The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1889-04-03
FARMERS ENCOURAGED.
THE OUTLOOK FOR a BOUNTIFUL
HARVEST UNUSUALLY BRIGHT.
Winter Wheat Looks Beautiful In Many
sections-Ihe Ground Il Dry and Rain Is
Neeased-Oats and Other Early Graps
Are Being Seeded.

always one OF the most trying, disagreeable and
disheartening months, not only 10 the producer
but To EVERYONE connected directly or indirectly
In the moving OF the crops. has this year, and
particularly during the last two weeks, given us
phenomenal conditions From large corps OF
correspondents scattered throughout the coun-
try, the condition OF crops, seeding etc, up To
March 25th may be summarized a7follows: As
yet there has practically no seeding been done OF
spring wheat. All the western part ~ Minnesota
and Dakota are ready TO 60 TO work Mt once On
some OF the higher knobs wheat has already
been seeded.
The reports from these two States show the
! ground in good condition for seeding as soon as
IL warns up But the reports also unani-
nous upon one point, and that is that the
ground still continues dry after you get down an
inch or SO, and that there Ii great danger of the
crop being injured unless rains follow soon after
seeding
There was no rain to wet the ground any in
Dakota last fall, and little snow fell during the
winter. South Dakota reports that II there were
any bushes there the birds would be singing but
/ the moisture is scarce the birds Farmers
have been narrowing their ground the ground is
dry, but the opinion seems 10 he that the mild
! winters have always been followed by good crops
in Dakota, and farmers will seed every acre pos
sible; Mild weather has been the order of the
day in Southern Minnesota lately. All CORE
spondents report that seeding will he quite gen
eral within a few days, but that rains are neces-
sary Immediately after seeding, as the ground
is SO dry that the wheat will not sprout with
| out IL.
| Nebraska reports that they have had little
rain throughout the State this spring The far
/ mers are seeding spring wheat but the average
IL growing less and less every year, oats and
corn taking its place The movement OF corn in
Nebraska at present is small aud will continue
SO until spring seeding is over After that every
/ thing points to an increased movement in corn.
In Iowa dry weather prevails, ana in some
| portions of the State the wells now are as low
as at the driest time last summer. Farmers are
sowing little spring wheat but not 10 any great
| extent. The ground is dry enough for the seed
inn 4 f.Nt
4 to seeding just now for fear of bad weather in
| the n mr. future.
! There seems TO be an unusually large amount
| OF corn back in farmers hands in Iowa and ut
| present prices II is not likely TO come forward
This report on spring seeding would not DO
! complete without looking over Northern and
| Central Illinois, devoted now so largely To the
| growing of oats. No one who is not practically
| familiar with the development of agriculture in
Central Illinois has any conception of the in
| crease in the acreage of oats, the acreage now
| being almost as grea5 "a that OF corn.
The tile lands i'm this area are actually dry and
! dusty; but farmers are talking seriously OF re-
! ducing the acreage of oats this spring owing TO
/ the eAorbitant price which they are Obliged 10
| pay for twine To bind the crop with, and they
are forming boycotts against twine trusts all
over the state. They seem 10 be thoroughly
aroused upon the subject.
The soeding may be summed up prac-
! ticnlly rs follows:
From fifteen To twenty DAYS earlier than
usual, little done yet ground dry, but cannot
yet be- called n drouth. Seeding will open up
l
seem absolutely essential To the success of the
spring seeding.
The general conditions OF the winter wheat
crop up To this date are backward The distri-
button OF the rninfull OF the country seems TO
have no method in its madness, for in Michigan
Northern Illinois, Indiana and Ohio the ground
is dry and down in the southwestern portion of
the Wintery wheat belt there is plenty of moist
ure and the crop growing fast and doing well.
Reports from Southern Kansas ali indicate
plenty @. rain; i'll fact, too much for spring
| \ lunll
Quite number of points in Southern kansas
say there Is little wheat in farmers hands and
none in elevators and that they importing
now almost all the wheat they using and
expect to do so until the next crop comes on the
market.
Reports from Central Kansas say that there is
sufficient moisture in the ground 10 carry the
wheat plants through the spring. Reports from
Northern Kansas say there is no surplus OF
wheat in that part of the country farmers have
never sold as closely as they have this season
Reports from Northern Missouri all of n
favorable character much more so than they
were year ago ut this time The milling out
look shows quite an improvement and II better
demand for -four The wheat moves slowly
and stocks in millers hands running
prices for wheat. Eastern Missouri reports no
complaint of the growing crop. 1t has COM
menced to grow; farmers deliveries have been
free in the early part of the month, but the
stocks now fast melting away.
Southern Missouri reports favorable crop con-
ditions and demand for flour better; not enough
-
the last thirty days to keep the mills running,
and they are sending away from home TO get it
by car lots.
In Southern Illinois the greats wheat field of
the State is all now in good growing condition.
There is less wheat in the farmers hands than
for many years at this date and particularly
less good wheat. Farmers all though Southern
Illinois are sowing oats country roads have
been unusually good during the winter and con-
sequently the movement of wheat up to the
present time has been larger than usual.
Northern Indiana reports the wheat looking
well and all ii needs now Is plenty OF rain for
the remainder of the month.
Southern Indiana reports warm and spring
like weather, and with hardly n single report of
winter killing or farmers blowing up their crop.
The demand for flour is light, and none Of the
mills running over half the time
Southern Ohio reports fine growing weather
for wheat and that all the wheat now in the
farmers hands will be needed for home consump-
ton Good wheat is scarce. The millsi. have
little stock on hand and are buying from hand 10
mouth.
Southern Michigan reports warm and dry
weather for the season of the year There is no
movement of wheat from farmers hands, and,
in fact, there is little TO move. The country ele-
vators carrying small stocks.
Reports from the central and northern parts
of Michigan all say they want good, warm
rains to start the wheat to growing.
Stock in farmers hands is small probably
not more than one-half the usual amount at
this date in 1888. Owing to the fact that
prices were good last fall farmers sold freely,
and stocks held by mills and elevators are
also extremely light. Receipts have been
scarcely anything. Many of the large country
mills report that the supply is not large
enough to last the mills thirty days steady
running and that some of the mills are inn
porting from Toledo now the wheat they are
grinding.
Tennessee and Kentucky both report that the
growing wheat crop was never better. The
plants starting of strong and healthy.
Farmers supplies have nearly all gone TO mar
ket.
The condition of the wheat crop in California
is changed for the better 10 some extent by the
recent rains. Although to the observer the
grain in Central California looks well, yet the
rivers and creeks dry last September,
and the grain lives this surface moisture.
II in the near future only average spring
rains fall and the popularity of the San
joaquin Valley Is that after March little
rain occurs, except in phenomenal seasonsl, the
harvest will not exceed the comparative yield Of
the two preceding years. Reports from Wash
ington Territory are of favorable character, so
far the growing crop of wheat is concerned.
There IL quite large amount of wheat i'm the
country TO be moved of vet The milling situa-
ton is good, milers paying equal 10 IS cents for
wheat in Tacoma.
Wfndritn