Democratic Sentinel, Volume 7, Number 40, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 November 1883 — GRAIN-GROWING COUNTRIES. [ARTICLE]

GRAIN-GROWING COUNTRIES.

Interesting Report by the United States Consul at Copenhagen. The Grain-Producing and Grain-Con-suming Countries of the World. Henry B. Snyder, United States Consul at Copenhagen, has submitted to the Department of State at Washington, a very interesting report on the grain-producing and grainconsuming countries. He says that by dividing these countries under the category of grain-exporting and grain-importing places, and putting them in their order according to the relative extent of their supplies for export, or. again for the magnitude of their retirements, he (obtains the two following lists: First, as grain-exporting lands—The United States, Russia, Austria-Hungary, the Danubian Provinces, British East Indies, Demark, Algiers, Australia, Egypt, Spain, Canada, Chill and Sweden. As grain-import-ing lands—Great Britain, France, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, Holland, Italy, Norway, Portugal and Greeoe. On the list of grain-exporting lands the United States ranks pre-eminently first and foremost. Not so many years have elapsed since Russia occupied this position, and, in 1877, these two countries were about on an equal footing, but In the later years the United States has largely surpassed Russia. These large supplies from the United States naturally had great Influence upon the European grain markets, and the severe crisis, which the farming interests in so many pacts of Europe are now passing through, is doubtless due to this severe competition. Many writers on thifi side of the water seem to be of the opinion that the culminating point has now been reached, that the virgin soils of the Western States will shortly he exhausted, and that with a largely Increasing population in the States, and with a called-for use of artificial manures on the soil, the expert surplus will be diminished and the cost of production so much augmented that European farmers will not long have to contend against this formidable competition. These views, in his opinion, will scarcely he realized. There is still in our Western States an enormous area of fertile virgin soil ready to be brought under the plow by annually-in-creasing immigration, and it Is more likely that the culminating point may only be looked for In a very remote future. The constantly-increasing competition of the United States, combined with the political disturbances in the Balkan peninsula, and the bad harvests of 1879 and 1880, have conduced in a great measure to lessen the influence of Russian supplies on the world’s grain markets. Austria-Hungary is likewise mainly an agricultural land, and, with its fertile soil and not overdense population, will doubtless for a long time be able to rank among the grain-exporting countries. Until a few years back attention in the British East Indian territory was mostly concentrated on tbe production of rice, other cereals being cultivated to a very slight extent; but since 1871 the cultivation and export of Indian wheat has laigely increased. In England attention is now being strongly directed to the furtherance of all possible means, through an improved transport system, either of canal or railways, to an increased cultivation of wheat, so that eventually India may be in a position to compete with the United States on the European grain markets. The grain production of Australia floes not appear to have made such progress as was expected. Wheat alone is shown to yield a surplus of any consequence for export. These export%go to England, which in 1880 received about 1,000,000 quarters, the largest quantity yet reached. Egypt, which in remote ages was the most important of agricultural lands, has still her natural resources; but the disastrous tax system prevents all developments of agriculture, which is mainly of wheat, and scarcely exceeds 500,000 quarters. GRAIN-IMPORTING COUNTRIES. Turning next to the list of grain-importing lands, it will be seen that Great Britain stands prominently forward in the first rank at a pace increasing year by year, and due to three causes, namely: The large annual increase of population, that more bread is now consumed by the people than formerly, and, lastly, that wheat owing to unremunerative prices, is yearly reduced, the wheat lands being either sown with other cereals, or else turned into pasture land. Even with the most favored harvests, the home crops do not afford more than six months’ supply, and the remainder has to be looked for in importation; but still, with these large imports, the price of wheat is less now than when England depended mainly upon her home supplies in former times, and England is probably less exposed at the present day to danger of suffering from dearth than in the days of its home supplies. In France, although the yield of crops has increased during the last fllty years, still it is only in exceptionally good harvest years that the home supply is sufficient for its own requirements, and during the. last three unfavorable seasons a heavy importation has been required. These imports are chiefly obtained from Russia and the United States. In Germany, where agriculture may be considered as of a high standard, even this country is unable to support its population with breadstuffs from its own supplies. These supplies were in the first instance entirely obtained from Russia, but now they are likewise received from Hungary.