People's Pilot, Volume 3, Number 10, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 25 August 1893 — HOPE FOR THE FARMER. [ARTICLE]

HOPE FOR THE FARMER.

Ikt American Review* the ' Crop Situation— An Encouraging Show- ! log—Price* Should Go Up. New York, Aug. 51. —The following ; i* a summary of the American Agri- I cnltnrist’s annual review of the crop ! situation and of the agricultural year: : The harvest of 1803 In the United States ia in many respect* similar to that of three year* ago. but with every prosptfet that home consumption and an increased foreign demand will so advance values as to yield *s large a net return to farmers ad on the average of recent years. Indeed, the review makes a distinctly encouraging exhibit in spite of the prevalent drought, though admitting that the financial stringency may interfere with the early movement of crops and have a temporary restrictive Influence on prices. The cotton crop will be harvested on fewer acres than last year. As large or a larger breadth was planted to this staple, bnt the Inability of many planters to borrow money enough to work the crop, together with drought, floods and worms, and the still greater difficulty of getting money for picking combine to seriously curtail production. Au! gust indications point to a crop not exoeeding 7,500,000 bales, with favorable weather, and very much less than that if Insects and climate continue unfavorable. The American Agriculturist believes present dullness in American cotton manufacturing to be only temporary, for there Is a scarcity rather than a surplus of staple and desirable goods and mills are already starting up to fill orders with every prospect of being crowded to supply the domestic demand for the ensuing six months. English mills cleaned up their surplus during the great strike last year and are now enjoying remarkable prosperity and are unable to meet the export demand. This explains why cotton commands the prices current two years ago at this date, though the world's visible supply Is some 1,500,000 bale* more now than then. With a short crop consumption will require more than this excess, with a consequent advance In values. Present indications point to a crop of 1,750,000,000 bushels of corn, contrasted with 1,690,000,000 last year and over 2,000,000,000 bushels In the Immense yield of two seasons previous. But unless abundant ralar prevail throughout tho corn belt in August, followed by mild weather, production pay shrink to 1,600,000,. 000 bushels, and may even drop to the size of the 1890 crop, when we harvested less than any year for a decade, with a single exoeptlon The review poinis out that while the area of corn is some 2,000,000 of acres greater than last year, in the seven corn-supply states over 1,000,000 less acres are devoted to maize than was the case two years ago.

The wheat crop will not exceed 443.000,000 bushels, according to the American Agriculturist’s own reports and its interpretations of government returns, compared with 614.003,000 as the average for the two last seasons and 400,000,000 bushels In 189 a Nearly 2,500,000 less acres were devoted to wheat than last year, and the bulk of this decrease was In the surplus states, which hid fair to have 78,000,000 fewer busfcels than last year and 125,000,000 bushels under the surplus states’ product of 1891. Available supplies of old wheat are 40,000,000 bushels greater than a twelve-month since, blit even allowing that farmers also hold 17,000,* 000 bushels more old wheat now than then, the total supplies for the ensuing year are only 500,000,000 bushels, or 117,000,000 less than the average of the two previous crops. Our homo consumption has averaged 365,000,000 bushels annually, leaving an apparent export surplus of 135.000,000 bushels, against exports last year of 192.000,000 and the season before of 295,000,000. This year's acreage of oats was never exceeded except In 1889, when over 750,000,000 bushels were grown on 27,460,000 acres, compared with 620,000,000 bushels on a slightly smaller acreage this season. This is within 40,000,000 bushels of last year’s outturn and just about an average of the previous three crops.

The usual quantity of rye, buckwheat and barley will be garnered. The supply of hay (over 83,000,000 tons) and other forage is abundant, though mill feed and cotton seed meal may he higher than last winter. The serious reduction in the supply of live stock is reflected in reduced arrivals at our domestic markets and decreased exports during the last seven months, with a very fair tendency to values. Much stock in Europe is being slaughtered because of drought, and later on the export demand is likely to be large. Butter, cheese and milk have been in only ordinary supply owing to the reduced number of eowa Stocks are light and dairy interests were never in better shape for a profitable winter.

The American Agriculturist notes an increased domestic crop of sugar, but a shortage in the world’s production of 300,000 long tons of sugar; but “prices are more likely to be affected by changes in legislation than by changes in production.” A reduced yield of heavy leaf and plug tobacco is assured and the oigar leaf crop of the Connecticut and Housatonic valleys has been curtailed by drought and bail. An advance in prices is predicted. Hops will make a fair average yield in the United states, but are only half to two-thirds of a full crop In Germany, and with a light yield In England the export demand will take at good prices every bale of American hops that can be spared. Potatoes have felt the drought and about 165,000,000 bushels are looked for—slightly more than last year, compared with 215,000,000 in the bountiful crop of two years ago. Reviewing the financial situatien from the farmers’ standpoint, the American, Agriculturist concludes that “the prospect for prices in the early future depends more upon the monetary situation than upon natural conditions, all of which point to causes that should result in higher prices. ” Stocks abroad are not materially larger than a year ago, so that the excess of 50,000,000 bushels in the United States stocks of old wheat : still leaves an indicated shortage in the bread crop of the world of 100,000,000 bushels of wheat. With no extra surplus of tha bread crops, and an assured deficit of wheat, the United States is likely to be called upon to export as much wheat as last year, if not more. Indeed exports have been much heavier since July 1 than last season. “The conclusion is justifiable that present prices of all grains are abnormally low, as there is little evidence of our ability to spare as much wheat as Europe wants, unless a large under consumption prevails in the United States.” The hay crop is believed to represent a value to the farmers of 11,000,000,000. Corn at 45 cents a bushel comes next with a total of $725,000,000, followed by wheat valued at S3G<HOOO,000, If worth 60 cents a bushel, and by oats worth $185,000,000, if valued at 30 cents on the farm. Potatoes promise to net an average of 70 or 75 cents a bushel or a total of $125,600,000. This last is about one-half the prospective value of the cotton crop of 1893, reckoned at SH a bale.