The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1882-03-06
The Prospects OF the GrOWIns wheat
CFOu

The Prospects Of the Growing wheat
Crop.
The condition and prospects Of the
growing wheat crop is something Of great
moment to the country at this tine-some-
thing to which all business men are looking
as criterion and gauge Of their individual
prospects The New York Commercial
Buliesin publishes several columns Of re.
plies to the following inquiries at the
county towns Of ten Of the Western States.
The inquiries are as follows:
First-The acreage Of the growing winter
wheat crop, as compared with that Of last
year;
second-The condition Of winter wheat
as compared with an average;
Third-The proportion Of last wears crop
Of wheat held in farmers hands in Febru-
AIRY; and
Founh-The proportion Of last wears
crop OF Indian corn so held.
Replies have been received from over
2GO counties in these States, bearing dates
between the 10Th and 2jth Of February:
which, coming promiscuously from various
parts oil the different States, will afford a
fair criterion Of the conditions existing in
the whole area covered By the ten States,
which, combined, yield about three-fourths
oil our entire crop of wheat.
Some OF these States raise no winter
wheat; and, in some cases, the returns
show only the portion OF the wheat and
corn, crops OF last year still in farmers
hands.
From an editorial summary Of the fg.
ures we extract the following:
As to acreage, the States Of Missouri.
Kentucky, and Indiana show Z large in.
crease over 1881, and Ohio, Illinois, and
Kansas have made liberal gain in some
counties, partly counter.balanced, however
by q loSs in Others. The three remaining
S;ates--lowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin
grow little or no winter wheat, and re-
turns from these we're merely obtained for
the purpose Of ascertaining the present
stock Of wheat and corn held by growers.
Ot the "a reports received from illinois.
10 report an increase OF acreage averaging
ID per cent; IL decrease ave. aging 20 per
cent, and ! an unchanged acreage. Con.
corning condition, 20 report an improve.
ment over the average, ranging widely
from to 100 per cent, but averaging 20
per cent while I counties report fair con-
dttionand a decrease averaging 20 Der cent.
The replies from Ohio include 81 counties.
ID reporting an average increase in acreage
OF IL per cent, and a reduction, averaging
10 per cent Sixteen counties report an
Improvement in condition averaging 20 per
cent and ga falling off OF Is pcr cent
Indiana turnishel y replies, OF which
10 indicate an acreage averaging l5per cent.
larger than last year, . decrease OF 20 and
per cent, respectively, and the remainder
no change. The condition is excellent, none
reporting q falling OF from the aver.
age, and l6 giving an average gain
OF . per cent In Missouri &c coup.
ties were heard IRON. In acreage
p OF these report an increase, rising In
individual cases as high as 80 aud GO per
cent, butGveaging IS per cent, while IA
show q reduction varying from so TO IDOL
per cent, and averaging 30 per cent. The |
returns OF condition, however, are very
satisfactory, 81 giving an improvement ay- |
eraging . per cent, and only three being
OF an untavorable nature. Eleven conn. |
ties report from Michigan, OF which nine
give an increase OF acreage averaging o. |
per cent, and but one OF a decrease. The |
condition in counties was II per cent
above the average. Kentucky sends 70.
plies from % counties, all, with one or two
exceptions, being highly favorable. The
average increase in acreage in II counties
was y per cent, and the average improve
mentin condition in 20 counties 50 per
cent There was no decrease OF import.
ance in either acreage or condition, From
Kansas, returns from 30 counties were ne.
ceiyed OF these, report gain in acre.
age averaging is per cent, and 10 a fallinv
off OF 30 per cent The condition. however
was unusually good, "a counties averaging
IN improvement OF IS per cent over the
average.
From this summary twill be seen that.
on the whole, there is an important in
crease in the acreage Of winter wheat over
that Of last year; and that the condition of
that crop, during the. last half Of Febru.
airy, was almost universally much above an
average.
The result Of our inquiries as to the per
centage Of the old crop OF wheat and In
dian corn still remaining in farmers hands
shows that, Of wheat, the proportion left
in Michigan and Wisconsin is very small. |.
in Kentucky, Indiana and Minnesota Il i
moderate; and in Illinois, Iowa and Mis-
souri,, large. OF corn, larger percentage
OF the Crop remains than wheat, the States
Of Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois and Ohio.
having each over third OF the crop left:
the remaining States also showing a high
ratio. The average portion OF the wheat
crop in growers hands, according 10 these
figures, is therefore 22.4. per cent; and Of
corn, 30.5 pea cent.
We infer from the general tenor Of our re-
ports that the supplies both OF wheat and
corn available for eastward shipment from
this time until next August are likely 10
prove very limitedD