The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1911-11-10
DOLLAR CORN A POSSIBILITY
Big Shortage in Argentina-WiII Be
a Big Export Demand-Price May
Be Carried to 81 Per Bushel

Be Carried to 81 Per Bushel
A Washington special says that
dollar corn" appears to be a posi-
bility before spring, according to the
figuring of the statisticians of the de-
partment of agriculture.
The United States, although the
greatest corn-producing nation en-
earth, has never figured heavily as a
corn exporter. Of the three billion
bushel crop of 1910 We exported only
63,000,000 bushels (about 21a per
cent? during the fiscal year ended
June so, last. The fiscal year 1909-10
furnished but 36,OOO,0OO for exporta-
ton out of a crop of 2,772,000,000
bushels grown in 1909. Thus the
United States has been exporting only
little more than per cent. of her
corn crop.
But this year it is different. In the
first place the worlds corn supply has
suffered serious defamation through
the failure of Argentina to grow
enough corn for her own consumption
and for seeding purposes, thereby re-
ply more than 15O,O00000 bushels.
| The Argentina crop of 1911 is less
than 27,000000 bushels, whereas in
| 1910 she raised 175,000,600, of which
she exported more than O5,OO0,0O0
| bushels to Europe; and in 1909 she
raised 177,O00,OOO bushels, and sent
more than 100000 to foreign ports
Argentina is therefore short of her
own local needs nearly 45,000,000
bushels, and she would be a corn I'M
porter were it not for her tremendous
protective tariff.
The departmet was apprised this
week of a movement among the
farmers of Argentina for a temporary
remission of the import on corn be-
cause of their need of it for seeding
purposes.
The only other nations producing
corn in quantities of commercial mo-
ment are those of southern Europe,
the principal one being Hungary, with
| Spain, Portugal, Italy, the Balkan
States, Turkey and Bessarabia (South
Russia) figuring to lesser extent.
The crop of westernn Europe, includ-
ing Hungary, is a partial failure this
year. Bessarablia and the Balkan
States, particularly Roumania, have
done rather well. Hungary has be-
come an importer from Roumania
| this year to the extent of more than
| 40,000,000 bushels, according to the
Moniteur Commercials Roumain, the
official organ of the Roumanian Min
| istry of Industry and Commerce.
Italy's requirements will take up the
remainder of Roumania's surplus.
This years corn crop in the United
States, according to the latest esti-
mates of the department of agricul-
ture, will total up 2,769, 4S2,0O0 bush
els, about 356,00O,000 bushels short Of
last years crop, but only few mil
lion bushels short of the 1909 crop,
which has heretofore been considered
fine one But neither in 1910 nor in
1909 did the United States have to
face the necessity of supplying the
shortage created by Argentina's fail
ure And in neither of these years
were the root crops of Northernn Gu
rope such failures. In Europe-par-
ticularly in Germany, France, Aus
tria, Bohemia, Hungary and Denmark
the root crops furnish the principal
cattle feeds. This year the quantity
of roots, potatoes and beets, is Tar
short of the demand, and this short
age can find it's supply only in two di-
rections-curtailmen of the demand
by slaughtering the cattle or import
ing corn from the United States.
The department of agriculture will
not attempt to guess what this de-
mand will amount to, nor how far Eu-
rope will meet it, but it is expected
| that the demand will come and come
quickly for the expectation of vast
quantities of American-grown corn for
European consumption-and that out
of short crop.
Eeighty-cent corn is probably. This
may prove to be the limit, for that
price would be too high to justify
| feeding corn to cattle abroad; but the
department realizes that with the
probability of manipulation, with con-
sequent wild speculation, and then