Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1909-11-23

the high wages, the increased purchas
ing power of the working people OF
the country
For example. last year the corn crop
was about 2,666,OOO, 900 bushels. of
which 241, 000. 900 bushels were convert
ed into cornmeal; 55,000,000 bushels
were exported to foreign countries; 40.
| 100000 bushels were converted into gilt
cose; 100000 into malt liquors; S.000,-
600 into starch; $4,000. 900 bushels were
used for seed and the remainder. about
2,S00,000,000 bushels, were converted
into pork and other meats.
The percentage of the corn crop
sent out of the country is always much
less than that of wheat, because the
population of Europe and particularly
of England are not SO partial to corn
bread as we are. The repeated at
tempts to promote its consumption
J have not been very successful. For
several years the Agricultural Depart
ment had man. Familiarity known as
Corn Bread Murphy travelling about
England. Germany and France intro
ducing corn bread and showing people
how to cook it, He persuaded a good
many people. no doubt. but the ex-
ports have gradually been diminished
until this. year only 37.665.04j bushels
of corn were exported, which is less
than any year since 1895, excepting in
1902. when the exports were only U.s.
600 900 bushels.
In 1898 the exports of corn were
lila per cent of the crop. In 1908
they were PIP per cent. while for 1909
they were only 1.41 per cent.
The expectations of meats are de-
creasing quite as rapidly. In the case
of fresh beef, high tide was reached
in 1901, when 352,000,0O0 pounds were
exported, but since that date there
has been rapid and regular falling
off until during the fiscal year 1909
we exported only 123, 100000 pounds.
The exports of hams and bacon
reached high tide in 1899, when the
total was 7SS.0OO,OO0 pounds, but since
then there has been a constant falling
off quite as rapid as in the case of
beef until the total in 1909 is only
457 100000 pounds.
The exports of lard and other pro-
visions have decreased in a similar
manner, and the exports of live cattle,
which reached high tide in 1904 when
$3.50 head were exported, dropped
to 20S,000 head in 1909.
Looking through the list of exports
o. other agricultural products you will
see the same phenomena. The total
value of all meat and dairy products
exported from the United States
dropped from $3.50, 100000 in 1906 and
$202, 900 900 in 1907 to $1S5,000,000 in
1909, although export prices have ad
vanced rapidly.
The percentage of all foodStuffs ex-
ported from the United States dropped
in ten years from 44.66 per cent of the
crop in 1899 to 26.74 per cent of the
crop in 1909.
The extraordinary falling off in ex-
ports of wheat in the face of the large
increase in production cannot be ex-
planned in any other way than because
of the increase of home consumption.
The bureau of statistics has recently
issued a bulletin which throws light
upon this phenomenon. 1t shows that
exports of wheat lincluding flour)
averaged 150,000000 bushels per an
mum during the five years ending June
80. 1884; 159,O0000O bushels per an
mum during the five years ending June
3, 1894; 192,000,000 bushels during the
five years ending June 80, 1904, and
an average of 113,000 900 per annum
during the five years ending June 30,
1909. The exports for 1909 were 114,-
100000 bushels
The exports of wheat during the
nine months of the calendar year end
ing September. 1909. were only 81
76S,901 bushels, against 6S,17S.935
bushels during the same months of
190S and of -four 6,2SS,2S3 barrels,
against 9,42S,347 barrels in the same
months Oh last year. lulS
that the calendar year 1909 will show
a smaller export of wheat than for any
previous year.
The share of the wheat crop export
ed averaged 33 per cent annually from
1884 to 1889 The average fell to 80
per cent during the next five years
and 1925 per cent was the average for
the last five years.
The consumption of wheat in the
United States had been increasing all
the time, and during the last ten years
at a very rapid rate. The total aver
age consumption for the five years end
ing 1889 was 341, 100000 bushels and
the per capita average consumption
for those years was 476 bushels, while
during the last five years the people
of the United States have eaten an
average of 543,O0O,O0O bushels per
year and the consumption per capita
has increased to 6.34 bushels per year
for every man, woman and child in the
nation.
Our people are the largest bread
eaters, the largest meat-eaters and the
largest coffee drinkers in the world
William E. Curtis in the Chicago Rec
ord-Herald.