WAR AND EUROPE'S CROPS.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume I, Issue 195, 22 September 1914, Page 5

WAR AND EUROPE'S CROPS.

EFFECT ON BRITISH MARKETS BIG GRAIN YIELDS ENDANGERED. What war in Europe means for the harvesting of the great Continental crops is a consideration that is causing much ansiety. A writer in "The Times" fiuds that it is an undoubted bonefit to the British consumer that war has been delayed ustil the first shoaves of the home crops were already in stack, while so much wheat land "was ripe for the harvester that scarcity could be, at most, a matter of days. Had war broken out before June was over, the excitement of the corn markets mast have been far greater.

The particular details of the food supplies involved in the present struggle present two distinct issues. "The first, least important, issue is that of the British market being cut off from certain quality articles much in request, yet by no means to be regarded as necessaries," says "The Times." '' Austrian rolls on the dinner table and the fine flour of Hungary for making light and high-class pastry, are already being produced at a loss. Austria-Hun-gary is not likely to continue shipping at all. The home wheat crop of the Dual Empire is reckoned about 7 per cent, deficient, the yields varying from a full average in western Austria to as much as 14 per cent, under the mean in Hungary and Transylvania. The eastern part of the empire, that nearest to the seat of war, will be barely selfsupporting. '' The other quality staple from which we may consider ourselves cut of£ is the fine, small, round maize of Hungary, Servia, and the entire region of immediate strife. This particular article is highly esteemed for feeding poultry, pigeons, and game birds. Servian exports of silk cocoons, of plums and prunes, of cherries and cherryliqueurs are appreciable and are already stopped; but, after all, this is a luxury market, and its temporary destruction is mainly important as.reducing the resources of many thousands of hardworking Servian agriculturists. THE SERVIAN HARVEST.

"The hardy yeomen of Servia are a very sturdy and industrious class. The average holding is about 20 acres, and absorbs the attention of a man and his family. These farmers and their sons constitute the backbone of the Servian army, but when the fighting is over they are apt to return to the land without further thought of politics. Unlike the Greeks, who talk politics at every market, the Serb peoples wish for the most part to labour in peace and look instinctively to a strong ruler —a Tsar. The Servians are at present producing 10,000,000 c.wt of wheat, 2,000,000 of barley, 1,500,000 of oats, 14,000,000 cwt of Indian corn, and 2,000,000 cwt of beet sugar, expressed from perhaps 15,000,000 cwt of the actual sweet root. Three million people, with sheep, 1,000,000 cattle, and as many pigs will have a isubstantial export surplus out of these yields. As wheat averages about 30/on the farm and maize 20/- only, the tendency is to live on the maize and sell the wheat. "Servia has an excellent method of communal grain storage, and October is the great month when the new maize crop is secured, husked, and "paid in," the depositors receiving cash up to nearly the full amount of grain; delivered. Should the war last beyond Michaelmas disaster will be terrible, and whole districts may be brought to the verge of starvation. Maize is a crop which deteriorates in a most dangerous manner if not secured at the right moment, and disorders at once serious and intractable attend on the food use of damaged, - heated, or sour corn. Greece, if brought into the war, would not be so gravely situated as Servia, for the barley crop, which is now, even as in classical times, the chief one, has just been secured, and is a decidedly good yield. Wheat is largely imported, and if the sea were controlled by a-hostile fleet, grave inconvenience would result. Barley and maize, however, would be sufficient to tide a frugal people over for an indefinite period. RUMANIA AND BULGARIA.

'' A far greater agricultural region is Rumania, where the wheat and maize crops each average about a hundred million bushels, while there are about thirty million bushels grown of serviceable feeding barley and of a light and husky, but still useful, oat. Rumania sells very little produce to the United Kingdom, but the large fleets of small vessels plying between Galatz and Constanza, and the importing cities of Athens, Naples, Genoa, Marseilles, ~and Barcelona meet the food demand of regions that, failing to get Rumanian produce, must buy in New World markets in direct competition with our merchants. The Rumanian area is about that of England, its wheat area is three times ours. The winter wheat in Rumania has just been secured and is a good yield but the spring-sown crops are not promising. Rumania, like Servia, would suffer terribly if the agricultural population were precluded by war service from harvesting the maize. '' Bulgaria is barely on the road to recovery from her disastrous war witli Servia and Greece, but good harvests of winter wheat and barley were secured early in the month, and the yields are put at 30 million cwt. of wheat and seven of barley. Spring corn is nearly ripe, and the maize was sown in May over an extensive area, probably nearly 2,000,000 acres. The yield at 2qr. per acre only should be 4,000,000qr., and of this a million might be available for exportation. This export surplus, together with perhaps half a million quarters of wheat that might be spared, was expected to keep the rising ports of Varna and Burgas busy well into the winter. If the exports were prevented from leaving the Dardanelles a sadly impoverished people, largely dependent on its agricultural exports, might find itself in a position of great financial difficulty.

RUSSIAN EXPORTS. "The mobilisation of the Russian Army beforfi August is over is a serious matter for a country principally depending on its spring-sown crops. It is to be observed that Austria-Hungary is mainly dependant on winter-sown grain and that war was not declared until these crops were secured. Russia is placed at a decided disadvantage, for the spring-

sown wheat, barley, and oats are not ripe until mid-August, except in the extreme south. The acres under corn in Russia amount to over for the peasant proprietors never manure the ground, and the yields per acre are smaller than in any other great producing region except Australia. Thus the harvest, extends over enormous areas, and is a prodigious business in the homing.

"Russian farmers have, however, a great feeling of security in this very vastness of the territory. There is no fear of the stacked corn being commandeered by an economic enemy, or burned by a vengeful one. The present year's yields are not yet at all certain, but the winter wheat is put at about 106,000,000 hundredweight, and the spring, at 212,000,000, in all 74,200,000 qr., of 4801b for European Russia, including Poland, but not Finland. Oats may yield a clear 100,000,000 qr., and barley 45,000,000 to 50,000,000. There are good reserves of old corn in Russia, for last year's harvests were excellent, and the demand for wheat and oats for export has been below the average. The English purchasing of Russian feed barley, however, has been persistent, and since April, when the Indian crop X>roved 25 per cent, deficient, has been heavy.

"The Russian exports of grain in a good season put £60,000,000 sterling in the pockets of growers, merchants, and shippers, and this amount of gold so fertilises the country, penetrating, as it does, into the remotest villages, that no enemy of Russia could let the grain be sold if it could be prevented.

NAVAL FIGHT TO RELEASE RUSSIAN GRAIN.

"An Austrian fleet blocking the Dardanelles and a German fleet commanding the Baltic would throw a material strain on Russian resources without needing to fire a shot. This, however, would only be the case if Russia lacked afharitime ally. Were France involved, it is probable that a great sea fight to release the Russian grain flotillas would be an early event in the eastern Mediterranean.

"The Russian grain crops are in front rank of serviceable medium-low-class dry foods. The wheat includes a little fine Polish, Saxonka, and "Galician" grown in Little Russia, but 90 per cent, of it is a fairly strong but irregular growth, of rather poor colour, worth, perhaps, 3/- per quarter less to millers than fine Canadian. The barley is a 4001b sample, making good barley meal, but not being usable for brewing. That of the south-west provinces is, however, often up to 4161b, and even 4241b, and is fit for distilling, y The oats are rather preferred to Argentine, but, are inferior to Prussian, . Swedish,. and English. Maize is not very largely grown, but belongs to the round type, which is suited to the climate of South-Eastern Europe and the northern shores of the Black Sea. Russian linseed is appreciated, and England buys it for seed purposes and for fattening stock; It is also shipped in the form of cake. '' The present cheapness of beet sugar is due, in part, to the Russian exports and to these underselling Austro-Hun-garian surpluses. With Russia and Aus-tria-Hungary at issue, the beet-sugar market is bound to be not a little affected. Russia ships direct to Great Britain extremely large quantities of '' shop'' eggs, of second-quality poultry, and a certain amount of dairy produce."