Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1913-10-09
GREAT SHORTAGE
IN GRAIN CROPS
Breadstuffs Supply of the World
100000, 900 Bushels Less
Than Last Year.

SprinpGeld Mass. oct 6-Scrious
shortage exists in the worlds crop of
grain for 1918 The supply Is nearly 10
per cent less than last year. The total
deficiency aggregates 1.250 million bushels
OF the five grain staples. This shortage
is not made mp by potatoes, the worlds
supply of which is no greater than last
year and 300 million bushels less than
the worlds normal potato crop of 1910
These amazing conclusions are in
dcated by the preliminary report upon
worlds crops and the future OF prices,
to appear next Saturday in the New
England Homestead as of october |. This
authority emphasizes that the four bread
stuffs wheat. oats, rye and barley, will
probably be 800 million bushels less this
year than in 1912, 70 million bushels less
than two years ago. but four per cent.
more than In the 1910 crop.
Unless Russia and Argentina conclude
the year with much greater Yields than
now seems possible" This authority
says, the worlds wheat production will
be only about 100 million bushels NOR"
than last year" This will be an increase
OF only three per cent. over the supply
of wheat produced throughout the world
in 1919.
OF this increase, so million bushels
is due to the extent to which the bo-
nanza wheat crop of the United states
and Canada exceeds last years out
turn.
The Homestead preliminarily returns
the Russian crop as 700 million bush
els, which has since been confirmed by
pr,na al
nunciamento of $50 million. This is in
sharp contrast to the apparently mis-
leading and erroneous forecast put out
in late August by the International In
stitute of Agriculture at Rome of S12
million bushels as the Russian crop.
LARGE DEFICIENCY IN RYE.
OF grave importance also is the Eu
ropcan shortage in rye. Because even
more than wheat, is rye the bread
stuff of the tceming millions of Eu
rope. The paper quoted finds that Eu
rope may have only 100 million bush
els of rye of the 1913 crop, or 1870 mil
lion bushels less than last year. The
deficit may be still larger If latest
cabled advices from Russia are rel-
able.
The shortage in the worlds supply
of oats bids fair to be greater than
was expected.
With a smaller crop in North Amer
lea than last year by more than 800 mil
! lion bushels, and with another 100 mill
lion deficit elsewhere the worlds crop
of oats may be 10 per cent. less than
last year, a decrease of 400 million BUSH
els. New England Homestead reaches
{ this N nf a
Russia has the most prodgious oats crop
in its history, 1000 million bushels.
Barley is much less than usual in
North America, but the worlds total
yield may come up to the normal amount.
1t appears from official returns of the
actual movement of grain that only
about l6 per cent. Of the worlds total
wheat crop is consumed outside of the
countries of production.
| These consuminG countries are Great
Britain and Europe east of Russia,
which is the very region that suffers the
! heaviest relative deficiency in 1913 grain
/ crops. Therefore, the report concludes
! that those countries will need to import
between GOO and 700 million bushels OF
wheat during the fiscal year ending June
90 1914. thus calling for every bushel OF
! surplus wheat,
| In the case of corn, only about 80 mil
| lion out Of an average worlds supply OF
$3.50 million bushels is consumed in the
corn-lmporting countries, but the sur
plus this year is so reduced that it's a
question whether any such quantity can
! he spared,
QUESTION OF DISTRIBUTION.
therefore 1t is only necessary to dis
tribute and market the supply of grains
/ gradually and evenly throughout the
coming six to ten months to supply the
prices In view of the increasing popu-
lation. and general resumption of indus
trial prosperity throughout the world, tn,
demand for these crops should be ever
| better in the coming months than usual
'Therefore natural conditions justify q
| continuance of the fair prices to pro
! ducers which prevailed during Septem
Der Yet If producers and dealers every
where rush the supply to market, tn,
demand will be exceeded temperate,
and prices will be depressed artllcialy
and unnecessarily.
"A careful analysis prepared ny III,
Orange Judd service bureau shows tha
the price of grain I'm the United State.
and Canada is more closely affected by
the supply and other conditions in til,
United States and Canada than by tn,
worlds supply or Liverpool prices