2 POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



under her conventional tariff 84.3 cents the quintal. Norway and 

 Sweden, although both are dependent upon foreign supplies of wheat, 

 pursue different policies. Norway levies a merely nominal duty of 

 sixteen cents a quintal, but Sweden, importing a much larger quan- 

 tity, collects one dollar a quintal. Switzerland, being in the same 

 condition of dependence on imports, has a duty of only six cents a 

 quintal, a purely revenue duty. Spain, a large importer, has framed 

 a tariff on agricultural imports, particularly burdensome on wheat, 

 the duty, both general and conventional, being two dollars per quin- 

 tal. In the last year this high duty has brought increased revenue to 

 the Spanish treasury, because the home supplies were deficient, and 

 heavy importations necessitated. Italy, also a large importer, and a 

 state whose treasury is in difficulties, imposes nearly as high a duty 

 on wheat as Spain — one dollar and forty-five cents a quintal. 



There are five countries in Europe producing an excess of wheat 

 beyond their own needs: Kussia, Hungary, Roumania, Bulgaria, 

 and Servia. All these countries combined, it has been estimated, 

 have in an ordinary year a surplus product of 26,500,000 hectolitres 

 (75,000,000 bushels) available for export, or only what would make 

 good the needs of Belgium, Switzerland, Holland, and the Scan- 

 dinavian countries, leaving unsatisfied the far larger wants of the 

 great consumers of wheat — the United Kingdom, France, Germany, 

 Austria, and Italy — whose combined demand is placed at 152,000,- 

 000 hectolitres (430,700,000 bushels) beyond their own produc- 

 tion. Even in the best of years Europe, then, is not self-sufficient 

 in wheat. 



Merely to compare supply and demand will not give a proper 

 idea of the importance of the wheat question to Europe. Erom the 

 measures of two of the leading commercial nations — France and 

 Germany — the political aspect is made clear. To be supplied as far 

 as is possible from their own production is the aim of their states- 

 men, and the problem of accomplishing this end has been enormously 

 complicated by the rise of wheat-growing countries over the sea. 

 Instead of accepting the situation as England did, and welcoming 

 supplies of the highest grades of food produced at a very low cost, 

 France and Germany have sought to neutralize this outside competi- 

 tion by customs duties more or less protective in their effect. As 

 these duties were intended to quiet political restlessness at home, the 

 non-economic aspects are important. Indeed, agrarianism in these 

 two countries suggests silver and prohibitive duties rather than a 

 movement to improve the condition of the farming population. 



The economic position of France is peculiar. It is the land of the 

 small proprietor, and in no neighboring country has the division of 

 land {-petit morcellement) been carried so far. It claims to be agri- 



