The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-07-29
The Years Crop Losses

The New York World" publishes a
very interesting forecast Of this years
probable crops in the drought stricken
States Of the West. The forecast IS
based upon actual independent esti-
mates from three hundred districts,
comparing the prospective corn crcp Of
this year with the harvest yield OF 1900
and showing both the crop shortage and
the possible offsets in the way Of high
er prices, and better crop Of wheat.
According to these estimates. the corn
crop Of Illinois will be cut fifty per cent;
that Of Iowa thirty-eight per cent,
Kansas seventy per cent, Minnesota
thirty-fIVe per cent, Missouri seventy
per cent, Nebraska fifty-two per cent
North Dakota ffty-eight per cent, and
South Dakota tWenty-nine per cent.
Last year the corn crop was =, I05- IG2, 5I6
bushels, averaging thirty-five cents d
bushel, and worth in the aggregate d
little more than seven hundred and
fifty million dollars This years short
age is estimat ted at nine hundred mil
lion bushels. and the total crop for the
year IS placed at twelve hundred mil
lion bushels. Allowing for all errors in
calculation. and partial recOveTies from
rains II Is evident that in quantity the
loss viii be very great If il reach five
hundred million bushels, it VIII be al
most a national calamity.
As an Offset To the loss. a wheat crop
considerably larger than that Of last
year is reckoned upon. This. however.
y..v, t,.-lgT.- - 20 I'D a., ,ffc.r HID tl,x
corn crop been full one. the farmers
would have had both the wheat and the
corn As 81 is. they have d good wheat
crop, and upon an average about half
corn crop Thus the matter stands
upon that point
Then il Is said that both wheat and
corn viii be likely 10 command higher
prices-how much higher cannot. Of
course. be affirmed with any certainty,
but corn Is row thirteen cents a bushel
higher than il was at this date last
year The advance in price may oper-
ate as a fun compensation to certain
individuals. but !: cannot possibly com
Pensaue tie country as d whole Many
corn growers have no wheat while
their corn crops are 50 completely
blasted as to leave them nothing to get
even upon through the advance Of
prices And so far as the advance does
take place. II must Of necessity be at
the expense Of the consumer, with no
compensation to him. On the contrary.
the crop losses will affect the entire
business of the country in such manner
as actually 10 cripple the consumer and
leave him less money with which TO
buy, so that he viii be hurt in both
ways
There is another thing that should be
kept IN mind when considering the ex-
tent 10 which the producer can recoup
his losses by getting better prices for
what ne has TO sell. The farmer can
only sell the surpIus-what he does not
need for his own use, and a loss Of fifty
or even twenty-five per cent of his
crop may leave him with no surplus
for sale When a farmer is obliged to
consume eli Of his corn, it is small con-
ISOLATION &c him to know that the grain
IS selling at high price in the market
What he feeds to stock that he Is pre-
pairing for the market viii, Of course
affect the value Of the stock when sold
but with a diminished crop he must
feed less stock. be may be able to feed
none. and in any event the consumer
will again feel the loss in the higher
price Of meat.
Furthermore, these estimates deal
solely with the losses on corn, but the
injury is not confined 10 that cereal.
oats and hay, and presumably all the
later growing crops have also suffered
heavily Hence, we must squarely face
the fact that we have met with heavy
national loss We may be thankful
that it is so worse, and that despite our
losses we viii be better of than most
other countries-perhaps better of than