The Saline County journal. [volume] (Salina, Kan.) 1871-1893, 1888-09-06
WHEAT RAISING IN KANSAS.
Larger eroPs, Higher Prices ana better
Times for the Next tive or three Wears.

Larger oroPa, Higher Prices ana better
Times for the Next tive OF three Years.
It Is q Well-knOWn fact that all
agricultural products and manufae-
tured commodities vary in prices
according to the extent OF the pro-
duetiOn. The demand changes but
little. The SOC, 900, 600 Of people on
the globe, consume every year, a
somewhat definite and uniform
amount Of wheat, corn, tobacco &c,
and were the annualsupply uniform,
the prices would be, also. Owing to
q very extensive cultivation Of
tobacco in the South, a few years
ago, the prices ran down so low that
many planters ceased raising IL and
for several years the numerous
tobacco barns were empty. The
world gradually began to feel the
the shortage arising from a dimin-
ished growth Of the plant and prices
were forced up from three or four
cents per pound until twenty cents
was reached in 1887. This price will
allow a man to raise 500 worth Of
tobacco on one acre Of ground, and
consequently, every one in Ken
lucky that has suitable land and
barns, has gone back into the busi-
ness. An over production will, in a
few years, force the prices down
again aud the tobacco industry will
lose its importance until stimulated
again by high prices. This is the
history Of the tobacco crops for the
last so years. There have been sew
eral years in succession when il
scarcely paid the land owner to pro-
duce it. Then would follow a period
Of two or three years during which
prices would advance from $50 TO
500 per thousand and men would
make fortunes raising the weed
on rented ground after giving half of
the crops to their landlords. The
same principle governs the wheat
crop. 1t is not many years since
wheat sold in Salina for $l.25 per
bushel and we have seen il bring 81.
These prices stimulated the industry
and caused an over production and
a consequent decline in prices until
good wheat was sold in 1854 for 3j or
40 cents per bushel. The people OF
the world had not ceased to eat
bread, but simply had more than
they could eat.
Wheat is now rapidly advancing
in price and will probably reach 81
per bushel before spring. With the
immense wheat crop Of 1857, the
United States exported only 5O,OOO,-
600 bushels Of wheat. The re-
mainder Of the crop was needed at
home, as IL takes about 10000, ,OW
bushels per year to furnish our own
bread. Recent advices from the
wheat growing regions of the
United States indicate that the
wheat crop Of lSSS will be at least
5000, 600 less than the crop OF 1857.
Now, if we could only export
so, ,OOO,OO bushels last year from a
crop 75,OOO,OOO larger than our
present yield, is it not clear that the
crop Of 'Ss will fall ., 1000, 900 short OF
supplying our wants? The low
price OF wheat for the last three
years has caused the wheat industry
to almost die out in some OF the
older states where the land is
valuable for corn, oats, hemp, cotton,
tobacco &c, and the limited pro-
duction in the country at large, il
causing the price to rapidly advance.
The crop Of 'SS will be consumed by
our own people before the wheat of
'S9 is ready for bread. With this
kind OF prospects for high prices
and making fortunes 10y wheat rails
ing, our people ought to SOW twice
as much wheat as ever before. The
ground throughout the state is i'm
excellent condition and wheas can
be drilled into the corn fields with
hut little expense.
Those that fail to SOW wheat this
fall will miss a golden opportunity,
as the prices in 1889 will be much
higher than now. We expect to see
No. ? soft sell, before next harvest at
$l.25 or more. The present crop
will not afford plentiful
supply OF milling wheat until the
crop of 'S9, whatever it may be, is
ready for market and when the new
crop OF next year is ready for use,
the price will not be held down by
an abundance Of old wheat. This il
an elegant wheat country. We
know Of no better. Our greatest
prosperity has been due to wheat
raising and we never will be pros
porous and happy as Of yore, until
our farms are turned again into so
many wheat fields. With our many
railroads reaching every quarter OF
the country, and especially the
great wheat market of Texas; and
with our immense mills clamoring
for 1900, 900 bushels OF wheat per
year, we never expect, under any
circumstances fo saa mood ,rI,aat Il,