Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1909-10-08
WHEAT AND CONSUMPTION.

Inc question OF WuedI VdAueS plO-
misses to solve itself, but the natural
laws of supply and demand, as the
Tribune has frequently urged would
be the case. The organizations Of
farmers who began a'campaign few
years ago for the holding of wheat
for higher prices will probably find
within comparatively few years that
the demand for our own wheat will
create a steady and stable market, at
a profitably high price. There will be
fluctuations in the selling price Of
wheat of course, but there will pro-
badly be no more periods of the low
prices that led to the forming of
farmers organizations.
In a recent address at Minot, Pres
ident Hill of the Great Northern road
said of the probable course of the
wheat market.
''By 1850 this country will have at
least $50, 100000 people. Now the av-
erage consumption for twenty years
has been about six and half bushels
of wheat per capita for bread ana
seed. Prof Rogers of the State Agri-
cultural College of Minnesota, gives it
either a little under or a little over
seven bushels for recent years, max
ing an average of about seven BUSH
els. Twelve or fifteen years ago in
Belgium, the average was five and
fourth bushel. Belgium IS an agrl-
cultural as we'll as an industrial coun-
try, and the average consumption for
bread and seed is now eight and a
half bushels. Why? On account OF
the high price of meat. Bread fur
nishes a cheaper food and its con-
sumption has grown to eight and a
half bushels. Now let us see. How
would we furnish 100000, 700, how
woul we do it? That is twice our av-
erage crop this year. Possibly we
will have 7O0,00O,0O0 bushels. Last
year we had 100000, and we ex-
ported $4,000, 900, and that is more
than we wanted to export. What
was the result? Our bins were emp
ty by the first of March or April.
They were chasing around the coun-
try for wheat. They went to New
York and bought wheat that had been
bought and paid for by foreign buyers
who were waiting to take 1t abroad.
They bought it and paid the freight
lack even to Kansas .ity at a cost
of $3.50 a bushel or more. Now you
say that 1 am wrong when say we
have nothing to export, that l ought
not to say it. Why shouldn't say
it? If the people don't know these
things how are they going to remedy
them? 1t is absolutely true, and If
any man will Investigate will go to
the facts, he will demonstrate it, and
there is no escape from the facts"
With the increase in demand for
wheat and all food products with
the increasing population of the coun-
try, all land that will produce crops
will increase in value. The value of
land is easily determined by the
average annual crop value that is
produced from the land, figured at
an ordinary computation of interest
and per cent. Land that will produce
an average annual yield of value
of S. per acre, over and above ex-
penses for seed, cultiation and har-
vest; is worth $500 an acre figuring
interest rates at six per cent. 1t is
this increase in the value of food
products and the simple calculation
of supply and demand that is increas-
ing farm land values all through the
state. It is safe to say that within
a generation there will be no cheap |
land in the state, as cheapness is
considered at present. Even graz
ing land will gain stable value, de-
pending upon the annual yield of
grass and the number of cattle that
can be maintained upon it. For food
is the first of mans necessities and
food in this state can only be gained
from the land.