People's Pilot, Volume 6, Number 22, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 November 1896 — WHEAT CROP OF 1896. [ARTICLE]

WHEAT CROP OF 1896.

THE GOVERNMENT REPORT OF THE WORLD’S HARVEST. An Interesting Report of One of the Grant Staples of Food Products—The Harvest of 1896 Was Over 188,000,000 Bushels Less Than That of 1808. The consular reports of the world's wheat orop for 1896, just issued, is very interesting at this time because of the recent spectaoular jumps made by wheat in the stoek market and the reports of the approaching famine in India. Following are extracts from It: The result of the last wheat harvest, although completed in some countries, cannot be ascertained precisely as yet So far three estimates concerning the harvest of 1896 have been published, namely: 1895. 1898. Hungarian ministry Bushels. Bushels. of agriculture 2,609,784.000 2,866,838,000 Parisian Echo Agrioole 2,664.822,183 2,883,890,000 English Grain Trading Journal of Dornbusch 2,579,688,868 2,420,106,888 It must be stated, however, that in all these reports, as well as in the following tables, the figures for Russia are only preliminary and approximate. According to the reports, the world’s harvest of wheat for 1896, in comparison with the preceding year, is below the average and considerably less satisfactory in quality as well as in quantity. The late and exceedingly oold spring had a bad effeot on crops, and the drought spoiled the crops in Europe—to a great extent in southern Russia, but in Spain and Portugal especially. As to the transatlantic countries of the southern hemisphere, in whioh grain ripens in December to February, the conditions for the growth of wheat were also unsatisfactory. The drought during the first period of the growth of cereals and the continual rain daring the harvest had a bad effeot on the last orop of wheat in the Argentine Republic, Uruguay and Chile, while the drought also damaged to a great extent the crops of East India and Australia. This information, of course, refers to the harvest gathered in those countries during the last days of 1895 and the first months of 1896. The greater part of the small surplus in these countries entered the international market long ago and was consumed during the seoond half of the last campaign, bnt in view of the faot that the new grain from these countries will not enter the European markets before the second half of the present campaign and owing to the insnffloienoy of information con erning the outlook for the future hurvess the report of the present campaign for these countries has been made according to the figures of the last harvest. From figures sent in by different consols it is seen that, in general, the harvest of 1896 decreased bushels as oompared with the harvest of 1895. The harvest in the United St ates, Canada, Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Australia and the East Indies shows a decrease of 165,892,959 bushels. Of the European producing countries, only Russia shows a large decrease—s6,s7s,467 bushels. The countries of consumption harvested 87,206,128 bushels more than last year. Only Spain and Portugal among them had a bad orop. France harvested this year nearly as much as last year. An increase compared with last year is to be observed only in Italy and Great Britain. The decrease of this year’s harvest is due also to the decrease in the wheat acreage. Already, last year, in nearly all the large wheat growing countries the area under this cereal had greatly decreased. The great decrease took place in the United States, Russia, the East Indies, Austria-Hnngary, Argentina and Germany, the principal canse of whioh was the extremely low prices the last three campaigns. The information concerning the other cereals and grasses is very poor and of such indefinite charaoter that any estimate, even approximate, is impossible. In general it may be said that the decrease in the rye harvest is still greater than that in wheat. The Hungarian ministry of agriculture estimates it at 164,765,714 bnshels. Here the deorease falls mainly upon the exporting countries, especially Russia. Of the other countries, Austria-Hungary has scarcely an average harvest—a little below last year’s. The bad harvest of breadstuffs is not oompensated this year by a good harvest of fodder grasses, exoept maize, which promises a good yield. A deorease compared with last year’s harvest of oats and barley is very probable in the* principal countries of production in Europe and in the United States and also in the importing countries of Europe, bnt this decrease is not of suoh significance as that of wheat and rye.