The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-12-24
ERROR IN REPORT
Of GOVERNMENT
Siatistician Admits That He
Was Wrong Both in Acreage
and Yield OF Oats
RYE CROP OF RUSSIA SHORT
argentine Reports Good Crop
and Plenty Of Old Wheat
Coming Ia.

CHICAGO. December .3-IC oats had
not kicked uD trouble through tne GOV
eminent report which Acknowledged a
big error 300 previous reclsonmgs az acre.
age and yield wheat would have held
IT'S own during the week. As ID was
there was only a slight moral advanta.-e
ln FAVOR ~ the bears. the prices after
seven days OF listless trading ramafning
practically In statu quo.
II the government report on final yi-ld
or tile cereals is 20 be credited up any
where as am asset. IL must go 60 tho
bear side although the total yield OF
w@eat is cut 100000 from tho last Dr.
vious figures. Corn shows am ir rease al
8e''-n"" bushels over preliminary csti-
mates. and oats move up lOO 49, On h,.ei.
els the sensational advance being ate
tributed TO the fact that mistake Of g.
-slgp in tile acreage previouslv had been
made.
II was a sorry admission ON the part
of tho government statistician There was
inclination enough before 10 discredit tho
accuracy of the estimates given out M
Washington from time 20 time and this
acknowledgement tends 10 increase tho
skepticism.
The discrepancy was so large this tims
tnat the trade could hardly be otherwise
than Influenced by 81 for time. Tho
effect was % depress prices OF an grains
but The later action Of the markets gen
orally indicated that the infuenc. Of the
report will be short-lived. There is Nttf.
more disposition 20 believe the new este
mate than tie old
Russian Crop Short.
As in other years. the approaching hou-
days and end Of the year acted as 81
wet blanket on the feelings OF both bulls
and bears Trade was characterized h,-
its previous dizziness, and the foreign
news was not Of the sort that infusas
life. Statistics early in the week also
proved a damper In the worlds visible
there was an increase Of .. 6ts go bushels
compared with l.465. 90 bushels the wear
before. Wheat east Of the Rockies In
creased 5.5Si.o and the amount afoat
decreased 5000 bushels. as compared
with 26noNr bushels the YEAR before
Onsettng this array somewhat was the
Official estimate that the Russian sprlnr
wheat crop Is 100000 bushels short OF
that OF a year ago. There also is n So
rious shortage in the rye crop o. Russia
fact which may count heavily in MAX
ing the future foreign prices for Ameri-
can wheat
Il is said the yield IS nearly 10000
bushels below the average for five wears.
and a Go9.eo3 bushels short cf the very
small crop ~ last year These and other
figures CONFIRM the Indefinite advfces
hitherto offered regarding the deplorable
condition Of crops over a large area OF
the empire
Receipts Ia tho Northwest again ran
much below those - 1905. but &c must
be taken Into account that the weather
there has not been favorable for ship
ments. and that the fuel famine and de-
mand for coal traffic upon tho railroads
have interfered with the movement OF
grain. The government report makes q
decrease OF only 4 .O75.0DO bushels on the
yield OF spring wheat The wheat is
either there some place or consumrtion
by interior mills has so enlarged as To
make past calculations useless II If he
merely delay I'm forwarding, the wheat
must come to the surface sofge time.
When it VIII come and IN what volume
are the considerations for the trade TO
measure for itself
Argentine Crop Good.
Liverpool prices came strong al the end
Of the wcek not 50 much on the basis
Of the reports OF Russian SHORTAGE as
on the advices OF unfayOrable conditions
in Argentine
Harvest there was said to- Dee hurt by
bad weather. which extended over several
days. Reports received here are Inat
where threshing is progressing the yield
and the quality OF Argentine wheat are
very satisfactory. Arrivals OF old wheat
from the interior are more plentiful and
shipments for the week aggregated 30
0)O bushels. against 7c0.OQ0 bushels tile
SAME week Of the year before.
According 10 Canadian grain-deaIers. the
total wheat marketed up to December 18th
was $4,000 bushels. against 51000.O00
bushels year ago. Taking the esti-
mated yield as SO $4,000 bushels. there is
yet 10 be marketed nearly 100000 BUSH
els counting 100000 bushels as the re-
quirements for country mills and for
seed