Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1885-04-24
STATE Agricultural Rsnnrt

The quarterly report of the secretary
OF the state board of agriculture shows
as follows:
The winter wheat area s0wn I'm the
fall of 1854 IS less than that OF The pre-
coding year by about - per cent, and
Is about equal I'm extent tO that sOwn in
the fall uf iss2. The decrease was uni
fulm throughout the state. but two
counties, making wheat Mess and
Washington, maintaining their acreage
of 1881. The ono principal cause for
this decline was the unsatisfactory
prices received for wheat after the har-
vest 1891, there being many instances
where the amount received for the crop
failed To pay the grower Tor expenses
paid I'm its production and marketing i'm
the west halfof the state. u territory i'm
cluding many prominent whcit coun-
ties. The period Of wheat seeding was
unusually deficient In rainfall. causing
many farmers tO sowa small area late i'm
the season, when they had contemplated
large acreage. The encouragement re-
Ceived In the cultivation OF Indian corn
in the section last named. In 1854, also
had the effect OF lcssenng the wheat
area, farmers reserying large portion
Ot their land for the cultivation of corn
Owing to the lack of moisture. as noted
before, the larger proportion of the crop
In the western half Of thestate was put
In very late, and had but a poor start
before the winter set in. The average
date Of seeding was much earlier in the
eastern half and as the rainfall was
more abundant, in this section the
plant had fine growth before the
beginning OF winter, and aside from
other conditions the crop would have
presented a fine prospect ut that time,
but the Icssian fly made its appearance
last fall in nearly every county in the
eastern half Of the state. being par
teularly numerous along the eastern
border and i'm the counties along the
valley Of the Kansas river. 10 Is diff
cult to estimate the damage done by
this insect pest before the beginning
OF winter owing To heavy damage sus-
tanned by the crop during the months
of February aud March from the alter
nate freezing and thawing. .It is be-
lieyed by many correspondents OF the
of the board that the injury from the
fy would prove 10 have been slight II
an opportunity had been given this
spring TO determine its extent. The
heavy loss sustained from freezing. how
ever, leaves II still an open question. The
appearance Of the lleSsian fly is noted In
several Of the western counties. but IL
Is not claimed that the crop in this sec
tion received any serious damage from
Interpretation, the variable temperature
Of February and March obtained in all
sections OF the state, and corrcspon-
dents agree that the largest per cent. OF
damages occurred from this cause. While
the decrease I'm the wheat area v.ns y
per cent, the loss from the IIessian iIy
and freezing was also 81 per cent. leav-
Ing little more than .OO0.OOO acres To
be harvested this yeng " favorable con-
dltlons are eobtainedhercafter. Thelate
sown wheat in the west is just begin
ningto grow, the season being at least
two weeks late as compared with last
year, and for thisrcasori its condition is
dihHcult 10 judge. An wheat sown in
corn stalk fields and In fields otherwise
sheltered and protected r. in fair condi-
ti9n, and promises good yield. That
sown ON new ground did not suffer as