74 



THE VALUE OF A TRADE JOURNAL'S DATA. 



The July 23d Price Current places the average production of wheat in Spain at 

 110,000,000 bushels while the data published liy the Department of Agriculture, and 

 which accords with that collated by tlie writer, malies the Spanish average 92 000,000 

 bushels for the decade and 87,779,000 bushels for the last seven years, the mean being 

 some 20.000,000 bushels less than the Price Current's figures. 



The Price Current makes the largest Spanish crop of the seven years 131.000,000 

 bushels while the official data shows it to Iiave been but 113,500,000 bushels — a diflference 

 of 16,500,000 bushels — a mere trifle for this journal. 



So carefully is the Price Current edited that in its issue of July 23d it states the 

 average wheat crop of Hungary to be 125,000 000 bushels, and in the issue of July 9th it 

 states the greatest Hungarian crop of the seven years to have been 165,000,000 bushels 

 and the smallest to have been 194,000,000. Probably the Price Current is the flrst to make 

 the discovery that 165 is more than 194, as it is probably the first to discover that a crop 

 of 92,700,000 bushels can, by the use of an agile pen, lie transposed into one of 194,000,000. 



In the Price Current at July 23d the annual average production of wheat in Hun- 

 gary is stated to be 40,000,000 bushels, and the smallest crop in the last seven years to 

 have been 37,000 000 bushels, when the official reports show the average for the decade to 

 have been 43,670,000 bushels, as they show the average during the last seven years to have 

 been 46,000,000, while the smallest crop in seven is otRcially placed at 38,376,000 bushels; 

 but then a matter of 1,375,000 bushels is of no consequence, especially when to be more 

 exact necessitates reference to readily available official publications. 



In the Price Current's issue of July 9th the smallest crop of the last seven, in Ger- 

 many, is placed at 82,000 000 bushels, while official data readily available when such pub- 

 lication was made, shows that the smallest German crop, since 1SS3, gave an out-turn of " 

 87,170,000, a difference of 5,170,000 bushels. 



In the Price Current for July 23d it is in one place stated that the product of wheat 

 in India, in 1891, was 255,435,000 bushels, while lower down in the same column the crop 

 of 1890-91 is placed at an even 235,000,000, the difference being no les-s than 20,435,000. It 

 is, however, but due to the Price Cm-rent to state that it now claims that the 235,000,000 

 bushel statement relates to the crop harvested in 1890, but such is not the reading of the 

 statement in the issue of July 23d, and that such claim is an afterthought is made highly 

 probable by the fact that in its issue of October 23d, 1890 it stated tlie product of the 

 Indian harvest for that year at 225,000.000 bushels, being 10,000,000 bushels less than the 

 out-turn it now sets up the claim that such crop gave. Takin.s; cue horn of the dilemma 

 there is an unexplained discrepancy in i(s statement of 20,435,000 bushels, while pendant 

 from the other horn hangs a trifle of 10,000,000. 



More than this; in its issue of July 23d there is tabulated the product of seven recent 

 Indian wheat harvests, but the quantities of but two accord, even remotely, with the offi- 

 cial figures thrice stated in (three of) the monthly reports of the Department of Agri- 

 culture. 



In its issue of the 27th of August, the Price Current places the annual consumption of 

 wheat and rye in France at about 405,000,000 bushels, while official data, available months, 

 and part of it years, before such publication was made, shows that the production and net 

 importation of wheat and rye — including a mi.\ture of wheat and rye known as maslin — 

 from 1887 to 1889, inclusive, to have been as follows: 



It would appear that the Price Curren/ understates the annual consumption of wheat 

 and rye in France no less than 10,745,000 bushels, and this is made still more clear upc d 



