The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-07-16
CORN OUTSKIRTS
WHEAT IN EXPORTS
Shipments of Wheat Abroad
HaveFaIlen OFF Greatly
in a Year
Globe Special Washington Service

WASf1lNGION, ID. C., July 10
Wheat and corn changed places in
relative Importance of exports during
the last fiscal year. Foreign ship
ments of both of these staple products
were comparatively small, but the
slump in corn exports, as compared
with the fiscal year 1903, was not as
great as in the case of wheat. Not
since the fiscal year 1901 have the corn
exports been larger than the wheat
exports, but during the period which
closed on June 80 last the shipments
of wheat were only 44,158,744 bushels,
while those Of corn were $500, 354
bushels.
Due largely to the falling off in ex-
ports OF these staples, there was q de-
cline of $76,333,812 in the value of all
exported breadstuffs during the last
fiscal year. Some interesting factors
were responsible for the decrease,
none OF which singly accounts for the
somewhat remarkable decline in cereal
exports to foreign countries The drop
In wheat exports was more noteworthy
than that of any other of the whole
line of breadstuffs, the total of 4415S,-
744 bushels being $685. OS bushels
less than in the fiscal year 1903. al
though that years record was far be-
low that of 1902. The comparatively
short wheat crop in the United States
last year was no doubt the principal
factor in the decline of exports, but it
does not wholly account for the change
in conditions
Affected by Following Years Crop
The wheat exports of a given fiscal
year are naturally affected largely by
the domestic wheat crop of the next
preceding calendar year. The 1901
wheat crop, the largest in the history
of the country, was 74S, 46021S bushels.
and the exports of the following fiscal
year were accordingly larger than
usual, amounting to 1881, 433 BUSH
els. The 1902 wheatt crop was &c.
063.0oS bushels and the exports in
1903 were 113,454.452 bushels. Thus,
while there was a falling off of 49,
S97.21O bushels in the crop, there was
falling off of 34,056,981 bushels in
exports.
Yet the increase or decrease in
wheat exports from year to year does
not follow fnfallibIy the increase or
decrease in the domestic production of
the preceding year. Thus, although
there was decrease of only S2,241,173
bushels in the 1903 wheat crop as COM
pared with the year before, there was
wheat exports during the last fiscal
year. After all has been said, how
ever, it cannot be doubted that the
condition of the crop in the United
States Is the greatest single factor in
the exports from the country. With
this fact in mind. it is probable that
the wheat exports from the United
States during the present fiscal year
will be larger than those for the year
ing oil IND
lions are that there will be a greatly
I. increased crop of wheat throughout
the United States during the present
season.
The condition of the wheat crop in
foreign countries from year to year
naturally has some effect on the for
eign markets for American wheat. It
happens that while our exports were
unusually small during the fiscal year
that has just closed, and while our
own production of wheat last year
was much smaller than in the year
before. the worlds 1903 wheat crop
was larger by 80, 143,900 bushels than
the crop of 1902.
Europe Takes our-Fifths
There was an increase Of 1882, 900
bushels in Europe alone, and more than
four fifths of our wheat exports an
nually go to Europe. In the first eleven
months Of the fiscal year just closed
our exports of wheat to European
countries were 1896, 901 bushels-the
exports to all countries from the Unit
ed States in the same period being
only 43,771,64S bushels.
There was an increase of $4,000, 900
bushels in the wheat crop of Asiatic
Russia last year; and an increase of
100000 bushels for all other Asia;
and although there was a decrease in
certain countries, the net gain for the
whole world Gncluding the United
States, in which there was a decrease
was 92,143,000 bushels. The principal
increases in European wheat crops
last year were in France and Italy.
Another factor which without ques-
ton had much to do with the slump in
wheat exports from the United States
during the last year was the growing
volume of the -four production in this
country. Until the very last of the ifs
cal year our flour exports increased
largely over the record of the fiscal
year 1903, and the total for the whole
year shows only very slight falling
off in shipments to foreign countries.
The milling industry is not restricted
to any particular area, although Mime
sofa, of course, still leads. But Touring
mills are springing up all over the
country, and the development in this
I'LL SSl1Oi lids Oeen especially
able on the North Pacific coast. A
good deal of the increased production
of flour finds a market in the United
States; in fact, it is pretty certain that
good deal of wheat which would
otherwise have been shipped to for
eign countries, has been ground into
flour and consumed at home during the
last year.
High prices of wheat and flour dur
fuence upon the export trade. the for
eign shipments undoubtedly being less
for this reason. The highest price
reached by wheat in the fiscal year 1903
was 875sc, but in the fiscal year just
closed the lowest price of No. 2 red
winter wheat was 80Bc, the highest
was sL15, and the average was high up
in the $685.. Waiter E. Clark.
DQDuI ApTTV CEEMC