1904.] Twenty Years' Wheat Imports. 



54i 



As regards our supplies during the current cereal year, 1904-5, 

 the chief feature is the anticipated inability of the United States to 

 furnish more than a relatively small proportion. Theofficial United 

 States Crop Reporter in May last put the area under winter wheat 

 at about 27,083,500 acres, and the spring wheat area was returned 

 in June at 17,141,000 acres, or 44,224,500 acres altogether. This 

 is considerably below the area of 1903. Official figures regarding 

 the yield have only been partially given. In August the amount of 

 winter wheat was estimated as 173,000,000 cwt., and in October 

 the yield of spring wheat was returned at 127 bushels per acre, 

 both these figures being, of course, provisional. These estimates 

 would indicate a total production of some 286,000,000 cwt, 

 provided no change be supposed to have occurred since the 

 dates at which the different data were published. This amount 

 is very, considerably below that of recent years, and, in fact, 

 many persons in the trade seem to think that the production 

 may b€ even less. As regards probable exports, no official data 

 naturally exist ; but trade forecasts, such as those of the Corn 

 Trade News, are current of a probable export from the United 

 States of some 25,000,000 cwt. during the present cereal year, 

 some portion of which will, doubtless, be taken by other 

 countries. 



As the United Kingdom now requires well over 100 million 

 cwt. annually, it seems clear that we can look to the United 

 States for only a comparatively small proportion. India had (last 

 March) a very bountiful harvest, and can do much to help the 

 deficiency, but a large part of its surplus has already been 

 shipped, and the same may be said of Argentina. Much there- 

 fore depends on what these two countries may produce next 

 harvest. So far they promise well ; but this remark, in the 

 case of India, can be taken to mean little more than that 

 sowings have been completed under favourable conditions. 

 The Argentine crop is now near maturity, and an export of 

 upwards of 50 million cwt. has been suggested as probable. The 

 harvest in Canada is not thought to be nearly so short as in the 

 UirVed States, so that exports on as large a scale as in recent 

 year may be available. Apart from these two countries, 

 R> sia may be expected to supply the larger proportion of 

 our requirements. A recent telegraphic summary states that 



