OLN sat 
570 ~~ REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF AGRICULTURE. 
‘ 
ets, THE WORLD'S WHEAT SURPLUS. 
_-—-« Buyers and sellers of wheat are in continual doubt and difficulty 9 © 
‘ as to the effect of good and bad crops and increase or decrease of 
area, It has more than once happened that prices have been high 
when our crop has been large, and low when the product has been | 
small. The cause is no mystery; the law of supply and demand has 
- not been violated, but price has conformed strictly to the supply of © ~ 
- the world. Hence the size of our own crop is of no especial conse- 
+ quence except as a factor of the aggregate supply. This country ~ 
- produces more than one-fifth of the wheat of the world; Europe — 
more than half, and the entire deficiency of the world, not mention- 
ing unconsidered trifles which commerce carries to a few wheat- 
eating people in distant ports, is found in western Kurope, mostly 
in Great Britain. : 
Z An analysis of the official statistics of Great Britain shows where ‘ 
needed wheat has been obtained, and in what proportion: each coun- ; 
try is a factor. It will perhaps surprise many to learn that for this — 
“. - period, from 1872 to 1884, inclusive, the United States has furnished 
dn grain and flour 51.1 per cent., more than one-half of the whole, 
and for the sixteenth year, 1887, the proportion has increased to 62.7 
percent. Russia in fifteen years averaged 13.6 per cent. of the whole, 
and for the year 1887 only 7.1 per cent. India contributed an aver- 
age of 7.9 per cent., and for the year closing 10.9 per cent., which is 
. the smallest percentage in the last five years, and a very sharp de- 
cline from the previous year in absolute quantity. Australasia is 
quite fluctuating in its contribution, averaging 3.9 per cent. for fif- 
teen years and 1.7 per cent. the sixteenth, sending less than a million 
hundredweights one year and five millions another season. These 
three competitors of the United States have together furnished only 
25.4 per cent., less than half as much, during fifteen years, and a 
much smaller proportion the past year. ’ . 
. The following table shows the proportion sent by the four main | 
sources of supply, the remainder, though aggregating nearly as much 
as Russia, India, and Australasia together, gathered from many 
countries of Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas : 
| i 
| | 
United British oo Australa- | All other | 
Years. States. | India. Rusela. sia. countries. | Total. 
—_ — tt j 
i 
Cut. Cut. Cut. Ort. Ciek: Cwt. 
: TNS pk oN Mirage Si aa ae 9. 634, 349 161,915 | 17,938,977 556,180 | 19,321,475 | 47,612,896 
Bie Aah 2 aRierscvscagsie ne hedge F 21,775, 110 741,350 | 9, 693, 997 2,091,504 | 17.32 236 | 51,631,197 
hey Hee ieee AN UIe es Rep ere 27,206,052 | 1,074,390 5,798, 976 1,156,599 | 14,086,676 | 49,322, 693 
Ie R ORES Bimeiacte dee ces ee 26,372,151 | 1,334,374 | 10, 157,847 1, 265,747 | 20,416,502 | 59,546, 621 
TSG ae dete shake, waciae ys tae 22, 223,403 | 8,296,575 | 8,911,788 2,842,200 | 14,630,467 | 51,904,433 
AS (Ree Pee SE Seles Sete 23,594,005 | 6,106,079 | 11,003, 917 451,102 | 22,336,326 | 63,491,429 
ASTRA subir se oe tare .| 33,588,160 | 1,820,881 4, 150, 151 1,561,006 | 13,571,385 | 59,691,583 
PAROLE ee ead ORO eae 44,619,619 | 889,531 | 8,117,485 2,294,653 | 17,080,822 | 73,002,110 
LSSOEE Coes Ree ae) ky on Saye 44,783,100 | 3,230 144] 2,963,759 | 4,613,353 | 12,869,458 | 68,459,814 
TRG 1s mre woh) en Seen 45,699,956 | 7,338,75 4,099, 972 3,314,540 | 10,891.44 | 71,344,659 
IBRD tlle, Cer als eee Ge 44,888,181 | 8,463,716 9,679, 941 3,086,288 | 14,444,377 | 80,562,503 
ks Se ae ieee ee eee Gs 40, 216,835 | 11,248,588 | 13, 448.368 2,790,152 | 16,845,928 | 84,550,271 
ISS ie ae aE Paes ean 35, 561,652 | 7.980, 981 5, 520, 450 5,369,358 | 11,742,841 | 66,175, 282 
ARSE ere Ree eS ey See te he 38, 937, 731 | 12,175,260 | ° 12,082,391 | 5, 443, 588 | 12, 650,948 |. 81,289,915 
SEG eyes dca ewan See 38, 930, 145 | 11, 027, 143 3, 748, 925 829,564 | 11,261,979 | 65,797,756 
Tiobal&: tol. EAS: 498, 030, 449 | 76,890,078 | 152,316,944 | 37,665,834 
‘ Percentages ...... 51.1 | | ) SaSeet 3.9 | 
299, 479, 860 | 974, 383, 165 
23.5 
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