already
since July 1 to date we have exported
over 100000 bushels more than for
the same time last year, and the de-
mand seems to increase from week TO
week, stimulated in IL measure by the
| partial failure of the Danubian corn
crop, which leaves Europe almost en-
tircly dep cndcnt on lis for its com
supply"
Eighty per cent of our corn crop, it
is asserted, is consumed OH the f;lrm,
and there the feeding and consequent
consumption is larger than was ever
before known. Assuming the govern
ment estimate OF 1925 million bushels
to be correct, the statistics are give n
to prove shortage of corn suppl. 8
next year, as compared with the con
sumption this year, of 2l7, 900, 900 BUSH
els, leaving not bushel of reserve
| November /, 1899.
| The circtllur continues:
If, however, the generally accepted
estimate of the corn crop as aseertained
by the husking is correct, there is in
addition to the shortage of 217, ,O0O, COO
bushels, as shown by tine government
figures, an additional shortage of 10O,-
600, 900 to 200, ,O0O, 900 bushels to be taken
care of; n total shortage SO large as to
force extreme prices for corn before
another crop is OH the market.
But these figures do not tell the
whole story. = year ago tbs visible
supply of corn WIS 43 million bushels
against % million bushels to-day,
showing n shortage in our immediate O
available supplies of go million BUSH
els. A year ago every nnint not in
cluded i'll the visible supply statement
was loaded with corn. The lake ports
OF Collingwood, Midland, Prescott,
Kingston, Ogdensburg anl Erie con-
tanned at least four million bushels
moro corn than at the present time,
aud not one bushel of it appears in tho
visible supply. A year ago every pri-
vate elevator here and elsewhere was
full to ovcrf1owing with corn. To-day
they practically empty. these stncks
being ut least to 10 million bushels
less than last year.
A year ago every corn crib ut every
railroad station iii the surplus com
States was filed. To-day IL large ma
jOrity of the corn cribs are empty, and
n very conservative estimate of the
shortage in this crib supply (and it
must be remembered that the govern
ment figures do not include corn that
has left farmers hands) would be
! somewhere from 30 to 40 million bush
els, So that it is safe to soy that We
enter the present crop year with a
stock Of corn in all positions at least
400, ,OG0, 900 bushels less than we actually
used during the 12 months from March
1st, 1897, to March 1st, 1893; in other
words, consumption has Overtaken the
supply, and. as compared with OuE
actual iievds, Inc corn crop OF 1893 is
the smallest this country has ever
raised.
On this showing it is easy to agree
that "Our actual needs will carry corn
prices high. and speculation will carry
them still higher"
The weekly commercial reports have
long revealed the persistent and enor-
nous demand for our corn in Europe
On Saturday we printed Dunn's review
showing that corn exports for the week
were 4,15i, ,G0G bushels against 8,313, ,OO(
for the corresponding week Inst year.
"Such foreign demand" snitl Dunn
"at prices much higher than last ycllr
l orI vc1th x,.huuf al, ,,,.,..e &c -