Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1890-05-21
StauntOn Markets.
SPECTATOR OFFICE,
STarNTON VA Nav co. 1854

| The condition OF the crops, especially OF the
staple products, which enter into aud sustain
such large trade centering in this city and SC
| nearly associated with the leading features Of
| its com merce that it is not out of place and
and quite convenient to compile that class OF
! Information, as we often do with the market
| reports.
| According to our observation and from the
| best sources of information attainable, the
prospect for the growing wheat and grass has
not been SO backward at this season of the year
| in this section of the Valley since thu short
crop of 1885. Indeed. many fields of both seem
to pc receding from the condition they were In
few weeks since, certainly in view Of the
natural advance which should have been
made.
During the winter, scattering fields of both
wheat and grass clearly developed backward
condition. but it was supposed they would i'm
prove and that a IL then in a healthy condition
would remain so, but the reverse will
be the experience of many farmers in
all this region of the Valley Grass helds
for the first moving of the new sowing
which last fall gave the brightest promise,
have failed to come forward and will not make
half a crop of hay. Sour weed has taken wider
hold than we have ever seen it before, and has
really destroyed many fields Of. both wheat
and grass. April was a hard month on both,
and the want of moisture was very huTtfu
Oats and corn as general rule were put
into the soil late, and have made but little
Roadway SO far.
Our products have had little to do with reg
ulating the markets, and when our surplus is
cut down, as it directly will be the coming
harvest, continuance of low prices Will be
diminished realization of yield we always look
to the fields which control and first scan close
y the situation in the great western winter
wheat belt.
The Cincinnati Price Current furnishes week
y the fullest Information of any at our COM
mand and regularly compares its own with
other sources ofsintelligence. We copy from
the Price Current of the 18th instant as fol-
lows:
1.-THE past weak has not essent tally changed
the indications as to condition of the growing
wheat crop in Western States. In Ohio the
position has been moderately improved in
Indiana and IllinOisit appears to have suffered
something of decline in Missouri, whatever
cnange has occurred has been unfavoraole
but probably to an unimportant degree only !;
in Kansas the average has been somewhat
lowered in Michigan the change is not great
the evidence being rather against an improve
ment in Kentucky the situation Is well main
tanned as q rule. AS whole, for these States
the situation is not more promising JnaA d
week ago. and is probably less SO.
We have not especially Investigated the ex-
tent of abandoned area In the winter wheat
crop, which has been quite considerable In the
Central States of the West The actual seed
ing of winter grain was approximately 26,'
OGO coo acres, according to Department data.
The indications are that approximately 2.00o.-
COO acres have been turned to other crops or
otherwise disappeared from the area to be
harvested, so that 2i,OO0,000 acres is probably
as large breadth as the ultimate reckoning
will show, as compared with % ,3S3.O0O acres
last year. 1t would call for an average yield of
liz bushels on this area to produce 10000 900
bushels, and this quantity does not appear
likely to be exceeded.
Our correspondence in this issue is again
quite full and interesting. not only for its ref
erence to wheat but also concerning other
crops, Cool and wet weather in many locali-
ties have continued to retard the progress of
the corn crop, but the general condition is not
to be counted as unfavorable. The oats crop Is
som ewhat disappointing in some portions of
Ohio and Indiana. but favorable as a rule, and
generally encouraging further west, with a
good average promise. The grain crops have
been in need of rain in Missouri and Kansas.
Grass and me adow lands almost uniformly in
satisfactory condition.
The reported condition of winter wheat on
May compares with month ago, and May
last year, in principal States, as follows: