Evening star., 1909-04-17
Mr.. Wilson's Statement.

''Mr. Patten and 1 have been saying
You're another long enough said the
Secretary. smiling. $50 today I looked
into the statistics thoroughly. A fictitious
price has been established and the result
will be harmful.
1T is claimed that the farmers will reap
the benefits. They will not.
MIR. Patten will fail, as all before him
who attempted corners have failed. He
will be Hooded with wheat at the prices
he Is Offering. He will not have the
money to keep up his operations.
LAS for the farmers. they will lose. Up
in the far northwest they will be planting
wheat for month to come Relying upon
the fictitious price that has been set. they
will overplant.
by the time their wheat is marketable
the price will have dropped. They will be
forced to sell at low figure"
Decreased Consumption of Wheat.
A striking point brought out In the Sec
retary's statement Is that when wheat is
dear other grains are used by the con-
sumers who have to figure on the cost Of
living. In this country. particularly in
the southern sections, the substitute is
corn, and in the old world it is rye.
The consumers, the Secretary thinks.
when they find themselves confronted
with high-priced wheat products Will turn
to rye and corn products until the price
Of wheat is lowered by the natural law Of
supply and demand.
.aThe Department of Agriculture" the
Secretary says. in his formal statement,
has estimated the amount of wheat on
farms March 1909. to be about 49,
900. 900 bushels. or 21h per cent Of the
amount produced in the country last year.
1903.
"AnaIysis of the wheat movement after
March / in past years indicates that the
yearly estimates of the percentage OF the
crop on farms March 1 has been about 8
per cent below the actual percentage.
Production Of Wheat.
1.-THE amount of wheat produced in the
calendar year 1908 was 665. 600, 600 BUSH
els, as compared with 654, 100000 bushels
for the crop year 1907. making 31,OOO,OOO
bushels more for the last crop year than
we found the year previous. So it will be
seen that a scarcity of wheat in this
country is not the cause of the present
abnormal increase In prices.
THE worlds wheat crop of 1908 was
practically the same as the crop for 1907,
but about per cent less than the crop
of 1906.
Another factor of interest here is the
corn crop of last year in its feeding po-
tential The corn crop of 1908 was 66S.-
600 600 bushels. in round numbers, and
the crop of 1907 was 9, 592, ,OOOOOO bushels.
in round numbers. The corn crop of
1905 was well matured and Of higher feed
ing quality for man and animal.
"In considering the food Of the people
throughout the world, when wheat be-
comes dear. as it is now as the result of
this Chicago corner. people use more
corn than they do when wheat is cheaper.
In many of our states our people re-
sort to corn bread when wheat bread be-
comes dear, as the cost of every day s
food has to be carefully calculated.
"In the old world the people resort to
rye to a greater extent when wheat be-
comes dear. So that the people who are
running this corner will have to consider
that less wheat will be used while it re-
mains at an abnormally high price.
Farmers VS.. Gamblers.
Now, in regard to the reliability of the
reports relative to the amount of wheat
on farms March 1, the reports of this de-
partment indicated about Ia. .OOO. 900 BUSH
els, in round numbers, on the first of
March.
1.-The commercial editor of the Kansas
City Star estimated on the first of March
this year the amount of wheat on farms
was lat 10000 bushels Other statistic
ans of standing, in public and private
letters to this department. put 1t from
13O OOO. 600 to 100000 600 bushels. On March
1 a year ago the department estimated
the amount on farms to be 147.OOO.OOO
bushels. about 4,OOO, OOO bushels more than
this year.
Further, in regard to the reliability of
these reports: The reporters of the De-
partment of Agriculture are farmers liv-
ing on the farms. and know, If anybody
knows, and have knowledge If anybody
has knowledge. of the facts. We cannot
whistle these men down the wind If we
seek an honest class Of community and
hesitate to take the word of the Amer
lean farmers we will not establish truth
by going to the gamblers.