Sunday, June 5, 2011

Grain Prospects

The New York World, in a recent article, sums up the wants of Europe in grain to feed the people till next harvest.  From this it appears that notwithstanding the immense shipments of grain to Europe from this country, England still needs about 40,000,000 bushels to supply her existing deficiency, while France, on the 1st of February needed 48,000,000 bushels to carry her through the spring and summer.  And such is the widespread deficiency resulting from the last European harvest that were England and France out of the question, the demand from other countries would probably overtax all our commercial facilities for shipments.

These figures say nothing of the coarser grains, for which there is also an immense demand, and a high British authority says: “America is overdone with Indian corn, * * * and so truly great a blessing will do much for our further supplies.”

From this resume, which is apparently a truthful one, there is every reason to expect high prices of grain the coming season, especially as the signs of the times appear to indicate the early raising of the river blockade, giving us access by water to the markets of the world, and freeing us from the railroad monopoly which has cramped the interests of the West for the year.

– Published in The Davenport Daily Gazette, Davenport, Iowa, Monday Morning, March 3, 1862, p. 2

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