The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-09-02
FIGURES ON WHEAT
Analysis Of Annual Production and
Consumption in the
Northwest.
Market Record Estimates 405, 000,-
900 Blu. Ground Into Flour in
Three Years.
Minneapolis Market Record.

There is much misconception on the part Of
many people as to the amount Of wheat con-
sumed IN the manufacture of four in the north
west The quantity ground in Minneapolis is
easy to calculate, as the figures showing the
barrels Of -four turned out are annually pub
lished and 1t is simple matter to reduce them
to bushels of grain used 1t is quite adifferent
question with the interior mills. Few persons
take the trouble to look up the number of such
mills or their output.
Census Figures.
Once in ten years a census Of these is taken
by the government. In 1890 the United States
census found 3O7 mills manufacturing wheat
-four In Minnesota and North and South Dakota,
with production of Il ,1S0.677 brls of -four
OF this Minnesota manufactured all but 1,16S
672 brls, or 81 per cent of all. The census Of
1900 showed an increase of 1O,469,099 brls, or
A,649, 776 brls, as total production, which is a
gain OF above 10 per cent in the ten years. The
of 1889 and 1890 respectively. Allowing for the
same rate of increase in interior mills in the
three years. sfnce-or 1900 to 1902, inclusive
Is shown by the Minneapolis and the Duluth
and Superior mills, the production of -four in
1902, including Superior and La Crosse, is APP
proximately 49, 0O0, 600 brls The census figures
show that it took as bushels Of wheat on the
average to make barrel Of -four, which makes
the wheat consumption Of the northwest approx
imately $4,000, 900 blu in 1902, 1876, 100000 in
1901, and 12e, ooo. 600 blu in 1900, 4o5, Ooo,-
600 bu of wheat ground into -four in the
last three years. Minneapolis shipments OF
wheat were 34.176,750 bu i nthe same period,
and Duluth shipped no. 536, $50 bu The seed
consumption has been approximately IS, 200, 900
bu annually, a. O0, 900 bu for the three
years, making three years distribution Of
549 1910 bu. The commercial figures Of pro-
duction, quite commonly accepted, are lis, OOO,-
900 bu in 1900, 1856 100000 in 1901, and 49,
100000 In 1902, ra total of 479, 900, 900 bu
for the three years, against distribution Of
$40 1879 bu. Some wheat came from out
side states and some wheat was shipped from
Minnesota and the Dakotas south, into outside
states. After carefully investigating this sub
ject it Is found that more grain goes out of Min
nesota and the Dakotas to the south, without
reaching Minneapolis or Duluth, than comes into
Minneapolis or Duluth from other states.
Northwest Acreage.
The official wheat acreage in the northwest in
1890 was 3,143,917 acres in Minnesota and
4,2O9 1852 in the Dakotas, or total for the three
states Of 1855, 800 acres. The 1900 census gives
$3.50, TOT acres for Minnesota, 4,451, PSI acres
for North Dakota and 1884 $50 acres for South
Dakota or 1900, GIT acres for the three states,
making the ten years increase in acreage 7,e43,-
21s acres, which is above 100 per cent increase
Claims are made in some quarters that the acre
age of wheat in the northwest has fallen in three
years from nearly Il, 900 900 to some r. 600 oOo
If that were true, and the rate Of decrease re-
mains the same for ten years. the northwest would
be back in 1910 to where 1t started in 1890.
The past ten years were full Of similar reports Of
declining wheat acreage and yet there was an
increase Of 100 per cent