The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-03-01
WHEAT DEMAND
 AND PRODUCTION
By HOLLAND

New York, February zS.-(Special) How great some of the changes in the agricultural industry of the United States in recent years have been Changes of which the public has taken little hee6 is now we'll illustrated by some of the statistics which under the stress of war, the governmental authorities at Wash ington are issuing. There is, for in stance the example of California, state which excellent authority asserts is now compelled to import from other states nearly 100000 bushels of wheat in ex- cess of the aggregate amount of wheat which is cultivated and harvested in California.
 This is somewhat strange reversal of agricultural form in California, so to speak, although it is probably due to the fact that in that state a much larger part of the population is now occupied in cultivation of citrus fruits, beans and other products of the soil than was the case a few years after California was supplying the world each year for sev- eral years with approximately 5000o,0 900 of new gold, thereby revolutionzng finan- cial and monetary conditions in the United States. A few years after Cali fornia demonstrated her pre-eminence as
 gold producer, there began the cultiva- tion of the wonderfully fertile wheat belts of that state. This progressed so
 rapidly and successfully that in the course of time California astonished the
 eastern part of the United States by req son Of her ability to harvest not only
 as much wheat as her own people needed
 but also to export each year many thou
 sand bushels. Therefore the state be-
 came distinguished both as producer of
 new gold each year and as a cultivator
 and harvester of wheat in sufficient amount to provide large surplus for export.
 Now comes intimation from official au- thority that the needs of the people of California are such that it is necessary for them to import nearly 10000 bushels Of wheat. Consumption of wheat i'm that state has progressed so rapidly that at
 last condition has been established
 which is in line with the prediction made some years ago by Englishmen of high
 authority and also by some America ns that the time is near at hand when the
 yearly harvest of wheat the world over would not be sufficient to meet the de-
 mands of the worlds population for food of that kind.
 That prediction, however, has not yet been justified excepting the case of Cali fornia and perhaps two or three other states.
 WHEAT IN THE SOUTH Secretary McAdoo presumably had in mind increased production of wheat in the southern states, as we'll as other grains, when he recently called upon the farmers of the south to raise foodstufr in excess of any amount heretofore
 raised in that section. Yet one of the great changes in the agricultural indus Itry of the United States which has taken place within the past 15 or 20 years lis the extraordinary development of the cultivation of wheat in the southern states. California alone imports about one-third as much wheat as the entire | Is southern states import from the wheat producing states west of the Mississippi A few years ago wheat was not an importa nj ! harvest in the southern states. The cul-
 tivation of wheat is now increasing rap idly and the probabilities are that within a few years the southern states, Okla homa being included in tiie list, will harvest not only enough wheat for the needs of their own people, but will se- cure such excess in production as will ado considerably to the American sur- plus.
 It is commonly assumed that the lead 1 ing western grain states are Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin and Iowa. The time is coming when some of the great states of the northwest-very likely Mon tana, the Dakotas and Minnesota-may capture the prestige which hitherto has belonged to these four states in the har- vesting of grain. In 1917, Illinois, Mich igan and Iowa harvested 16.0o0,O0O bush els less wheat than the people of those states needed if normal consumption of flour was to be maintained. Of course there were climatic reasons for this fall Iing off in the production of wheat last Iyear. Presumably climatic conditions of this kind will never seriously impair the production of wheat in the south.
 AS IT IS IN NEW YORK STATE Probably very few recall the days l when New York state gained and main- tained pre-eminence as grower of wheat. The rich farm lands of the western part of the state were culti- lvated to wheat with great success and l the splendid water power that was available in western New York was utilized in converting the wheat into l flour. Therein lies the fundamental req l son for the growth of the city of Roch- ester. N Y Later with the develop 1 ment of the west and the providing of 1 an pie transportation facilities. New York ! as a wheat producing state surrendered Iits prestige to the west. And yet if kthe department of agriculture at Wash Iinxton and the legislature at Albany !can act in cooperation there seems to be 1 no reason why New York state should Inot regain part of Its prestige as a wheat producing state. When William C. Brown was president of the New York Central Railroad company about 10 years laeo he made a careful study of agricul- turaI condition in New York state and l upon this study was able to say that lhe believed that with the utilization of many thousand acres of now unused land for the cultivation of wheat. the state
 ] of New York could produce all wheat
 | needed for home consu5nptfpn and havl
 4 | rood surplus remaining. Today Nov
 4 York state needs . littIe under 50.ooo,OoC
 4 bushels of wheat converted into flour I Iin exceas of the wheat .hArv}sted in the
 l efnte. It may be that as onk of the rs-
 l sults Of the activitiea of fho 1government
 and the emergencies uf ths Var. whsat
 production thfoushout the qPited states