Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1920-08-03
WHEAT, THE
HUNGER KILLER
Bv FREDERIC I. HASKIN

| NM There has been so much
| w famine in the world of late
that the public will appre-
ciate the assurance that there is to
be plenty of food for everybody aft
er the present crops are harvested.
Wheat is the cornerstone of the
food structure Of the nonOriental
world, and the supply of it deter
mines largely whether western ma
tons are to be we'll or poorly fed.
Most of the wheat is raised in the
northern hemisphere, and the crop
is at present so far advanced that
reliable estimates of it can be made.
And it is certain the wheat crop is
to be abundant. From Mandalay to
Saskatchewan, from Finland to Col
| orado, the reports are unvaryingly
excellent as the thrashing season
rapidly approaches.
The United States is the greatest
wheat producing country in the
clearly without a rival than before
the war when Russia was an active
competitor in all markets.
The United States is to have a
nearbumper crop. During the five
years that preceded the war period
| the average crop here was 6S7,000,0 ZOO
bushels. During the war, under the
ment and high prices, the average
annual yield was 822,000,000 bushels
The latest forecast of the crop now
being harvested made by the bureau
] of crop estimates, is S10,000,000 bush
els. So it becomes evident that we
are to have a wartime yield to meet
q peace-time need.
The Farmers Make Good
This crpo is a magnificent accom-
| plishment. Throughout the wheat
belt the fields are yielding sturdy
| average acre returns, crops that are
not unusually heavy but are general
! ly good and uniform. Early in the
season there were varying influences
mitigating against a heavy yield,
but conditions have continued to i'm
prove right up to the harvest sea-
son and the forecasts have grown
constantly more optimistic.
The contribution that the United
States will this year be able to make
to the wheat rationipg Of the world
will be 100000 bushels. To this
should be added 150,0o0,000 bushels
held over from last year This is
Rtwice the average holdover as there
were difficulties in transportation
and difficulties in financing Euro
| $50, 100000 bushels on hand.
The normal home consumption of
wheat is 560,O00,000 bushels. Eighty
million bushels must be held to plant
next years crop. Thus we promise
| to have 310,0O0,000 bushels of wheat
as much wheat as our own people
consume. It is q splendid contr1bu-
| ton to the world supply. Before
the war our average export was 105,-
100000, and the average wartime
export was but 240,0O0,000 bushels.
So we are doing handsomely this
year.
In Canada the wheat crop promises
to be better than it has been for
years. Hardy Canadians have been
pushing into the prairies OF the
northwest, around Medicine Hat, Cal
month winters and forty-below tenn
peratures. When crops were gooo,
Profits were large, but there have
been bad seasons. For the past three
years there have been mostly crop
failures, and the suffering has been
| intense. But Canada promises 10
contribute 100000 bushels OF
| wheat for export this year.
In Argentina, where the harVest
season is December and January, the
last crop was fairly good, and there
is still an unsupported Dala march in end
6pril. In Australia it is now winter
and heavy acreages are being seeoeus:
There was a. great accumulation OF
wheat in Australia when the WI
came to an end, because there were
no ships to carry 1t. ro
The latest reports su from T II France
and Spain there are bumper crops
and Prussia reports good y1eaos
| While there is an absence OF lnLoI-
nation from the : rest or germany
thrifty Hun is raising food for his
own use. Czecho-slovakia has a good
| cron Rumania, banner wheat coun-
try of the Balkans, will make flne
showing. Only Italy has a crop dha y
is below the average ana Algeria L.
alone in being rated poor:
FilIing the Empty Barrels
The demand of late has been from
these countries, from the armies
and the unreconstructed peoples tnai
live within their borders. There VII
be more than the normal demand un-
til the flour barrels in all the gro c
homes are filled. But Europe. will
now produce good part OF the ne
wheat that it. uses; and the resi- ,b,I o.
80? In the background of the wheat
sitnation there always turks the
shadow of Russia. The far-reac en-
| ing steppes of that great country
are the only region over wnlcn+ t dn
Iowa can be duplicated a dozen times
to the north of the Black sea.
| The door of exit for wheat from
Russia has been closed for SIX
years. When Turkey took her place
beside Germany, Russian wheat stop
ped coming through the Dardanelles
| When Russia became a land Of cnaos
| the wheat of the plains ceased TO
flow even to Odessa, Moscow and
| Petrograd.
nation as to what has been gong
on in Russia. The country IS 50 VAST
snectiye. It would be unwise to
draw conclusions with relation to the
whole wheat supply from report
on q portion of Ukraine as big as
PENNSYLVANIA, or after taking stock
| in a port like Odessa. When Brit
| stores of wheat in Russia, the fact
must be borne in mind that Britain
is a buyer of wheat and would like
| to drive the price down.
Russia Will be Slow
But it is improbable that the Rus
sian peasant has stopped grow1 nd
lv stores Of it in reserve, but IT the
nations were to resume trade with
Russia today it would be a long
| time before this wheat reached 1ne
market. Odessa would have TO pre-
mare for handling it, the railroads
running into the country would have
70 he re-established, and the iethar-
gic peasant would have to be aroused
70 the chance of disposing or MS
grain. Therefore Russian wheat Will
not figure in the market OF the pres
ent SUMMER. --
OUIPS AND QUIDDlES
1Jarbert Corev tne war correspond