374 



EEPOET OP THE COMMISSIONER OF AGRICULTURE. 



rate, except for the year 1881, when a fourth of a bushel was deducted 

 for lessened consumption under scarcity and high prices : 



Tears. 



Prodnotlo!!. 



Tor food. 



For seed. 



Exportatioia. 



Total distribu- 

 tiou. 



1S77* 



lf>78 •... 



]o79 



1.S80 



]t!81 



1882 



1883 ;. 



1884 



Total 



Avorage.... 



Bushelt. 

 364, 194, 146 

 420, 122, 400 

 459. 479, 50.") 

 498, 549, 868 

 383; 280, 090 

 604,185,470 

 421, 08C, 160 

 512, 703, BOO 



Buthelt. 



223, 302, 383 

 228, 877, 978 

 236,182,103 

 242, 086, 655 

 235, 249, 812 

 255, 500, 000 

 259, 500, 000 

 265, 000, 000 



Btuhelt. 

 40, 913, 308 

 48, 162, 840 

 53, 145, 076 

 56, 563, 530 

 55, 215, 573 

 52, 770, 812 

 54, 683, 389 

 55, 266, 230 



Bushels. 

 00,167,950 

 147, 687, 640 

 180, 304, 180 

 186,321,214 

 121, 892. 389 

 147,811,316 

 111, 534, 182 

 132, 570, 367 



Bushels: 

 :>'.!, :^83. 

 4-J4. 7-.N, 



•I^^,'.I7I. 



456,1^1. 

 425,717, 

 452, HiJtJ, 



4ti7 





3, 563, 061, 539 



1, 045, 698, 931 



416, 720, 267 



1, 118, 289, 250 



3, 4S0, 70H, 454 



445, 457, 692 



243, 212, 366 



52, 090, 034 



139, 780, 157 



435, 088, 557 



* It ehoold be onderBtood that tho exportation flgures here given are those of 1877-78, from July 

 1, 1877, to Jnne 30, 1878, those exports oeing derived tdmost eotirely from the crop harvested iu 1877. 

 So ■with other ynars. Inexx>erionced handlers of these flfnres frequently confti.xe these facts. For 

 bistanoe, itLaa been ropoatodly stated that 186,321,214 bu.shels was tho quantity esjiortcd from the 

 very small crop of 1881, 383,280,090 bushela, when, iu fact, the export from that crop was 121,892,389 

 bushels, a redaction of 60,000,000 bnshela. 



The total distribution of eight years on this basis is only 83,000,000 

 less than the aggregate of the annual estimates for the same period. 

 The minimum surplus on hand at the end of a crop year, visible and in- 

 visible, is rarely less than 50,000,000, and tho maximum is seldom much 

 over 100,000,000. The surplus in 1885 is much larger than that on hand 

 at the commencement of the period in 1877, probably as much as 

 100,000,000, or 60,000,000 more than at the beginning of tho period of 

 eight years, accounting for all of the difierence between production and 

 distribution except 33,000,000 bushels, a barely sufficient allowance for 

 losses by fire, shipwreck, and a small amount fed or used in manufactures. 

 K consumption, therefore, requires a barrel of floui- per annum to each 

 inhabitant, as an average, though the quantity varies in different parts of 

 the country, there is not a bushel of excess in these estimates of produc- 

 tion. Not a bushel is allowed for spirits or other manufacturing uses, 

 or for feeding of domestic animals. The estimates are therefore con- 

 servative, too low rather than too high ; and any lower estimates would 

 utterly fail to account for the facts of distribution. 



PEODUCTION Am> EXPORTATION. 



The production of ten years, 1870 to 1879, inclusive, averaged 312,- 

 152,728 bushels, incluuing flour as wheat. The increase was abnor- 

 mally rapid during this period, under the pressure of the exceptional 

 European demand of its later years. T^e average annual exportation 

 was 84,592,377 bushels, the last year of the period showing nearly 

 double the annual average for the ten years. During the succeed in >,^ 

 live years, 1880 to 1884, inclusive, the averugc exportation wns l.iiger 

 by 48.6 per cent., the volume reaching the higii ligurc of 140,025.954 

 bushels. The production for this period averages 463,973,098 bushels. 

 The accompanying diagram illustrates this great advance. 



EFFECT OF PRODUCT ON PRICE. 



Diagram IV illustrates the operation of the law of supply and de- 

 mand, by comparing the yield per acre (which represents substantially 

 the supply) with the farta value per bushel of the crop of each year 

 from 1880 to 1886, inclusive. It is curious as well as suggestive. As 

 the supply is increased the price falls, with prompt obedience to the 



