The Sentinel=record., 1917-05-09
WINTER CROP FAR LESS
 THAN FIVE YEAR AVERAGE
Unless the Spring Wheat Crop Is Far Above the Average There Wti Be . Great Shortage of the Cereal Throughout the World.

Washington, May S.-ORiclal wheat crop estimates announced today show that with the world facing a bread ehortaee the United States. unless it cuts it's present consumption, prob Iably will produc only enough wheat th year ta supply its own population.
 The forecast compiled by the De- partment of Agriculture on conditions May l, put this couutrys winter wheat yield al 2C6o0o,o0o bushels. the small est in l2 years There wII be ro estimate oI spring wheat acreage until July, but with a crcp of 25o,0o000o bushels. which is higher than The 'or- age this country would grow th & .year a t-tal of only G1G00000o bushels The normal American consumption. with seed requirements. is put at slightly more than 60000o,00o bu.hels.
 The country's greatest spring wheat crop was 352000.000 bushels. pro duced in 1915. The fiye-year average from 1910 to 1914 is 234 GOO coo bushels. The estimated production this year of GG,0o0.ooo bushels win. ter wheat falls ilG.Go0.000 bushels short Of las years poor crop and 20S.. ooo00o bel W that of 1915. a bumper crop. It is l29oo~,00o bushels less than the average fer the preceding five years.
 Reserve stocks this year are sad to be lower than at any preYiou, time this season. The visible supply is put now at 3o.oo00o0 bushels. with a somewhat larger invisible stock. The l0wesf visible stocks ever reported in the United States were G.000.000. on July 1, two years ago When harvest ing of the new crop begins in Juy If this year t is estimated that the re. serve will be even lower than that
 The allies whea, requirements fir The coming year are put at 500 GOO 000 bushels as a minimum. The United States will be asked to supply more than half that amount Wheat crops in other parts of the world are poor The Argentine crcp failed. and home consumption will require the entire yield Canada's production is con fined chiefly to spring crop of nor. mally about 2oo.oo0oo0 bushels. much ol which is available for export.
 Since the war started America has exported 10 Europe vast quantities Of wheat, reaching a high mark Of 332,- o0o000 bushels in 1915 Last year the t.tal fell to 2iG000, 00o bur hels. De- fore the war it ran slightly less than 100000 000/ bushels.
 In a statement accompanying it's re- port today the agriculture department declared that although the winter wheat crop condition is the poorest on record, crop conditions otherwise are favorable.
 "The extent of pl0wing and plant ing done by May 1," the statement said. was above the average In 1912 the winter wheat ercp fell below 4O0,. GOO GOO bushels, the lowest since 1904, but notwithstanding this low produc- ti-n of winter wheat the spring wheat crops and total production of all crops
 in that year was the largest on rec ord"
 The depa1ment is making every effort to edVato the American people to a Rreate8 use ff cornmeal for bread. Corn is kmerica's big crop, but eX. cept m tBe south 1t never has sup planted wheat for bread. Department officials Believe America muet turn to corn to release wheat for shipment