^^^JVEEKg
VOL. XIX.
INDIANAPOLIS, IND., SATURDAY, SEPT. 27,1884.
NO. 39.   \
NOTES AND FOISTS.
Hie Agricultural and Business World.
Thb price of wheat Is lower than it has
l^en for years.
Tub Louisiana sugar crop has been much
damaged by a severe drouth.
TnR earnings of the railroads of the
I'oited States are reported less than for
several years past.
A iiuTTEitiNE factory has just tarted in
Chicago with a capacity to produce over
2,000,000 pounds annually.
Di-rinq the first 8 months of this year
emigration from England fell off 34,000
compared with the same period of last year.
The secretary of the American Carp Culture Association states that 25,000 persons
iu this country are now engaged in the
culture of carp.
Kkports from Dakota state that in consequence of the low price of wheat, there
is likely to be a large decrease of the wheat
acreage there next season.
There has been a decided decrease in
the growth of swine in Great Britain dnring the past year or two, but the number
oi cattle and sheep have increased there.
Wheat acreage has decreased nearly
one-half in Ireland since 1881, and barley
in 'about the same proportion. As these
crops have decreased, so have pasturage
lands increased in about the same ratio.'
The first lot of corn grown in Iowa was
sold at Des Moines on the 12th inst., at 25
cents per bushel. That State claims to
have produced this year 300,000 bushels.
It is now said that late experiments have
demonstrated that wheat can be success
fully and profitably grown in Cuba, and as
a result flouring mills are being erected
there.
The latest reports to the Department of
Agriculture indicate the yield of oats in
the United States this year at a little over
500,000,000 bushels. The average yield per
sore is about 26 bushels,nearly the same as
corn.
The latest reports to the Department, of
Agriculture from Europe, is to the effect
that European importing countries will
need 200,000,000 bushels of wheat above
production; that European countries exporting can supply 80,000,000, which
leaves 180,000,000 bushels to be obtained
elsewhere, and it is therefore believed that
the lowest prices have been reached.
Iowa stands by its farmers. The last
General Assembly appropriated $5,000 to
assist the Farmers' Protective Association
in their litigation with the barb-wire companies. The Merchants' Union sued out a
writ of injunction to restrain the State
Auditor from drawing the warrant, on the
ground that the act was unconstitutional.
The Supreme Court has just decided that
it was constitutional, and has refused to
sustain the injunction.-
Wisconsin is the leading cranberry State,
Michigan is second. ■ The average yield of
a marsh is 150 to 200 bushels to the acre.
The picking season Jasts two weeks and
three bushels is a good day's work. Seventy-five cents a bushel is the picker's pay.
The Wisconsin crop is nearly all shipped
to Chicago commission houses at $2 75 to
$3 a bushel. A well managed marsh containing 400 acres of vines will yield about
f50,000, and with a very large crop the sum
can be nearly doubled. The entire crop of
the United States is consumed at home.
Englishmen do not take kindly to the
fruit, and a ship load sent to London a few
years ago could not be sold for the cost of
carrying.
The exports of wheat, flour included,
from all American ports, from September
i, 1883, to September 8, 1884, and exports
of corn, compared with previous years for
corresponding period is as follows, in bushels:
Wheat, bu.   Corn, bu.
1884 _ _ 2,740,000 397,000
1883. 1,656,000 949,000
1882. : 3,842,000 21,000
The Chief of the National Bureau of
Statistics reports the total values of exports
of domestic breadstuff's during August,
1884, and the two and eight months ended
August 31, 1884, compared with similar
exports in the corresponding months of the
preceding year, as follows:
1884. 1883.
August 110,455,530 ( 18,875,276
Two months ended Aug. 31... 21,509,969 29,188,949
Eight months ended Aug. 31. 96.003,250 114,239,476
......               .A NEW INDUSTRY.
Great quantities of cotton seed oil for
domestic and other uses, and hundreds of
tons of cotton seed meal are now being used
for live stock food, where a few years ago
it was unknown. Within a few years the
possibilities of the cotton seed industries
have proved to be a most remarkable revelation. What was only a short time ago a
mere refuse has been utilized in a wonderful manner. Oil that vies in the markets
of the world with-the best refined olive oil
for table purposes is readily made by pressure of cotton seed. Another and cheaper
product is lubricating oil, and still another
is an article of food for animals, which
finds a constant demand for export as well
as consumption here. The new process of
separating the lint from the seed is said to
have given a new and"curious impetus to
this business, the importance of which is
best illustrated by the fact that capitalists
like those who have gone into the enterprise are enthusiastic over what they consider to be a great "find."
OCR NEW COMPETITOR IN TIIE PORK TRADE.
Since Germany and France have restricted American pork importations,hog raising
has increased in those countries greatly,
and they are now producing and exporting
pork to England. For the seven months to
August 1st of this year, while the total received in England from the United States
was 268,413 cwts., or about 14 per cent less
dnring the seven months of the current
year than for the corresponding period of
1883, our Continental competitors increased
their quota in the English markets no less
than 202,345 cwts, or about 57per cent, during the same period. To put the matter
in another shape, the Continent furnished
25 per cent of England's total foreign supply during the first seven mbnths of 1884,
against 15 per cent for the corresponding
period during theyearprevious. Previous
to 1883, the amount received from other
sources than the United States were so inconsiderable that no place was given them
in the Board of Trade returns. The returns given above may be no cause for apprehension, but, nevertheless," they'repre-
sent progress on the Continent which, if
continued, will be likely to operate to the
serious disadvantage of this important
branch of our export trade; and nothing is
more certain than that just in proportion
to the artificial enhancementof piices here
will be the progress of the Continental
packers toward control of the English markets.
WAR WITH CniNA.
In view of the possible general French
war with China, now only a skirmish, the
following respecting England, the chief
customer for our surplus abroad, is interesting; it is from a late London letter to
Bradstreet's Journal:
As I write the papers are full of alarms
of war, and, as far as the reports enable
one to judge, the outbreak of strife between France and China may havo become
a matter of history before this reaches the
readers of Bradstreet's. Once hostilities
break out in that far away region a very
Pandora's box of troubles will open. Not
only directly, through the weight of the
war charges, but indirectly the credit of
France must be put to a strain it is ill able
to stand. And France alone will not suffer. A war between China and any European power is fraught with trouble to any
nation that trades in the East. India and
England, above all, must feel the strain at
once, even if hot drawn into hostilities.
India has been in the receipt of a net income of between £0,000,000 and „8,000,000
from the sale of its opium to the Chinese
for many a year, and by that income its
own debt-created and other financial difficulties have been kept from revealing
themselves. A war will imperil and may
destroy this source of income, and India
has nothing to substitute therefor. That
means most serious difficulties ahead for
her conquerors.
INDIA WHEAT.
A dispatch to London from Calcutta ex
presses the opinion that India will be able
to export 50,000,000 bushels of wheat to foreign countries this year. The U. S. Commissioner of Agriculture observes that tlie
increase of exports from India from a few
hundred thousand bushels per annum 10
to 20 years ago to 37,148,543 bushels in 1881-
82, and 39,127,077 bushels of 00 pounds for
1883-84 (year ended March 31), has excited
the attention of the wheat growing countries. It is known that India' comes near
to France and Russia in the volume of
wheat production, and that these countries
have only one out-ranking competitor—
the United Sta'es of America. The conditions have not been favorable in former
years, for large India exports, mainly from
lack of transportation facilities, having
only one mile of railway for every 25,000
people, while this country has a mile for
less than 500 inhabitants. The careless
cleaning of the grain and the mixing of
the various kinds diverse in quality, has
also tended to keep the price too low for
active supply for exportation.
The Commissioner speaks of the folly of
attempting to "feed the nations of the
earth." He says: "The area in wheat is
now 38,500,000 acres, and 12,000,000 acres
are cultivated in excess of the wants of the
country, the produce of which must be
sold abroad, mainly in Liverpool, in competition with the" grain of Russia, of South
America, of Austria,  and  of India.   It is
sent 1,500 miles by land, and 3,500 miles
by sea, and from California more than half
round the world to compete with the half-
civilized fellahs of Egypt and the slaves of
India. It is a competition unworthy of
of American freemen, and utterly unnecessary, being caused by bad calculation in
the distribution of crop areas, for while we
export one-third of the wheat production,
we import one-seventh of all the barley consumption and ?100,000,000 worth of sugar
at foreign valuation, which brings f 150,-
000,000 in our local markets, in addition to
the costs and profits of refining here.
THE STATE FAIB.
As fair week approaches, the prospect
brightens for a successful fair; and since
the order to close the entry books on the
Saturday before, 27th Inst., the secretary's
office presents a busy scene; entries pour
in by every mail, and posters, large and
small, premium lists, letters and other
mail matter go out, the result of the unusual interest manifested to be ready by
the opening day,   Monday, September 29.
The grounds and buildings have been
greatly beautified, making them still more
attractive in appearance, and it is no vain
boast to repeat the expression of exhibitors
that we have the best arranged and most
convenient improvements of any fair
grounds in the United States. Water is
now supplied from the city water works,
and this, together with numerous excellent wells, makes the water facilities complete.
Large numbers of fine stock will be
there, and farm implements, and machinery by the acre. Many new features and
special attractions will be presented, and
the women's department, with its special
premiums in art, music, and literature,
will be highly interesting.
The candidates for national honors have
been invited, and there is reasonable assurance that some of them will be present.
Three lines of street cars will convey passengers to and from tho Union depot at five cents fare each way. All railroads in the State will carry passengers
and stock at half rates. Tickets will be
placed on sale for exhibitors on most of
the roads by the 25th inst, good until
October 6.
Everybody ought to go and learn something new and have a good time.
NOTES.
Gen. Ben Butler and other noted men
aro expected to visit the fair on Tuesday,
and on Thursday Ex-Governor St. John,
of Kansas, will be present.
The directors of our State fair have
offered a premium of $75 for the best drill
on the fair grounds by a uniformed com -
pany.
All visitors seventy-five years of age
will be passed free on Wednesday.
All uniformed bands will be passed
free.
During the earthquake on the I9th a
little four year old "kid" at our house petulantly exclaimed, "Here, who's shaking
me?"
The date of the Lawrence county fair at
Bedford has been changed from October
1st to 4th, to October 8th to 11th., to avoid
conflict with the State fair.