266 THE WHEAT INDUSTRY 



most as the source of wheat supply for foreign 

 nations. The total production, though steadily 

 advancing, has not kept pace with the consump- 

 tion. In 1900 this country far outranked every 

 other in the amount of its wheat exports. That 

 year she sent approximately 216,000,000 bushels 

 to foreign markets, a quantity three times that of 

 the wheat exports of either Argentina or Russia 

 in the same year. Since that time the wheat 

 exports of the United States have decreased ap- 

 proximately fifty per cent. This is in spite of a 

 slightly increased total production. The cause 

 of this decrease in exports lies in the tremendous 

 growth in city population during recent years. 

 This growth is largely due to heavy immigration. 

 Prior to 1900 our free or cheap lands attracted 

 north Europeans and produced a rapidly expand- 

 ing farming population. Immigration of this type 

 is more important as a wheat producer than as a 

 bread consumer, hence it created a large wheat 

 surplus for export trade. The greater part of the 

 immigrants since 1900 have been south Europeans 

 who have been attracted to cities rather than to 

 the farms, and so have become important as 

 wheat consumers but not to any great extent 

 as producers. 



However, the situation is not discouraging. 

 The limit of production in this country is not yet 

 realized. With a better understanding of farming 



