Littell's Living Age/Volume 173/Issue 2236/The Grain Trade

The Grain Trade - The Senate Committee on transportation routes to the seaboard has just completed a report, covering not only the subject of transportation, but giving in tabular form the progress of the various grain-producing countries. Thirty-three years ago America produced 100,000,000 bushels of wheat and about 600,000,000 bushels of corn. Twice in recent years we have reached 500,000,000 bushels of wheat, and in 1885 the corn crop reached 1,800,000,000 bushels, a fivefold increase in wheat, and a threefold increase in corn. In fifty-eight years wheat has added £520,000,000 to the value of our national production. The committee has tabulated the purchase of wheat by England for the two periods of 1836 to 1842 and 1843 to 1883. In the first period the United States furnished less than per cent.; while in the second period it supplied 54 per cent. As an importer to England, the United States is now first, with Russia second, and Germany third; but the rapid change in eleven years of British India from the thirteenth position to the fourth, is the most striking feature of the summary. In the next decade Germany will be practically out of the race, and it is more than probable that India will contest with the United States for the first position. In the prices of wheat for a series of years, in the principal countries of the world, India shows lowest, ranging from 3s. 10d. per bushel to 4s.; Russia next, from 4s. 2d. to 5s.; Australia ranks third. The average price of wheat at the principal grain port of England was exactly 6s.