Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1915-02-26
NO SHORTAGE OF
FOODSTUFFS LIKELY

The Department of Agriculture
issued the following statement Feb
ruary II:
The 1914 wheat crop of the Unit
ed States was estimated to be S91
600, 900 bushels. The estimated sur
plus carried over from the 1913 crop
was about 100000 bushels. There
was, therefore, a total available sup
ply of 967,0O0,O0O bushels, AS the
normal annual per capita consump-
ton of wheat in the United States is
about 5.3 bushels, $520,0OO,OOO
bushels should meet our normal
domestic requirements for food; IN
addition, 100000 bushels are re-
quired annually for seeding; 610,-
100000 bushels, therefore, should
supply the normal domestic demand.
This would leave a surplus of 357,-
100000 bushels OF this surplus
about 210,000,000 bushels were ex-
ported by January 80. This left
l4IO00,000 bushels. or 4O,O00,O00
bushels more than our average an
nual export for the past five years,
for export between February l and
the appearance of the new crop, or
for carrying over into the next crop
year. The amount is sufficient to per-
nit the export of nearly 100000
bushels a day until July |, before
which time the new crop will begin
TO be available. This Is about the
average recent expectation.
The large demand for our wheat
arises from the fact that there was
an estimated worlds shortage or
over 400,000,000 bushels outside of
the United States; from the fact that
the Russian eXportable surplus of
l0O,OOO,O0O bushels is not available
generally, and from the fact that the
belligerent nations are ager to secure
food supplies. If it were not for
these things we should be discussing
ways and means of disposing of our
tremendous surplus of food products.
AS has been stated, the new
American crop will begin to appear
before July. The Argentine crop is
now coming on the market. 1t is
estimated that from that source
there will be available 100000, 900
bushels. a surplus of 100000
bushels or more from India will be
available in May of June. The in
crease in the fall sown wheat acre
age of the United States in 1914
was Ill per cent, or about 4,000,-
600 acres; in the northern hemi-
sphere generally the acreage of Win
ter wheat shows an increase of from
three to 80 per cent, as follows:
Denmark, three per cent; Italy, five
per cent; Switzerland 10 per cent;
United Kingdom, 10 per cent United
States, II per cent; India, % per
cent; canada 33 per cent.
But suppose a shortage in wheat
should develop in the next three
months, what would be the situa-
ton? There is a great surplus in
other food crops in the United States.
a number of which can be used as
substitutes. Wheat does not consti-
tute more than / 3 per cent of the
normal diet about the same as
poultry and eggs. Meat and dairy
products constitute per cent; vege-
tables II per cent; fruits, nuts.
sugar, fish and other items, the re-
naming 19 per cent There are
larger supplies of corn and other
grains, meat animals, dairy products,
potatoes, and fruit at the opening of
1915 than for many years. The most
important competing products are
earn and potatoes. This is shown
b. the fact that while the normal
consumption of wheat is 5.3 bushels
in Maine it is only Al bushels, and
in Michigan .. In the wheat grow
ing states where wheat is abund-
ant. such as Minnesota, the average