Coulee City dispatch. [volume] (Coulee City, Wash.) 19??-19??, 1916-09-22
Food Supply Ample
Even for Wartime


of agriculture and direful predictions
that the growth of population in this
country is in greater ratio than the
supply of food products and that the
time is fast approaching when the
United States will be dependent upon
foreign countries, in a measure, for
necessary food supplies.
While agriculture may not be pro-
crossing as it should, or to the extent
of it's possibilities, which are admitted
to be vast, nevertheless such predic-
lions are largely unwarranted by the
facts. Even in wartime blockade,
it is very unlikely that this country
could be starved out. This conclusion
is borne out by recent printed re-
port of the committee on statistics and
standards of the chamber of commerce
of the United States:
From the production Of the leading
cereals and tubers du ring the last fifty
years, it is claimed that while the
population increased about 200 per
cent during that period, the production
of wheat increased $50 per cent, corn
27O per cent, oats ATS per cent, barley
1000 per cent, Irish potatoes $50 per
cent, and rice over 5000 per cent.
The usual argument that we are be-
coming a food-importing country is
based on the statement that our ex-
ports of food stuffs are decreasing,
while imports are increasing. In the
case of wheat, the greatest of all cereals
used directly for human food, it will
be seen the exports vary decidedly
from year to year, being affected by a
great number of contributing causes,
but that exports have shown an appre-
ciable increase during the past five
been and still continue a negligible
quantity.
The case of rice is cited. 1t is pc
culiarly plant of tropical and sub
tropical countries, and consequently
can be raised only in a comparatively
small portion of the United States. Yet
while both importations and exporta-
lions have increased in about equal
proportion, production has outstripped
them both.
A very definite proof of surplus pro-
duction of agricultural products be-
yond our needs, according to the re-
port, is the fact that each year we
carry from the former harvest into
the succeeding harvest from 20 to Is
per cent of the yield of the principal
cereals.
We do not grow coffee, tea, and CO.
Goa in this country, and because of the
lack principally of suitable climate it
is question whether we ever will do
so save in a limited way. Consequent
ly, our importation of such articles is
entirely question of taste and our
extensive use of them is an evidence
of our ability to crafty this taste and
not matter of necessity. In case of
stress we could well get along without
them, as was generally done in the
South during the Civil war, which is
a very different proposition from not
raising enough wheat for our own use
and trying to get along without that.
Cane sugar is pointed to as most
remarkable exhibit. 1t is largely
tropical and sub-tropical product and
consequently can be grown only in
limited area in the United States Like
wise the production of cane and beet
sugar in this country has always been
complicated by the matter of tariff.
Yet despite these facts, according to
the report, domestic production in
creased about 1900 per cent against