Omaha daily bee., 1909-04-26
rnn LImir ON wHnAr.
Pa'siaH % Chesp Land aaa Ps..ins
&C ChesP wheat.

&c ChesP wheat.
New York Sun.
Thirty years ago the worries wheat pro-
duction was about l00o.O00,oOO bushels e
year. 1t now averages about $4,000. 900
bushels. As this increase Ia out OF pro-
portion to the increase In the worlds popu-
lation Il 10 evident that wheat as a food
substance ,is displaeiDg other commodities
previously used Increase in production in
this country has been . little more rapid
than the average Of world increase. The
American crop OF thirty years q averaged
about soo,Ooooo bushels, and II Is now
about eOoy0Oooo0.
The varistIon Of eonditionsg from year
to year makes impossible any exact state
rnent. bat the figures of the fast five years
show a large decline in the percentage OF
American wheat exported. From 1880 to
1eeo about % per cent OF the total crop
was exported, ana from 1890 20 1889 about
IS per cent. The average OF the last five
years has been about one-half that Of the
preceding twenty-five years. while the
maximum of possible acreage has not yet
been. reached there 10 little or no proba-
biity that the acreage, IL II lie at ell ex-
tended. will iucrsase " rapidly as IL did
IN earlier years when new railways were
opening new areas to settlement and civil
l~iSation. In faot the largest acreage in the
record was that OF 1901, when a., go, Sil
acres were planted. The year 1909 followed
with te,tsAesF acres. The figures for 1907
drop TO S,n1,000 II IL conceivable. though
little probable. that another ten years may
zee 100000 acres in wheat. The greater
probability IL that the increase In acreage
will not keep pace with the increase in
domestic demand and that the predictions
OF some observers regarding the diminution
OF wheat exports will be justified.
This poshtblo etDroach TO the maximum
Of wheat average A. not at all the euulya-
lent Of approach 10 the maximum OF wheat
production. The average wheat yield for
the last twenty years has been thirteen
and q half bushels 10 the acre. In Great
Britain the average yield In about thirty
two bushels To the acre. Here IL the weak
spot in our national wheat business. The
acte value Of the American output for
the last ten years shows an average OF
about t1nN. As land increases in value II
becomes impossible to raise wheat at a
Profit on any such basis. The state Of New
York produced more wheat in 1888 than in
1907. New England is practically out of
the wheat business. Comparing the Weld
Of 1883 with that OF 1907. an Increase ap-
pears in Pennsylvania and Maryland. vir-
ginia, West Virginia, Ohio, Tennessee and
Kentucky show fluctuation from year 10
year. but no material change in ten year
averages. Michigan shows a shrinkage OF
about one-1ah. and Wisconsin appears to
be abandoning the industry altogether. In
diana and Illinois about hold their own.
Iowa shows marked decline. The gain
comes principally in the states OF later
settlement, the frontier states. where land
q few years ago was cheap.
The conclusion Ii inevitable that with
the passing Of cheap land there must also
be a passing of cheap wheat. unless there
shall be devised and adopted soma profita-
BILE system Of intensive cultivation, with
decided increase in yield to the acre. The
alternative will be importation, duty free.
from countries that still have cheap land.