The Worlds Wheat Production.

Te Aroha News, Volume V, Issue 245, 10 March 1888, Page 5

The Worlds Wheat Production.

Some very interesting facts have been set out on this subject by the English Agricultural Gazette, which has been showing, in a series of diagrams, that, taking the whole wheat producing areas of the globe, the quantity grown of this grain is being slightly reduced everywhere. Referring to this information, the English correspondent ■of the Melbourne A r<jm writes: — The facts adduced are most important, giving as they do a perfect picture of the wheat trado from 1870 to 1886, both years inclusive. In 1870 we imported into the United Kingdom 30,000,000cwb of wheat, and this amount increased by leaps and bounds until, in 1882, ■ureiniported no less than64,ooo,ooocwt. The descent from this has been rapid, and in iBB6 we only imported 47,500,000e\vt. America sends us a lar larger quantity than any other country, and here tho drop has been great. In 1870 that country sent us 12,000,000cwt, and this increased so much that in the years 1878 to 1882 the amounts rose to 36,000,000cvvt per annum. In 1886 the quantity had again dropped to a fraction over 24,000,OOQc\vt. Russia also shows a diminution in her supplies. In 1870 she sent us 13,000,000cwt, and this rose to 17,500,000cwt in 1872, and dropped to 5,000,000cwt in 1874. In 1883 she sent us 13,000,000cwt, and in 1886 3,500,000cwt. British India is the only place that does not show a striking decrease during the past two or three years. In 1874 she «ent us 2,000, 000cwb, and, after various fluctuations, this went up to 12,250,000cwt in 1885, this again being reduced to 41,000,000cwt in 1886. Australia sent us I,ooo, oooc wt in 1880, and this increased to it little over 5,000,000cwt in 1885. In 1886 -at dropped to 1,500,000cwt. The whole of these figures show how effectually low prices are bringing about a reduction in the world's production of wheat, and so effecting their own cure. The news of the large deficit in the American maize crop and the shortness of the visible supply also point to the fact that tho present low prices cannot long continue. Estimates of the American maize crop have been growing smaller month by month, until the November report of the Department of Agriculture has comedown to 1,453,000,000 bushels. Sir James Caird estimates that ■a deficiency of 43,000,000 quarters has been caused by the drought. Compared with a maximum crop, indicated by appearances in July, the deficiency is more than that ; yet it is nob thought that there will be any considerable advance in price, as there are large stocks from previous years' crops, and we are receiving large supplies of maize this year from tho Argentine Republic.