Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 36, Number 112, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 September 1904 — WHEAT CROP HIT HARD. [ARTICLE]

WHEAT CROP HIT HARD.

Government - Report Shorn a Loss of 150,000,000 Bushels Since July 1. The wheat-crop this year.is 115,000,000 bushels less than that of last year, and from 115,000,000 to 150,000,000 bushels less than estimated two months ago. The government, crop report says that spring wheat has fallen away to the extent of 63,000,000 bushels since the report made on Aug. 1. The winter wheat crop Is unchanged, but the loss here occurred previously. Two months ago there were various estimates on the total , wheat crop—spring and winter—and the government figures of 638,000,000 bushels, exactly the same as last year’s crop, were Ipwer than that Of the grain trade, which said 675,000,000. Splitting the difference, one may say that the shrinkage in two months may have reached 150,000,000 bushels. But, using the government’s figures as a basis, the falling off in the last two months has been at least 115.000,000 bushels. Approximately 30,000,000 bushels of this loss was to the winter wheat crop, which suffered from floods during harvest time in Kansas and Nebraska. The remainder of the loss of 85,000,000 bushels was doubtless due to black rust and to blight spring wheat States of the Northwest. The report is sensational in that it puts the United States directly in the balance as between an exporting and an importing nation. If the per capita consumption in this country were as great as in France there would be no doubt that this nation had passed definitely for the year out of the exporting column. The latest estimates on this score, however, put the average in the United States at 5.25 bushels. On a population Of 85,000,000 our bread alone would use up wheat to the amount of 446,250,000 bushels, and the seed requirements are estimated at 75,000,000 bushels more. These items aggregate 526,250,000 bushels, leaving nothing at all for warehouse and mill reserves or to carry over until next crop. Taking wheat and corn as the staple grain for comparative purposes, the following figures in the last fourteen years will be interesting: Wheat, bu. Corn, bu. 1004 .523,400,000 2,327.350,000 1003 638,000,000 2,244,000,000 1902 670.000,b00 2.524,(KM),000 1901 748,000,000 1,523,000,000 1900 522,000,000 2.105,000.000 1899 547,000,000 2,078,000,000 1898 675,000,000 1,924,000.000 1897 530,000,000 1,902,000.000 1896 428,000,000 2,283.000,000 1895 467,000,000 2,151,000,000 1894 460,000,000 1,212,000,000 1893............396,000,000 1,619,000,000 1892 516,000,000 1,628,000,000 1891 612,000,000 2,060,000,000 1890 399,000,000 1,489,000,000 The following table shows for each of the States having 1,000,000 acres or upward In corn, the condition on Sept. 1 in each of the last three years and that on Aug. 1, 1904, with the ten-year September average: TenSept.l, Aug.l, Sept.l, Sept.l, year 1904. 1904. 1903. 1902. aver. Illinois ... 86 89 77 94 84 lowa 85 87 67 91 79 Kansas ... 68 70 72 91 68 Nebraska.. 87 88 80 101 70 Missouri .. 7-f 74 76 102 80 Texas .... 86 89 91 37 75 Indiana ... 80 91 76 99 87 Georgia ... 81 89 89 66 87 Tennessee. .90 96 91 72 83 Kentucky . 89 95 81 82 84 Ohio 78 86 67 93 84 Alabama ~ 93 93 99 54 84 N. Carolina 96 96 86 88 87 Arkansas .. 87 91 90 90 79 Mississippi. 92 95 98 60 81 Virginia .. 98 97 88 84 87 S. Carolina 91 93 83 81 83 S. Dakota. 80 86 89 78 75 I. Territory 92 93 84 88 86 Oklahoma .87 89 72 80 62 Wisconsin. 78 84 72 83 84 Pennsylv’a. 94 90 79 IX) 86 Minnesota. 80 80 73 89 85 Louisiana. 87 90 99 61 85 Michigan.. 73 75 79 70 82 U. S ....84.6 87.3 80.1 84.3 79.®