DEFICIENCY IN THE INDIAN CORN CROP.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1683, 7 January 1888, Page 2

DEFICIENCY IN THE INDIAN CORN CROP.

The Times prints the following important letter from Sir James Oaird, the eminent authority on agricultural statistics:— I have not observed any public notice of a huge deficit in this season’s Indian corn crop in the United States of America, referred to in the September Report of the Crops by the Department of Agriculture there, and fully confirmed by the October Report of 12th ult., which reached me two days ago. It was caused by a serious drought, which for more than a month affected a very broad and fertile district which usually con* tributes about three-fourths of the product of the country, and which has this season experienced a failure greater than Any heretofore reported to the department. The reduction of crop thereby caused is reckoned by the Department at upwards of 43.000. quarters. This loss is 8.000. quarters greater than last year’s produce of all cereals in the United Kingdom. It is a loss of food many times greater than that of any Indian famine of recent times. The American wheat crop is considered slightly deficient in yield, but . that will be fully compensated by an iocreased acreage. Of the potato: .crop it is said: “ The probabilities are that ife* will be the least ever reported.” But the acreage of potatoes is only one-sixtieth of that of the whole of the American cereal crops, so that a. 'considerable deficiency in potatoes will be of comparatively small importance, although, so far as it goes, it will aggravate the loss of corn, heavy deficiency of the Indian corn crop will leave little for export from the United States if the average, home consumption is maintained. The price in that country will probably rise considerably, and the coat of feeding all animals through the winter there will bo largely increased. And this can hardly fail to stiffen the price of all other kinds of food products in that country and this. As the. Department of Agriculture in Washington sent me a copy of their monthly reports, I have felt it a duty to ask you to allow me to place before the public information of so grave a character.”