THE UNITED STATES AS A WHEAT COUNTRY.

Temuka Leader, Issue 269, 8 July 1880, Page 3

THE UNITED STATES AS A WHEAT COUNTRY.

A little over thirty years ngo the Springfield RepubHcan notes that giain was' import* d to this country from the Blac- sea. .During the crop year on. which fhe country is just entering, it claims that it is certain that 160,000,000 bushels of wheat" will be exported to b.urope, and the amount may reach 2oo f ooo,ooo bushels. The grain is in this conn'rv ; the only question is ono of demand. The demand last year from Europe was for 159,000,000 bushels ou! of a crop estimated at 420,000,0-. o bushels. The production this year is larger. It is one-fourth larger in Kansas :'in Minnesoca the production this year is-40,00q,000 bushels, a large advance over last year; the gram fields of Southern Ohio show an unprecedented yield : so do those ot lowa ; and 111 Indiana the crop will, in some cases, r ay for the ground on which it stands. *Th« wheat acreage ot the country is put acres an increase one-fifty iifHwo" yeW Te. average yield is placed at .12 bushels an acre ; and thV acreage at 31,00e,000 acres, by Alexander Delmar, who wrote to the Times m the close of July, alt r a trip though tin' wheat fields of the West ending at Ogden. The statistican of the Hew York Produce Exchange puts thaverage yield at from 11 to 16 Irasfaab ; other more sanguine estimates carry it • up to 18 or 14 bushels an acre. The lowest 'estimate yet made places the wop «* 860,000,000, the laigest at J 440f000,c00, and a crop of 420,000,000 may be" reasonably counted upon. This is : 'an increase inteny*ars ot 133,000,000 bushels in the annu-d wheat production of this country, and an increase nearly oqual to the total wheat harvest of 20 years ago. Out of this year's harvest, reckoning the population of this country at 48,500,000 i»rson«, 194,boo,oo» bushels will be needed for consumption and 50,000,000 tor seed, in, mil 344,000,000 ; leaving at the highest < «*tnnate, 197,000,000 for export to which nay be added z 0,000,000 bushels left over 1 from last year's crop. Whether the European demand will be equal to the amount •of surplus wheat in this country is considered by the Republican as doubtful. It will unquestionably equal last year's demand, and the value ot the breadstuff's exported during the coming yetr will probably reach 15u,000,000d015., and may rise to a higher figure. The unknown iqnwrtfty *n the wheat supply of the world is. Russia. Its harvest has Jxxn pronounced far under the average for weeks |jAt, bufcrecentadvices tell a different WtcryV At best, however, nothing more than an average surplus for export is to be expected, 1 it over 5o;ooo,ooo bushels ; •hef, if this is supplemented by the •" tfsual European import 20,000,000 bushels from Roumania, and, 5,000,000 from Canada and Australia, the total wheat supply which Europe is likely to receiv-- from points outside of this country may be placed at 75,000,000. The current deficiency in'Europe is placed at from 225,0p0,6(0 to 275.000,000 bushels The dwiiand in England is clearly Imowny It will amount to about 1X0,090, 00 bushels. The demand in Franc*' can l>e less amuutely < stim.tted . AH Northern Africa i< in a stale of faniinp," or is producing barely enough for its own supply, leaving nothing for export. This cuts off one Fnnch source of sup: ly in Algeria. The .;rop& in northern Italy have failed, and Italy is importing grain already, instead of exporting it, which closes another region from which Pranc# obtains grain. The potato crop in northern France, has generally failed, and the local food supply all over the republic is deficient. It is a low estimate, then, which places the French demand for wheat at 10,600,000 bushels. The re»t of Europe will probably need 75,000,000 more, but uiay need less. The food supply of a -continent is not a thing to Iw easily reduced to figures. Moderate estimates, however, p'.ace the demand at a larger figure than the amount of the probable surplus in this country. It will probably all be needed, but it is not likely that it will be called for at high prices. This is the present oetlook. Very trifl'ng causes may change the existing condition of affairs in favour of high prices. One thing is certain : no crop of wheat ever harvested in this country, will be carrie J to market more cheapl J, srtuT Hone, tfcerelfbtvi, wall leive a larger margin of profit in the "hands of the farmers.—Scientific American.