People's Pilot, Volume 6, Number 24, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 December 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 GreaS Staples of Food Products—The Harvest of 1896 Was Over 185,000,000 Bushels Bess Than That of 1895. The consular reports of the world’s wheat crop for 1896, just issued, is very interesting at this time because of the recent spectacular jumps made by wheat in the stock market and the reports of the approaching famine in India. Following are extraots 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: 1886. 1886. Hungarian ministry Bushels. Bushels. of agriculture 2,606,784,000 2.866,886,000 Parisian Eoho Agricole 2,554,822,188 2,883,802,000 English Grain Trading Journal of Dornbusch. 2,670,683,880 2,420,106,886 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 f6r 1896, in comparison with the preceding year, is below the average anfc considerably less' satisfactory in quality as well as in quantity. The late and exceedingly cold spring had a bad effect on crops, and the drought spoiled the crops in Europe—to a great extent in southern Russia, but in Spain and Portugal espeoially. As to the transatlantic countries of the southern hemisphere, in which 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 raiq during the harvest bad a bad effect on the last crop of wheat in the Argentine Republic, Uruguay and Chile, while the drougfat’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 • 1896 and the first months of 1896. The greater part of the small surplus in these countries enteied the international market long ago and was ronsnmed during the second half of the last campaign, bnt in view of the fact 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 insufficiency of information concerning the outlook for the future harvest the report of the present campaign for these countries has been made according to she figures of the last harvest. Ikon, figures sent in by different consuls it is seen that, in general, the harvest of 1896 decreased 186,486,642 bushels as oompared with the harvest of 1895. The harvest in the United States, Canada, Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Australia and the East Indies shows a viecrease of 165,892,959 bushels. Of the European producing countries, only Rus.-j a shows a largeTdecrease —s6,s7s,467 bushels. The countries of consumption harvested 87,205,128 bp she Is more than last year. Only Spain afd Portugal among them had a bad crop. France harvested this year nearly* as mnch 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 tho United States, Russia, the East Indies, Austria-Hpngary, Argentina and Germany, the principal cause of which was the extremely low prices the last three campaigns. The information concerning the other cereals and grasses is very poor and of such indefinite character 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 154,765,714 bushels. Here the decrease 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 compensated this year by a good harvest of fodder grasses, except maize, which promises a good yield. A decrease oompared 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 at Europe, but this decrease is not of such significance as that of wheat and rye.