The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1905-05-20

FrOr. the Philadelphl. Ledger.

The remarkably favorable Government re-
port on the the condition of wheat for the
month of April had no apprecis0le effect on
the market, for the reason that IL had been
discounted. = The reaction from the oper-
atious in the attempted corner in Chicago had
carried wheat below its apparent real value,
aud, moreover, the predictions of the Govern.
ment experts that we have left behind as cheap
wheat because of the narrowing wheat acreage
are recognized as sound.
The condition Of winter wheat on April
was GIG, and instead of decreasing it increased
to 925, on May l. An element Of surprise
was the abandonment of l. 432, 600 acres which
we're plowed under in the West, indicating =
loss Of from Il, 000, 600 to Is, 000, 600 bushels
Allowing for the loss from the abandoned
fields, the indicstious now are, if the coHdi-
tons remain favorable. thar the yield of winter
wheat will be from 460, 000, 900 10 470, Oo0, 900
bushels. The record year in wheat was 1901.
when the crop, including both winter aud
spring wheat, reached the total of 74S, 0O0, 600
bushels in round numbers. The condition Of
winter wheat this year on May was a little
more favorable than on the same date in 1901;
aud if the spring planting is normal and the
conditions Favorable throughout the season,
there is ground for the hope that this year
may establish another record in wheat produc-
ton.
Just what is indicated by these figures ? 1t
means the possibility of y return to our posi-
ton as the ''granary of Europe for a season
and a revival and continuance of our exports,
as the figures of wheat yields and exports
of wheat and -four will show In 1904 the
total wheat crop was 552, 900. 600 bushels, and
the exports of wheat and -four for the nine
months ending March 81 of the fiscal year
ending June 80, 1905, were an insignificant
81, 600, 900 bushels. As the total exports will
not exceed $4,000, 900 for the present fiscal
year, our exports of these important food
stuffs will make low record since 1872 or q
generation ago, when America as an exporting
and trading nation was in its calow infancy.
The total crop of 637 ) 900, 900 in 1908 resulted
in an expectation of only I20, 900, 600 bushels
during the fiscal year 1904, against an average
of more than 1900, 600 for the six years
from 1898 to 1908, inclusive.
The decrease in exports of foodstuffs is due
to the fact that the wheat acreage has remain
ed practically stationary while we are increas-
ing in population naturally and by immigration
with rapid strides In 1901, when the crop
was 74S, 900, 600 bushels, the price of wheat on
December was little more than So cents; if
we raise as large crop or greater one, there
is no likelihood that the price will fall to SO
low point. In fact, the era of cheap wheat
aud -four seems to be past. We need 5O0,-
000, 600 or more bushels Of wheat TO meet the
annual home consumption, and only under
extraordinary favorable conditions, unless the
farmers increase their wheat acreage rapidly
and Unexpectedly, can we look for that great
volume Of wheat and -four exports which
means heavy freights for the transeontinental
railroads, accompanying heavy movements of
goods to the West, the consequent quickening |
of manufactures to meet the extra demands
and the general impulse toward prosperity |
which depends on the wheat movement