Evening star., 1936-09-13
BY BLAIR BOLLES.

VI Oil lllC dOOuU IllC
drought, 1886 is the best domestic
wheat year since the markets were
glutted in 1882, before agricultural
adjustment. Wheat is the primary
food of the world, and the revelation
by last weeks report that 630,241 900
bushels of it have come or will come
out of the Nations fields this harvest
means the population will be far from
starvation.
But even so, according to the A. A.
A., we are no longer dependent upon
wheat for food as we once were. Con-
sumption has slumped per capita in
this country from 226 pounds of
wheat -four in 1879 to 176 pounds
today. For food stock-feed and seed
ing, Americas wheat need is about
600,000000 bushels year.
Ten years ago, when world markets
still existed for the United States
crop, this country produced 833 3,544,-
900 bushels. Exports amounted to
219, 100000 bushels. The farm value
was S1,014OOO,OOO. The farm value
in 1886 might hit 5O,0OO.000 and
exports may run around 25,000,00o
bushels. Between the two extremes
of 1925 and 1886 lies an era of de-
preston and the story of the changes
decade brings.
It's All Gamble.
The vagaries of making living in
wheat growing are reflected in the
unpredictable variation in production
and income. In 1915, for instance,
when the warning countries abroad
were crying for wheat they could not
produce themselves, the output reached
1,O08, 100000 bushels, but the value to
the farmer was only S968,800, 900.
Four years later output was 952,097.-
600 bushels and yet income was
$2,0590 100000.
In 25 years production has f1uctu-
ated from 496, ,92s 900 bushels to L.
0O8,637, 900 bushels. Price has ranged
from 36 cents to $2.16, average yield
per acre from II bushels to Is bushels,
farm value from 1888, ,750,0 900 to ST.
O59,O00,00O Exports vary from $685.
$4,000 to 81 ,532 bushels, imports from
72S,OOO to 57,682,O00 bushels.
About 100000 farmers are totally
or partially dependent upon wheat.
1t supports whole States in the Mid
die Northwest. Chicago is deeply in
debted to wheat for its position as the
second city of the United States.
Railroads pushed over the Western
plains became rich off wheat. Ship
ping lines on the Great Lakes and
even on the oceans declared dividends
because they carried millions of BUSH
els of wheat.
Is World Commodity.
What happens to wheat, then, Is
vitality important to many persons
aside from those whose interest in
the grain lies solely in the fact that
from it bread is made. Next to gold,
it is the great international commod-
ity. 1t gives a uniformity to the
eating habits of the world. Even
China, the globes rice country, plants
46 100000 acres in wheat, according
to the Yearbook of Agriculture for
1896.
The primary problem of wheat.
after it is established that produc-
ton will be great enough to satisfy
the cravings of the collective ma
tional stomach, is its effect on the
world market. In recent years most
of the so wheat-producing nations
have developed a strictly nationalistic
viewpoint about the grain. Raising
the tariff wall was the theory.
Sixteen years ago the United States
hiked its wheat acreage to meet the
demands of Europe, where 10000, 900
acres had been taken from produc-
tion because Of the war. BY the end
of the last decade, however, these
acres were once more yellow with
grain. Around Spain, France, Italy,
Austria, Germany and Czechoslovakia
went the duty wall. The United
States produced thousands of BUSH
els for which it had no use. Calam-
ity was at hand, and its name was
carry-over-bushels from one crop
year held in storage into the next
crop year and keeping down the
price.
No Carryover Threat.
Now, at last, the excessive carry
over seems likely to be done away
with. The drought is in some meas
ure responsible. The agricultural ad-
justment crop-reduction program
sought to equalize output and con-
sumption. From the unprecedented
total of 393, ,407 900 bushels after the
1882 harvest, carryover has fallen to
little more than 100,000,000 bushels,
which is near normal.
And from all over the world yester-
day came news Of Joy for the Amer
ican wheat farmer, wheat trader and
wheat exporter. France and Great
Britain report adverse crops. Moist
ure conditions are unfavorable In the
Argentine. The outlook In Australia
is unsatisfactory. The Chicago mar
ket il huoyant and the Liverpool mar