Show Bread and Meat t World Problem t. t Wheat Keeps Pace With the Growing Population Meat La Lags g s Behind Washington Washington Mint What of the worl worlds world's s 's bread and meat supply since the World war The worlds world's population has lias been growing lave Llave these two primary food tood Items kept pace Since the lie problem Is Doing being approached approached approached ap ap- ap- ap from the Western world let let wheat stand for the moment for bread and und beef for meatA meat ment A bulletin from the Washington D D.C. D. D C. C headquarters summarizes the world wheat and beef production as ns follows The average yearly world production tion of at wheat durin during the live Uve years Immediately preceding the World war wm was roughly three and a half billion bushels In late Inte years the avern average e has been closer to four tour billion bushels The wheat supply therefore has advanced ad nd along with the number of mouths to eat cat It lt So too with that part of at the crop that Is transplanted trans trans' transplanted planted from country to country Ap Approximately Approximately Approximately proximately eight hundred million bushels nearly 21 1 per cent ent of the pro luction of wheat and flour entered international trade channels In prewar prewar pre pre- war days and about ei eight ht hundred fifty million bushels 22 1 per cent ent enter now But Cut although the World war had no Ins lasting tin effect on wheat production and ond Its steady growth It played havoc u with the world trade In wh wheat nt This flow v of wheat from the less developed countries to the countries with great rent urban centers has hos been an nn Important factor In world economics since the therise therise therise rise of cities Doubtless Babylon drew grain from Its satellite countries When Rome Home came to be he a n great power a o veritable river of grain flowed to It from northern Africa Spain and the Near Fear East Enst Medieval Flow of Grain During the Middle ages commerce c In food staples lagged each ench country for the most part producing its own food But ut with the of co col col- onles onies and the coming of the machine age the tide of grain began henn to run again setting toward England and western Europe from Russia the Western Vestern hemisphere and finally from the antipodes Russia was the big factor In the wheat trade the war She produced produced produced pro pro- more than sixth one-sixth of the entire en entire tire Ure world crop and exported a fifth of the total international shipments After a big drop Russia has hns almost reached her former position In the matter of production But Gut apparently nr the Russians of today are better fed only 3 per cent of or the worlds world's wheat exports now come from that country Canada has become tI the chief factor factor fac tor in the International wheat trade She produced product less than two hundred million bushels before the war and shipped only 1 11 J per cent ent of world shipments hi to J 1020 r. r she grew more than four hundred million bushels and her exports far surpassed the greatest shipments of Russia reaching 37 n percent per percent percent cent of total International exports But nut although Russia and Canada have stood out as the greatest shippers shippers ship ship- pers of wheat In the matter of production production pro pro- the they have hn been fUT surpassed since well before the lie World war by hy bythe bythe hythe the United States This country in produced eight hundred thirty thirty- two million bushels more than a n fifth of the world total Only European Russia came anywhere near this mark with five hundred ninety million mil mil- lion bushels Even when Asiatic Russia's tins Rus sins sin's two hundred million bushels are added the United States Is still In the lead lend by hy more than forty million bush bushels el S. S But Uncle Sams Sam's mouths consume most of ot this vast volume of wheat Some years the exports Jump to a quarter of ot a billion bushels Usually however they are little more than one hundred million bushels making up the 12 per cent of ot world shipments that was the rule even In war lore days das Smaller Nations' Nations Exports Drop While Russia Hussla has dropped out of the world wheat trade since the tine war at nt least temporarily and Canada has hns moved to first place there have been significant shifts In the positions of other wheat producing countries Rumania Rumania Ru Ru- mania which contributed sixteenth one-sixteenth of the world exports dropped out entirely entirely en en- for some sonic years and now sup sup- supplies lIP plies piles only one ninety nul Bulgaria has hns cut her contribution to third one-third the former figure and Hungary's Jun nr s ty five ty-five five million mutton bushels have shrunk to twenty million India indin too has boen lieen slowly losing ground as an nn exporter Next to Canada Australia has hns shown the greatest growth In wheat shipments raising her war pre figure of 0 G j per cent of the world shipments to If 15 per cent AI Argentina has hns shown a aless aless aless less spectacular growth from percent per percent percent cent to 12 per centA centA centA cent A surprising fact disclosed by a n survey of the wheat situation Is the magnitude of the crops produced by France France- Italy and Germany all of which are relatively densely populated hated consuming countries Frances France's crop of three hundred thirty n million bushels in J 1023 5 was considerably larger than thon thru that of Ar Argentina two hundred twenty three millions and approximately twice that o Au Australia Aus Aus- Italy's two hundred fort forty million bushels was also greater grentel than the Argentine crop while Germanys Germany's one hundred eighteen million bushels was wins not far short of the Australian production All three of these countries coun coup tries found It necessary to supplement supple supple- supplement ment their heavy home production by hy taking from 1 J to t 0 per cent cent of at the world shipments There has hns been little little lit lit- tle tie change In the volume of French wheat and Imports since before the war but hut that of ot Italy has increased increased in in- creased and that of Germany has hns de de- de creased The Tine greatest Importer of ot wheat continues to be Great Grent Britain which takes about quarter one-quarter of ot all international international inter inter- national wheat shipments In 10 G she imported two hundred three million miln mil lion bushels of wheat and flour Hour an nn amount about equal to the total combined combined com com- shipments of ot the United States and Argentina In addition Great Grent Britain raised mor than fifty mIllion million mil mIl- lion bushels of wheat at nt home U U. U S. S Leads Also In Beef In beef beet cattle as in wheat production production production pro pro- the lie United States leads the world with close to sixty million head Russia Hussla probably ranks next with slightly under forty million al although although nl al- though both Ar Argentina and Brazil have ha almost as many Germany France and A Australia follow with seventeen fourteen and thirteen mil mil- lion There are arc heavy holdings of cattle cattle cat cat- tle tie In India and other parts of ot the Orient but the brief beef production from these countries Is Isery very ery light owing to torell rell religious lous scruples and vegetarian habits ts The World war seems greatly to I have affected the meat eating habits of the West Wes Apparently France learned meat ment eating from her allies Her lIer war pre Imports of beef were only one forty million pounds while she exported exported exported ex ex- ported two sixty million pounds Now the exports have been cut almost o 0 one half the former figure while the Imports have Increased more than six sis fold They are now 7 73 per cent of all nil International exports Germany Germon has hns doubled her Imports and now takes 13 per cent of world shipments her exports both hoth before and since the lime war are negligible As with bread brend so with beef Great Grent Britain Is the time greatest Importer She he Imports now more than one and three- three q quarters un bill billion Ion pounds per against one and a quarter billion in I war pre days Changes In the sources of or beef beet have hove not been great rather the prewar prewar pre pre- war tendencies have hn been followed out nus Russia ln was never an nn Important factor in Europe's beef beet supply and her withdrawal from European affairs had little effect on the time meat trade The Worlds World's Meat Counter Argentina Is the time worlds world's chief beef beet purve purveyor or Before Defore the war her contribution contribution con con- was 16 40 per cent of ot the total International exports now It has grown rown to f 50 0 per cent Uruguay Is a II poor second with 11 per cent double her war pre proportion Australia which furnished 14 per cent of ot beef shipments before 1014 sends out only 9 o per cent now The United States too has dropped from a n 10 per cent contribution In the time years prior to the time war to 5 per cent today The only other country with exports exports exports ex ex- ports which equal G 0 per cent of world exports Is strangely the Netherlands with more than 7 i per cent This country country country coun coun- try has only two million cattle The explanations lies In the heavy Imports of beef heet most of at which are arc re Because the teeming population of the East Enst lives largely on rice It would be natural to assume that more rice Is grown than wheat But nut the fact that the tine people of oC the West are arc on the time whole much better fed apparently turns the he scale in favor of wheat hent The average a estimated world rice crop for five fi years preceding the World war was two and a half billion bushels whole the corresponding wheat crop was approximately one billion bushels greater The average annual crops for forthe forthe forthe the year 1021 1 to 1025 were nearly three billion bushels bushel for rice and Dearly nearly four billion bushels for wheat Less Rice Exported Than Wheat A much smaller percentage of oC the rice crop enters International trade than that of ot the wheat crop In prewar prewar pre pre- war days 8 per cent of the worlds world's rice production was exported as against 23 per cent of the total wheat The Tine percentages now are practically the same Pork plays second fiddle to beef beet as rice does to wheat among the meats and grains consumed by man There are far fewer hogs In the world than cattle cattle about about two hundred fifty million mil lion as against more than six hundred million The United States leads all other countries In the time number of or Its hogs hogs between between fifty and sixty millions The nearest competitors are Germany with sixteen million and Russia with fourteen million The United States Is also first In pork exports sending out nearly one and a quarter billion pounds more than half the time total International ship ship- ments meats The Time next more Important exporters ex ex- exporters porters are Denmark with four tour hundred hundred hun hun- dred three sixty million pounds pound and the Netherlands with whim two hundred nine fifty million In pork orl England Is again the time worlds world's best customer taking more than one ope and one third one billion pounds of ot the tine worlds world's exports 57 per cent of the total f |