Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-07-25

corn-more corn than has come into
the United States for the last twelve
months from the Argentine Republic.
There are only ten million acres In
corn in the entire Argentine Repub-
lie, and, according to reports received
from that country. 1t Is unlikely that
this acreage will be substantially In
creased for years to come. We have
In Illinois alone over ten millions acres
planted in corn every year.
In 1897 the price In Chicago Of corn
(spot) ranged from 21A cents per
bushel to 80 SIS cents per bushel. the
lowest price prevailing In the months
of January and February OF that year
and the highest price prevailing In the
month Of August of that year. 1t would
seem that such prices as these, as
compared to present corn prices In
Chicago ought to have been exceeding
ly discouraging to corn growers, and 1t
would seem that the corn acreage, con-
sidering these prices, ought not to
have materially increased, and yet the
corn acreage in the United States has
increased since 1897; from 1897 TO
1900 we added twenty-five million
acres to our corn area in the United
States and the corn acreage Is con-
tinually increasing. There Is at the
present time no data available to
show the increase in corn acreage In
the United States from 1909 to 1914,
but the chances are that we VIII nave
during the present year, In corn IN
the United States nearly thirty mil
lion acres more than we had in 1887
In other words, We have added 10 our
corn area in the United States In the
last twenty years three times as many
acres as there are in the entire corn
area of the Argentine Republic. Each
one of these acres has been producing
more on an average than an acre VIII
nroduce in the Argentine Republic and
vet. with this advanced acreage and
greatly Increased production within
our own boundaries, the price OF corn
has been speedily increasing until to-
day in the corn belt section of Illinois
corn belt farmers are paying from rs
cents to 50 cents per bushel for corn
and hauling it from railroad stations
to their farms.
In 1897, before this enormous In
crease in our corn acreage occurred,
we exported 1S9.000,000 bushels of
corn from the United States. In spite
of the enormous increase in the acre
age of corn within the boundaries OF
continental United States, our expor-
tations have steadily decreased. until
In 1913 we exported only 45,000,0o0
bushels of corn and our exports 81 corp
are still decreasing. Practically thu
entire production of corn in the United
States is now consumed at home.
Mexico Ahead Of Argentine.
Why is it that no one mentions Mex
leo as a corn producing country? Mex
leo produces more corn every year
than is produced in the Argentine Re-
public and does not export bushel
of it to the United States or anywhere
else. She consumes all of her own
crop and imports corn. Mexico I'M
ports several million bushels of corn
annually from the United States. Why
does not this come from the Argentine
Republic, and why does not the Ar
gentine Republic capture the Mexican
market? Corn from the Argentine Re-
public is admitted to Mexico on exactly
the same terms as corn from the Unit
ed States. The corn crop in the Ar
gentine Republic of 1912 was a banner
crop for the Argentine Republic and
yet the exports of her 1913 crop to
all the world did not amount to one
half as much corn as we raise every
year In Illinois.
Last year the corn shortage In the
United States was greater than it ever
has been in the history of the country.
1t amounted to nearer seven hundred
81 ra1 Ill
lion bushels and yet. Notwithstanding
that tremendous shortage, we produced
6S per cent of the recorded corn crop
of the world. Corn is produced in ev-
cry country of Europe and yet the en-
tire annual production of Europe OF
corn amounts to only about 645,000,00O
bushels. In other words the shortage
alone in the United States last year
in the corn crop amounted to more
than the entire average production OF
all Europe and the use of corn as a
food stuff is increasing in every coun-
try of Europe. II the Argentine Repub-
lie continues to raise bumper crops
like her crop of 1912 and exports every
busheI she raises to the United States
alone, neglecting all other markets, 1t
will be four years before the importa-
lions from the Argentine Republic to
the United States equal the shortage
alone in our last years corn crop.
From the above figures you will
see how absurd and ridiculous are the
arguments with reference to corn i'm
portations from the Argentine Repub-
lie. am unwilling to believe that corn
belt farmers can be captured by the
party, whose policies have been OPP
pressing them for years. by such cheap.
absurd, demagogic arguments as the
advocates of high protection are now
advancing in the west. Very truly
yours, HENRY 7. RAINEY.
tnfisrlmatory rheumatism Quickly
Relieved.
Morton L. Hnl OF Lebanon. Ind