Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1915-03-05
PLENTY or FOOD
IN THIS COUNTRY
aeporl Shows $4,000, 900
huSa2.S Of Nh5Qi,
EN0U5E FOR HOME NEEUS.

Normal OoreG.tc D4r;7rr Not More
Than 6fo 100000 RusheIs-Wheat Does
Not Constitute More Than z Per
Cent OF Usual Diet. Says Department
Of Agriculture.
The United States department of az
riculture gave out this statement. re-
futiug the allegation that tins country
is threatened with food shortage:
The 1914 wheat crop Of the United
States was estimated to he SJl UoO.uO0
bushels The estimated surplus car
ried over from the 1913 crop was about
100000 bushels. There wus. there
fore. Il total available supply of 9G1.-
100000 bushels.
las the normal annual per capita
consumption IF wheat in the United
States Is about J.3 bushels. 52OOOO.U0O
bushels should meet our normal do
mestic requirements for food. In addi-
ton 0O,UO.O0O bushels are required
annually for seeding: Gl0OOO,OO BUSH
els. therefore. should supply the nor
nal domestic demand.
This would leave Il surplus of 351.-
100000 bushels. or this surplus about
210.0OO.000 bushels We're exported by
Jan. 80. This left l41.0O0.U0O bushels.
or 40.OOO.0OO bushels more than our
average annual export for the past five
years. for export between Feb. l and
the appearance Of the new crop or for
carrying over into the next crop year.
THE amount Is sufficient to permit
the export of nearly l.OOU.OOO bushels
Il day until July |. before which time
the new crop will begin to be availa-
BILE. This is about the average recent
expectation.
The large demand for our wheat
arises from the fact that there was an
estimated worlds shortage of over
400 100000 bushels outside Of the Unit
ed States; from the fact that the Rus
sian exportable surplus Of 100,OOO.OO0
bushels Is not available generally and
from the fact that the belligerent ma
tions are eager to secure food supplies.
II 1t were not for these things we
should. be discussing ways and means
OF disposing Of our tremendous sur
plus Of food products
r''r Wheat In Other Countries.
"As has been stated. the new Am
erican crop will begin to appear be-
fore July. The Argentine crop il now
coming on the market. 1t Is estimated
that from that source there will be
available 1OO.OOO.OOO bushels. A sur
plus Of 75.O0O.00O bushels or more from
India will be available in May and
June. The increase In the fall sown
wheat acreage Of the United States In
1914 was ILL per cent. or over 4.00O.-
| coo acres. In the northern hemisphere,
generally. the acreage Of winter wheat
shows an increase Of from 3 to 80 per
cent as follows: Denmark. 3 per cent;
Italy. per cent: Switzerland. 10 pei
cent: United Kingdom. 10 per- cent;
United States. II per cent: India. q
per cent; Canada. 80 per cent
but suppose a shortage in wheat
should develop In the next thres
months. what would be the situation,
There Is u great surplus In other food
crops in the United States. a number
Of which can be used as substitutes.
Wheat does not constitute more
than IL per cent OF the normal diet
about the same as poultry and eggs
Meat and dairy products constitute
4S per cent. vegetables IL per cent and
! fruits, nuts. sugar. fish and other items
the remaining 10 per cent.
There IRE larger supplies Of corr
and other grains. meat animals, dairy
products. potatoes and fruit ut the
opening of 1915 than for many years
| The most important competing prod
ucts are corn and potatoes. This Il
shown by the fact that. while the nor
NAL consumption Of wheat is 5.3 bush
els, In Maine 1t is only ~ bushels and
in Michigan 8.
Consumption Of Crops.
I'm the wheat growing states. where
wheat is abundant, such as Minnesota
the average Is 10. whereas in the
south. where corn Is much used. the
! average is 4 bushels. Normally about
3 per cent of the corn crop is con.
sumed as food. OF our total crop
about 80 per cent would be used for
food. the remainder for other purposes
The remainder could be used for foods
and substitutes used for animals.
''The potato production in the United
States averages 3.8 bushels per capita
This year the available supply is Al
bushels. The average price of meat
animals was per cent cheaper in
January than year ago. butter 2 per
cent lower. the price Of chickens
slightly lower. of potatoes 35 per cent
{ lower. and OF apples II was 81 per cen,
/ lower.
1T would seem that the United
z States is not likely to be threatened
with shortage of foodstuffs
! Rat Stays Rattlesnake.
Herman AarS. farmer living neal