Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1884-11-28
encouraging for Northwestern Wheat
Growers. -

Hioneer Press:-.rhe extraordinary
depression of the wheat market results.
OF course, chiefly from excessive pro-
auctlon-unusually abundant crops
having been yielded upon largely in
creased areas in nearly all the wheat.
growing states; while the foreign de-
mand has been reduced by the concur
renee OF similar conditions in the old
world. The effect of this over-supply
mas been to reduce the price of wheat
over wide districts of the United States,
as wei as England, below the actual
cost OF production. The Pioneer Press
not long ago pointed out that the inev-
liable economic consequence of this
state of things would be an immense
decrease in the areas of wheat produce
ton in this country and throughout
the world. In England where the crop
was above the average, the farmers are
unable to realize the cost of production
at existing prices, and wheat raising
there has been subjected to so MANY
rulnous vicissitudes of yield and price
for many years that there is a general
disposition to abandon it. What IS true
OF England is true of the greater por-
lions Of the wheat regions of the Unit
ed States. Information from reliable
sources shows that i'll the winter wheat
states especially, where three-fourths
OF the total wheat crop of the United
States is raised, there is going to be an
immense decrease in the acreage, and
that the disgusted and disheartened
farmers are going to put their land in
what they regard as the more profitable
crops of corn and other grains. The
.dlscouraging effect Of the ruinously
Low prices of wheat will extend over
nearly the entire area of its most I'M
profitable production in an enormous
reduction of the acreage put in wheat
this winter and next spring; and this
again is likely to result in a limited and
perhaps deficient supply, with higher
prices than have been realized for years
before.
The Pioneer Press has already called
attention to the fact that this state Of
things is likely to rebound greatly to
the advantage of the wheat growers Of
Minnesota and Dakota. For low as is
the price OF wheat in this region, it is
considerably higher, relatively, than in
Kansas and other western states. This
is partly due, Of course, to the superior
quality of the hard spring wheat Of
Minnesota and Dakota, and partly to
the competition for this hard wheat
supply between the Minneapolis mills
and the short haul to Duluth. For
these reasons higher prices prevail over
this northern wheat belt than anywhere
else in the United States--and the re-
suits. though temporarily embarrassing,
are not SO disccnraglng or SO ruinous
to the wheat grower as in other Sec
tions Of the country. So far from there
being anything discouraging to the
wheat farmers Of Minnesota in the ex-
listing state of the wheat market, it is
full of brilliant promise for next year,
especially. With the almost certain
prospect Of an immense decrease OF the
acreage in all the winter wheat states,
and consequently of a limited supply
and correspondingly higher prices next
year, the farmers of this Northwestern
wheat belt will act wisely if, instead Of
putting less land in wheat next spring,
they put more. All the signs Of the
times make it probable that with the
oscillation from a superintendent sup
ply this year to a largely decreased and
perhaps inadequate supply next year,
prices will swing back to ahigher point
than has been reached for years before.
In any event, it is quite certain that
the decrease in acreage elsewhere will
be sufficient to cause a very considera-
BILE advance in the price of wheat, and
that it will be the most profitable crop,
upon an average yield, which the farm
ers Of Minnesota and Dakota can raise
next year. This is the conclusion
which ordinary business sagacity will
draw from existing conditions. We
have heretofore been advising the
farmers of the Northwest not to risk
everything upon a single crop so uncer-
tain and tluctuating in its yield and
price as wheat. We do not withdraw
that advice. But while the uncertain
ty Of the yield still remains to admon-
ish the farmer to guard against the
danger of relying upon n %precarious
crop, it is safe to predict all the wheat
of fair quality that can be raised in Da-
kota and Minnesota in 1885 will COM
mand a fair price, and probably a very
remunerative price.
Huron Times: - Jerauld county,
though without q railroad IS growing
fast. 1t polled over SEQ votes, giving
Clifford 691 and Wilson 131.
Ready made wooden houses are now
cxD0rtnd fran this country to BuenOS