Omaha daily bee., 1917-01-02
ROME FIGURES ON
CROP FAILURE HERE
Has the World Enough to Live
On?" Some Italian Eco
nomists Ask.
CONSIDER IT SERIOUSLY

Correspondence of The Associated Press)
Rome, Dec. 6.-The International
Institute OF Agriculture has published
report under the title. Has the
World Enough to Live Upon Until
the Next Harvest"
The report took into consideration
FIVE unfavorable factors, the failure
Of the northern hemisphere harvests
of the year ending July 81 and parhc-
ularly those of Canada and the United
States: the unreleased crops of Rus
STA owing to the continued closing OF
the Dardanelles; the extra and I'M
usual consumption of food by the
armies; the increased difficulty OF
transporting crops, and the fact that
normally the worlds food consump-
ton increases year by year, partly
due to population increases, and
whereby a crop which does no more
than attain to an antecedent average
is actually an insufficient one.
The general conclusion OF the re-
port, while not favorable, indicates
that if every nation, irrespective OF
those at war, exercises close economy
there may be a narrow margin OF sur
plus food left at the beginning of the
next harvest year. 1t is also made
clear that should the next harvest be
no better than the present, the situa-
ton will be serious.
Hard Problem.
The report states: at is clear that
no one can estimate with any preci-
sion what may be the actual consump-
ton of the world during the period
dividing us from the next harvest.
However, it places the consumption
of wheat in the northern hemisphere
countries at 1887 100000 bushels, adds
to this the consumption of the south
ern hemisphere countries, and arrives
at a total estimated consumption of
1886, 64S, 364 bushels. Taking into &C
count all existing wheat, given this
consumption figure, the report finds
that the wheat surplus by July 81,
next, will be but 46, 28l 500 bushels and
that this surplus will exist because of
the preceding abundant harvest
whereby 345,385,l lao bushels of stored
wheat were available to add to this
years consumption. This years total
wheat crop is therefore but 3,49l 49,
224 bushels, as compared to 4,OoL, oo/,-
600 bushels last year.
The report estimates the stores OF
Russian wheat so far unavailable for
military reason at total of 303, $780,
900 bushels. If this wheat it released
at any time during the next calendar
year, the food situation will be made
easier, though not if the next harvest
fails.
North's Importance.
The reports definite figures deal
with the FIVE important food crops
of the northern hemisphere, wheat,
rye, barley, oats and corn. at should
be borne in mind it states, that
these northern hemisphere crops are
90 per cent of the whole world for
wheat, 99.9 of those for rye, 0.1 per
cent of the barley, 97.S of the oats,
and 94.2 of the corn. The crops in
the northern hemisphere lately gath
cred, taken as a whole, are undoubt-
eddy bad. The wheat figures for 1916,
1915 and the average of the fve-year
period of l909-l3 are respectively
8S7, 706,0 900 quintals; 1905, 406, 900 quin-
tails, and 92s,3l6,000 quintals. In 9TH
er words this years crop is only 802
per cent of that of the previous year
and 94.o per cent of the average. "a
quintal is 3 2-3 bushels-)
For the five cereals the grand totals
indicate the present years yield as but
1877 per cent of that of 1915 and 1901
per cent of the fve-year period. These
totals are 3,182,6o7 900 quintals for
1916; 1886, 10000 quintals for 1915,
and 3,l78, $4,000 quintals for the five
year average.
Taking into count estimates of the
coming harvests in the southern hem
isphere the report gives as the whole
worlds surplus mot yield) for these
five cereals, 172,4O8,00O quintals (o32,-
1886 bushels) and the total surplus
at the disposal of international trade
at 100000 quintals (S1,063,332
bushels).