The weekly chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Craig County, Okla.) 1905-1913, 1911-06-23


nouneed by the department of agricul-
ture, lends interest to the records of
production in, and movements into and |
out of the country of wheat and its
products as published by the bureau
of statistics, department of commerce
and labor. Wheat has always been an
important factor both in the ploduc-
tion and foreign commerce of the |
United States. and continues to in.
crease in Importance in the matter of
production, though somewhat decreas-
ing in the quantity exported.
The wheat production in the United
States in 1870 was 2S6 million bushels
in 1880, 49S1s million; in 1889, 49O1a
million dropping to S99 million in
1870 but advancing 10 612 million in
1S91l, 522 million in 1900, and 655 mil
lion in 1910; though even higher rec
ords were made in 1901, 73S million
bushels, and 1906, 1856 million.
Much has been said about the low
product per acre of wheat in the Unit
ed States when compared with that in
European countries, and it is doubtless
true that wheat production in certain
countries of Europe, where great at
tention is given to the care of the land
and the supply of proper soil foods, is
greater per acre than in the United
States. On the other hand, however,
it is equally true and interesting that
the yield per acre in the United States
lis increasing, having averaged 15.S
bushels per acre in 1909, against IA
bushels per acre in 1907 aud 1908, 12k
bushels in 1904, 13 bushels in 1894, and
I101A bushels in 1885, While the pro-
duction per acre of course fuctuates
from year to year. the average pro-
duction per acre during recent years
has clearly been higher than the aver
age for the last decade or two. This
slight increase in the quantity, coupled
with the material advance in price,
brought the average farm value per
acre for 1909 up to S15.62 per acre,
against an average of about half that
figure in the period from 1890 to 1900.
Meantime the quantity of wheat re-
tanned for domestic consumption has
greatly increased, while the quantity
exported has been reduced. In the
fiscal year 1910 the quantity retained
for consumption was $50 million BUSH
els, being larger than in any earlier
year; and the quantity exported, 81
million, which was less than in any
fiscal year since 1877, with the single
exception of 1905, when only "A mill
)lion bushels were exported. In 1903
the exports aggregated 16S million
bushels, and in 1902, the high record
year in wheat explorations, 235 mill
lion.
These figures of wheat expectations,
lit is proper to add include both that
shipped in the grain and that in the
form Of -four. The share of the wheat
|exports in the form Of flour in the
fiscal year 1910 was 46.5 per cent and
in 1908, when the quantity exported
was about double that of 1910, but 1874
per cent. In those years in which the
expectations are extremely small the
share exported in the form of flour is
larger than in years Of large wheat ex-
ports. In 1905, for example. when the
wheat expectations touched the lowest
figure in many years-44 million bush
|els-the share which went in the form
of flour was SS.9 per cent, against 81
per cent in 1902, the high record year
in wheat of exports. In the fiscal year
which ends with the present month the
quantity of wheat exported will prob
ably be less than in 1910, the total for
the II months ending with May hav-
ling been but % million bushels, against
Al million in the same months of 1909,
and of -four, 9A million barrels,
against S1a million in the same months
of 1909, indicating total for the year
mot to exceed 25 million bushels of
wheat and the equivalent of As million
bushels in the form of fiour--a total of
approximately 20 million bushels for
the fiscal year 1911, against 81 million
| in 1910, and making for 1911 the small
est wheat export record in 80 years,
except the abnormalIy low year, 1905,
when the record was but Al million.
Europe is our chief customer for
wheat exported in the natural state,
while the larger proportion of that ex-
ported in the form of -four goes to the
tropics and the Orient. OF the 21%
million bushels of wheat exported in
the 10 months ending with April, near
ly II million went to the United King
dom, 31a million to France, million to
Belgium, and | million to Canada. OF
the flour exports amounting to 81b mil