| Show NO 0 SHORTAGE OF foodstuffs N the 1914 wheat crop of the united states was estimated to be bushels the estimated surplus carried over from the 1913 crop was about bushels there was therefore a total available supply of bushels As the normal annual per capita consumption of wheat in the united states is about 53 bushels bushels should meet our normal domestic requirements quire ments for food in addition bushels are required annually ford for seeding bushels therefore should supply the normal domestic demand this would leave a surplus of bushels of this surplus about bushels were exported by january 30 this left bushels or bushels more than our average annual export for the past five years for export between february I 1 and the appearance of the new crop or for carrying over into the next crop year the amount is sufficient to permit the export of nearly bushels a day until july 1 before which time the new crop will begin to be available this is about the average recent exeor tation the large i demand for our wheat arises from the fact that there was an estimated worlds shortage of over bushels outside of the united states from the fact that the russian exportable surplus of bushels is not available generally and from the fact that the belligerent nations are eager to secure food supplies if it were not for these things we should be discussing ways and means of disposing of our tremendous surplus of food products As has been stated the new american crop will begin to appear before july the argentine crop is now coming on the market it is estimated that from that source there will be available bushels A surplus of bushels or more from india will be available in may and june the increase in the fall sown wheat acreage of the united states in 1914 was per cent or over acres in the northern hemisphere generally the acreage of winter wheat shows an increase of from three to thirty three per cent as follows denmark Denin aek 3 per cent italy 5 per cent switzerland 10 per cent united kingdom 10 per cent united states 11 percent per cent india 22 per cent canada 33 per cent but suppose a shortage in wheat should develop in the next three months what would be the situation there is is a great surplus in other food crops in the united states a number of which can be used as substitutes wheat does not constitute more than 12 per cent of the normal diet about the same as poultry and eggs meat and dairy products constitute 48 per cent vegetables 11 per cent fruits nuts sugar alish and other items the remaining 19 per cent there are larger supplies of corn and other grains meat animals dairy products pr ducts potatoes and fruit at the opening of 1915 than for many years the most important competing products are corn and potatoes this is shown by the fact that while the normal consumption of wheat is 53 bushels in maine it is only 47 4 7 bushels and in michigan 5 in the wheat garwing states where wheat is abundant such as minnesota the average is 72 whereas in the south where corn is much used the average is 4 bushels normally about 3 per cent of the corn crop is consumed as food of our total crop about 80 millions would be used for food the remainder for other purposes the remainder could be used for foods and substitutes utes used for animals the potato production in the united states averages 38 bushels per capita this year the available supply is 41 bushels the average price of meat animals was 7 per cent cheaper in january than a year ago butter 2 per cent lower the price of chickens slightly lower of potatoes s 35 per cent lower and of apples it was 37 per cent lower it auld seem that the united states is not likely to be threatened with a shortage of food s stuffs effs |
