The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-09-10
Population and Food supply.

Population and Food supply.
In his address before the cOnserva-
ton congress Secretary WILSON de-
clared that food - cheap no longer.
The dcilv experience Of several million
American housekeepers supports this
Official assertion, bat It rs perhaps a
question whether Mr. WILSON'S state
ment 81 the oa,ise 81 the increased cost
Of foodst,iffs is fairly supported BY the
s'1tisticS prepared IN his own Depart
m"nt He SAYS that population has
increased faster than production from
the soil That u, demand has out
stripped supply through increase in the
number ~ consnmer-. From the re-
pcrts Of the Department Of Agriculture
this appears 20 be an inadequate and
not entirely accurate statement
The exact per capita production II
various food substances can be deter
mined only when the census returns are
finally tabulated and reported IL il
now assumed that tbs increase IN popu-
larIon since 1910 mas been about u per
cent. That would give q present total
Of approximately 81. eco .D0. Should the
total happen to run a. high as o. 100 mo
the percentage Of Increase would be
?2.?. What has been the gain in pro-
duction' Crop variation from year 10
year and the absence Of reliable stats
tics ~ Weld 81 many common food sub
Stances make reply 20 that question
difficult m some cases and impossible IN
Others. There are MANY articles on
the domestic bill u fare - which no
accurate production record il made.
Statistics regarding all ~ the greater
crops are carefully collected Assume
ing that population has increased q or
possibly - per cent. II appears that the
corn crop has IA ten wears increased
about ~ per cent. The crop Of 1870 n
recorded a. :, 100. 40 60 bushels, and the
farm price a. IS 7 cents bushel. Sec-
rotary WILSON IN his annual report for
1879 gives the weld Of that wear a.
>. 587 90 "OG bushels and the farm price
on November a. 81 q cents n bushel.
That Is. the per capita supply Of 1910
being rs bushels the per capita supply
Of 1919 was "A little more than thirty
bushels. vet the average price 81 the
1919 crop was probably more than ~
per cent. higher than the average price
81 the i9" crop. In this case the Sec
rctary's statement does not bold even
when allowance IL made for export
shipments
The wheat crop ~ 1900 was far below
the normal and comparison - thRt year
with lSOa would he unfair The average
of the five year term Iss7-lSOI Wa aOO
0-,oOO bushels, and the weld of 1919 was
72j. 100 OoO bushels, an lncrease Of prac-
tlcallv 30 per cent. or very nearly that
~ the increase N population The
average farm price II the earlier period
vas about ~ cents a b,ulel and II the
later period about 81. an Increase not
accounted for by the Increased demand
Of an increased population only. Conn
pairing the oat crops 81 1879 and 1919
the increase has been practically the
same ~ the increase ~ population.
The average prioe increase for the term
was about ~ per cent The potato
- wy W ifN'H VIZ "bh'lAAIHlAF ihi VII
he basis ~ what NAV be regarded a. a
normal weld the gain in ten years WIS
about 90 per cent Or nearly double the
p"rosntng" ~ gain IN population. The
IgO crop provided absnt -, bushels
for every man. woman and child in the
country, and - normal crop IN 1879 would
have provided about 10 bushels The
actual crop ~ IN" wear provided nearly
four bushels per capita
These are q few stapl" crops that do
not fairly support Mr. WILSON'S state
ment The same appears To be the Gaze
with other articles OF ordinary table
supply The rice crop has nearly quad
rIplei 10 ten years and tho pric. Of the
article shows small increase The
pcr capita consumption Of sugar has
INCREASED materially. bat there has been
10 material change IN price COffae
shows some increase N both price and
per capita consumption. Reliable de-
tails ~ production Of eggs, poultry but
ter. 'h",--.-. fruits and garden truck -
ar" not AZ hand. but there seems every
reason 10 believ" that their production
has ~ least aquallrd and has perhaps
eAceeded. relatively, the increase IN
population. In The matter Of the sup
rIy of ood-anima fanancaaunarI-,a