Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1915-03-04
NO SHORTAGE OF FooDsTUFFS LIKELY

The department of agriculture issued the following
statement on February IL 4
The 1914 wheat crop of the United States was eStaV
ed to he 891 100000 bushels The estimated surplus c1I
ried over from the 1913 crop was about o0VoOVv
Tbpre wae therefore, total available supply o. 'oVo"
on If wheat in the United States is about % bu8hes
520O00O00 bushels should meet our normal d0meSlc re-
uireents for food in addition 90000OOO buShels are re-
mlired annually for seeding Six hundred ana ten nl9h
blshels therefore should supply the normal ooeSIG ue
,nond This woud leave surplus OF 33GOOOUOJ DuSues
or his snpus about 21000000O bushels were exported
nv 30 This left 1470000O0 bushels or 4l00OooO
bushels more than average annual exports lol te pas
five years for export between February ana tne aP
rearance of the crop or lor carrying over nv t
next CROP year The amount Is sufficient TO permit e
pvno1t Of nearly 000000 bushels day until july J. De-
foie which time the new crop will begin to be available
This is about the average recent eXportaton'
The LARGE demand for our wheat arises from the lact
that there an estimated WORLDS slorIaSe "a W.
100000 600 bushels outside of the United States from Ine
Fact that the Russian eXportabe surplus OF l00OooOoo
bushels not available generally and from the lact GaV
the beigerent nations are eager to secure 1000 Suppes
( it were not for these things we should be discussing
ways and means of dsposng OF our tremendous surplus
Of food products. u,.
AS has been stated the new American crop will begin
to appear before July The Argentine crop is now coming
on the market It's estimated that from that source ee
will be available 100000000 bushels. surplus OF ioVVV-
600 bushels or more IfOlll lluld VIII NC " ~
and June The increase in the fasown wheat acreage OF
the United States in 1914 was i'll per cent or over 4oO0
600 acres; in the Northern Hemisphere generally the
acreage of winter wheat shows an increase OF from TO -
per cent -
Bat suppose shortage in wheat should develop IN the
next three months what would be the situation? There
is great surplus of other food crops in the United States
n number of which can be used as substitutes Whea
does not constitute than Il per cent OF the norma
diet about the same poultry and eggs Neal ana uali
products constitute AS per cent vegetables ii per cent
fruits nuts sugar fish and other items the remaining
per cent There are larger supplies of corn ana othe
Grains meat animals dairy products, potatoes, ana lu
at the opening of 1915 than for many years The most IN
portant competing products are corn and potatoes IN
Ia shown by the fact that while the normal consumption
wheat is 53 bushels in Maine IT is only AZ bushels ana
Michigan s. In the Wheat-grOwing states, where Wheat
abundant such as Minnesota the average is ~, where
in the South where corn is much used, the average Is
bushels Normally about per cent OF the corn crop Is co
sumed as food OF our total crop about SOOOO0OO buShe
would be used for food the remainder for other purpose
The remainder could be used for foods and substitute
used for animals The potato production in the Umt(
States averages pushes per capita This year the ava
able supply is Al bushels The average price OF meat
imals was per cent cheaper in January than year ae
butter per cent lower the price of chickens sghty lo
er of potatoes 30 per cent lower and of apples was
per cent lower.
1t would seem that the United States is not likely
be threatened with a shortage Of foodstufts.
California ought to be happy this year with an expo
tlX