The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1889-04-12
SOWING THE SEED.
The Wheat Season Gets an Early
Start. With the Prevailing Con-
ditions Fairly Encouraging-In-
crease In Acreage.
PiOneer Press)

The wheat season opens under fair
auspices. In the first place seeding be-
gan from three weeks to a month ear
lier than last year; then secondly, the
acreage has been materially increased
both IN Minnesota and the Dakotas;
thirdly, the soil is in good condition, al
though rather too dry in most localities;
and finally, the farmers are encouraged
to look for good financial returns for the
seasons work by reason of the contin-
ued high prices IN the wheat market.
This IN a general way is the snm and
substance OF reports received by the
Pioneer Press from about forty or fifty
wheat growing counties.
AS TO the increase In acreage, it of
course varies in different localities.
Throughout the great wheat belt of
Northern Minnesota the indications are
that the increase is from Z to 10 per
cent, although the returns are not suffi-
GENTLY full to form the basis of any close
estimates. In some localities in North
Dakota from % to 30per cent more acre
age will be sown than was sown last
year; but these places are exceptional,
and probably Is per cent is
about the average increase.
But Southern Minnesota, where there
has been comparatively little attention
given to- wheat raising in late years,
makes the best showing in this regard.
Farmers in that section have taken
heart and courage, and in some counties
are putting In more wheat than for sew
eral years past. They have not only the
incentive OF higher prices to give them
confidence, brit the belief is quite preva-
lent that the chinchbugs have disap-
peared and that the crops will be free
from the depredations of that pest. This
belief is not quite universal, but it is pre-
valent to large extent and has led to
sowing of many additional acres in
Southern Minnesota. In Fillmore coun-
ty the increase in acreage is especially
large, in some sections almost doubling
upon the acreage of last year. But that
ratio is exceptional, the percentage
ranging in different sections in the
southern and middle counties all the
way from 10 to 40 per cent. as to the
seeding.
The seeding began in some sec
lions as early RS March 10 to u,
while in others it was hardly be-
gun, and all around it has been inter-
fered with, more or less, by the re-
cent cold weather. In the chief wheat
belt the large farms are about half seed
ed, while the small farmers are just be-
ginning to put In their seed. An impor-
tant feature of the situation is the fact
that throughout the large area visited by
the early frosts last year, the frosted
wheat is being used extensively for seed.
AS it has not yet been conclusively de-
monstrated that wheat sprouted from
the frosted kernels will mature and give
good yield, the use of such wheat
seems trifie risky; the farmers seem to
be willing to take the risk, however, and
they are of the opinion that if the sea-
son is not too dry, and is otherwise IA
vorable, they will have fine crop. They
are using drills almost universally in the
Red river valley and throughout the
other frosted sections, thus burying the
kernels well into the earth.
The need of rain is noted generally in
the reports. In Northern Dakota there
has been fall of snow recently, and II
has had favorable effect.