Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1880-07-09
THE CROPS.
Unfavorable Prospects---What Wheat Men
Say---It Looks Like Only Two-Thirds of

relative to the Minnesota wheat crop ahoai
for a few days past, and the markets in Obi.
cago, Milwaukee and New Yorh
have been visibly affected thereby
The stocks of the granger lines have gone
down while wheat has gone up. The Chi.
cago bears had pounded wheat down to an
unfair price and if minnesota does not fur
nish as many bushels as expected, the better
price will largely make up the difference.
In order to ascertain the exact situation
GLOBE reporters called upon the leading
wheat men in the city yesterday with the
following result:
Mr.. d. II. Valentine is the superintendent
of Commodore Davidson's numerous eleva-
tors along the st. Paul & Manitoba line, and
is besides large farmer himself, having
farms on the st. Paul & Manitoba road and
also in Minnesota valley along the line OF
the Winona & st. Peter road. He has made
the wheat business almost life study, and
probably no man in the State is better
Judge of crop prospects than Mr.. Valentine.
n
ask his views of the situation. He was re-
luctant to talk, but said he was not favora-
bly, impressedswith the outlook. On the ST..
Paul & Manitoba road from the big woods to
Breckenridge prospects for wheat are not
good. The heavy rains in the early
part of the season have made rank and
damaging growth, and within a few days
the leaves and stalks appeared to have been
strnck by blight and were turning yellow.
He did not call it rust at oil as some did. 1t
seemed to be absolute decay. There had
been less cool wind than usual during Min
nesota summer and the dampness occa
stoned by the excessive rains had produced
this decay. A great deal was
badly damaged already and it
would require excellent weather all the time
to bring out anything like fair crcp. In
many cases the decay had struck the wheat
before the heads had fairly begun to form,
and in such fields there would be no harvest
whatever. This was the situation all along
the line from the Big Woods through the
prairie county as far as Breckenridge. Be-
yond that he had not examined in person.
In the timber the crop was in better, in fact
good condition.
Mr.. Valentine had also been up the line of
the Sioux City road and across to Redwood
county, where he and Commodore Davidson
have large farms. He found the wheat
from Lake Crystal, Blue Earth county, to
st. James very much worse than on the st.
Paul & Manitoba road. From Redwood
Falls down to st. Peter on the Winona &
st. Peter road he found similar condition
of affairs. In this region the damage is of
a similar character to that described above,
but the decay seems more general and
severe. Late sowed grain is very seriously
affected and will not pay for the harvest.
Early sowed grain in adjoining fields was
frequently found in fair condition while late
sowed would be absolutely worthless. Mr..
Valentine disclaimed any desire to be an
alarmist but he is very positive that the
State will not average over two thirds crop
even if the weather from now until harvest
should be all that could be desired. Favor
able weather may make some improvement,
but not beyond the estimate above
General Manager Sargent, of the North
ern Pacific, says that the weather
through the wheat area along the
line OF the Northern Pacific continues ia
vorable, and that except on the small area
injured by hail all the appearances in that
country are favorable for large yield of
wheat.
General Manager Hill, of the st. Paul
IL Manitoba road, who returned from
the Red River valley yesterday morning
says the grain fields in the country north of
Glyndon are looking aplendidly. The wheat
is not, however, far enough advanced to es-
innate its yield, and with the rank growth
of that region unfavorably hot Weather may
produce Just such result as came in 1873,
when the splendid promise of the first of
July dwindled to a meagre harvest. There
is a greatly increased acreage in wheat in
that part of the State as compared with last
year and an immense area is being broken
for seeding next spring.
Mr.. j. ii. Drake, land commissioner of the
st. Paul & Sioux City company, says that
the crop reports received at his Office are
almost unanimously favorable. A letter he
received from Window yesterday says: "Do
not believe the contrary reports; the wheat
crop will be immense" Another letter
states that the Bass farm near st. James
promises yield of twenty bushels to the
acre, if all goes right hereafter. A letter
from Sioux Falls says the growing grain in
that vicinity is doing we'll. Some rust is to
be seen between Worthington and St. James.
There are no complaints as to any crop from
along the branch lines.
Mr.. j. Q. Adams, the representative of
David Dows In Minnesota and perhaps the
largest dealer in the state, stated his
information substantially es follows: While
corn, oats, and fax are looking well in the
southwest part of the State, west of the
timbered country the wheat is affected by
rust and imperfect development and will
fall largely short of an average crop. The
greatest failure along the Sioux City road is
in the region between Lake Crystal and
Worthington. Westward the appearance of
the grain improves and from the branch
lines of the st. Paul & Sioux City there are
no unfavorable reports. Along the main
line of the St. Paul & Manitoba road there
are large sections where the
injured all over the prairie country, from the
Northern Pacific line to the Iowa line. The
estimates of damage or deficiency sent in
vary from 10 to SO per cent.
Mr.. Rowland Barden, who is very large
grain buyer and careful, intelligent observer,
say 8 that some ten days ago he observed the
appearance of rust on his farm In Cotton
wood county and had since watched it with
interest,". he tnought the grain mad recover
ed and was but little harmed. In vigorous
growth of wheat, under favorable weather
conditions, fair crop might be produced
where rust had appeared, but there are many
pieces which are already damaged
beyond recovery and many others in which
discoloration of the leaves and weakening of
the plant, without rust, has occurred. From
his own observation and from what he could
learn from trustworthy sources he thought
that the wheat crop of Minnesota, on the
theory that the weather from this out will be
all favorable, would fall not less than twenty
five per cent. short of an average crop. The
fields are not alike in any section. In some
there is vigorous, even growth; in others
the growth is uneven and varying in height
and progress toward maturity; and in 9TH
ers the plants are all weak and cannot pay
for harvesting,