Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1885-06-05
Gloomy Crop Reports.
OREGON AND WASHINGTON AHEAD.

| SHlCAGO, MaS O1.-1uo SIOWluS
wheat crop having reached a critical
stage, and winter wheat having ap-
preached a condition sufficiently
near maturity to approximate the
acreage and probable yield, the
Farmers Rerie,c has followed up the
usual weekly summary by a complete
survey of all the western and south
ern wheat growing States, reports
having been received from over 8. 600
correspondents, covering every wheat
producing county in Ohio, Michigan,
Nebraska, Illinois, Kentucky, Ten
nessee, Missouri, Kansas, Iowa,
Wisconsin, Minnesota and Dakota,
/ together with very accurate and re-
cent summary from the Pacific coast
region. This has been carefully
prepared, and the information is be-
lieved to be the most exhaustive and
latest that has yet been obtained,
and foreshadows the State and Gov
ernment reports.
GLOOMY REPORTS CONFIRMED.
In summing up the detailed re-
ports the Rerieu says: The gloom
lest views which have been advanced
concerning the Winter outlook for
1885 must now be accepted as most
accurate. The prom! ing conditions
of 1885 have iiil, seas)r bes il COM
pletely reversed. The absolute uni-
formity of the returns Indicate :l:.:t
the outlook for Winter-sown whea!
this year is the worst i'll ten years,
and it may be now Sc. down rs posi-
tive that under the most favoring
conditions tho total Winter and
Spring wheat yield is to fall consid-
erably under The short crop OF 1881,
when the total product was $50, ,OOO,-
600 bushels, with the exception of
Michigan, and Oregon and Wash
iugton Territory on the far western
slope. The causes leading to the
decreased output of Winter wheat
are almost identical. Iu Ohio, In
diana, Illinois. Kansas and Missouri
the giound was bare OF snow during
tho severely cold Winter, tho close
of which was followed by cold, dry
winds. There was also deceased
acreage, owing to the low prices
which prevailed for the crop of 1855.
In California deceased acreage
was accompanied by severe drouth,
which has tended to almost ruin the
growing crop. Oregon and Wash
ington Territory we're saved by
bountiful showers. which came in
time 10 save the grain.
REVIEW IN DETAIL.
When the States are considered
in detail the situation can be better
appreciated.
Illinois. .-Fifty.three per cent. of
the entire wheat crop of the State
has been plowed up, and more would
have been plowed had not the
ground been sown to clover and
grass. A very large proportion of
the wheat that is heading out proves
to be chaff and there is no probabil-
ity that the bread and seed will be
had in southern Illinois this year.
Four entire counties in the central
and southern tier have been plowed
up, and in eight other counties the
crop is reported as an entire failure.
The average condition of all the
| counties of the State does not ex-
ceed 46 per cent. of the yield of
1884, based upon fields not yet
plowed up.
Kansas. - The same conditions
which exist in Illinois are to bo
found in Kansas, with this excep-
ton, that the Hessian fly has been
at work more largely in one State
than the other. The acreage of the
State not plowed under is 50 per
cent. of the acreage of 1884, aud the
average condition of the plant is SO.
Missouri.-This State presents the
same condition spoken Of in Kansas
| and Illinois, Winter killed fields
having been plowed under, and
leaving total acreage remaining of
So per cent. of 1854 and IN average
condition OF So. The State will not
produce more than one-third of its
yield last year.
Ohio. northern tiers Of coun-
ties are making q better showing
than the average of States already
given, but in all tho southern coun-
ties the plant has been badly Winter
killed. The growing acreage has
been reduced to Is per cent. of last
year, and the average condition
does not exceed So per cent. OF
1884.
Indiana.-In portions Of northern
Indiana there is promise of an aver
age yield, but in the southern por-
ton of the State the outlook is no
more promising than in Ohio and H.
liuois. Tue yield of the State will
be about GO per cent. of last year.
Tennessee. Winter wheat pros
poets in the State have been running
down steadily for thirty days. and
the latest advices indicate that the
! State will harvest one-fourth of the
crop of 1854.
Kentucky.-In a few counties the
wheat crop promises fair yield, but
returns by counties indicate that the
crop will not exceed so per cent. oi
last year.
THE PACIFIC COAST.
California, Oregon and Washing.
ton Territory.-Prolonged drought
in California has very markedly in-
jured the prospects for growing
crops in that State. Edwin F.
Smith, Secretary of the State Agri.
cultural Society of California, has