The Minneapolis journal., 1903-12-28
High Priced Wheat Predicted.

Inc IAOnuOH oldIlSI pSSOiliio
somewhat alarmed over future wheat
supplies for the United Kingdom, and
is casting about to ascertain from
whence the bread of that country Is to
come. 1t Is of the opinion that the
worlds wheat consumption Is grow
ing much more rapidly than the pro-
duction In the last twenty-five years
the worlds wheat production in
creased 53 per cent; the Statist wants
to know where similar increase Is
to come from In the next Twenty-Five
years According to the Statist's view
the older wheat producing countries
of Europe and the United States have
now reached the limit of their surplus
production.
To northwestern people who nave
kept a close watch on the extension
of the wheat fields of western Canada
the statist's views regarding the fu-
ture role of that region as wheat
producer will be interesting. 1t does
not take the sanguine view that Is
generally taken as to the rapidity OF
future expansion of wheat production
IN Canaud. lIS IIlSoIy AS 1AAoI' SAASA -
is a. direct relation between railway
mileage and wheat production. 1t
argues that conditions In Canada do
not make 1t possible for railway mile
age to grow as rapidly as 1t has IN
the United Estates In the past twenty
five years Therefore, reasons the
Statist. Canada will not come forward
so rapidly in wheat raising as the
United States did. The most Canada
cam do in the next ten years, accord
ing to the Statist, is to increase it's
| mileage by 80 per cent, or about H.
| 900 miles, and that will permit 1t
only to double Its present wheat pro-
duction.
This is certainly an interesting ar
| gument It has been customary to
saw that, inasmuch as there are at
least 100,0oO,O0O acres Of good land
| in western Canada, and the 3,O00,O0o
NOW devoted to wheat are producing
ESQ 100000 bushels. Canada should ul-
ftimately produce 2,000,O00,0O0 bush
els of wheat. But, of course, even
when the whole, 1O0,o0O,O00 acres
shall be brought under the plow, a
part of 1t will be devoted to wheat
raising. 1t is doubtful whether more
than so 900. 900 acres will ever be de-
voted to wheat Already diversified
| Farming is becoming prominent. II
is notable that in Manitoba the Whea1
Eacreage is only SO per cent of the
Eentire cultivated area. Then, too, by
the time Canada is raising as mucf
wheat as the United States is rails
ing to-day, she will have large home
population to feed. If the statist il
right in it's assumption that Can
ada, must build $4,000 miles of rail
WAY every time it adds O,OOO, 0O'
bushels to it's ,wheat-producing ca
pacity, American wheat-growers hav
nothing to fear from Canadian com
petition, since the Canadian growth
OF output will not keep up with tn
growth of the demand. Bradstreets
/. however, in commenting on the Stats
:. discussion. maintains that wheat pro
duction can be increased much NOR
rapidly tn proportion to the extension
, Of railway mileage than the Stats
thinks.
The general conclusion of the Stat
, list is that it will be impossible in tn
4 near future toIextend railway mileag
in any Of the worlds new wheat coun
, tries fast enough to increase produc
, ton In proportion to the growth @
demand. This means, Of course, an
: the stati>t predicts, a higher level Q
wheat prices in the next ten year
r than the world has experienced in tn
last twenty. r.a.
y If the Statist is right, wheat Ian
is worth owning.