Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1891-11-28
:N4rHa T#ttrstts,
The Wheat Crop. Yield and Demand.
Cor. Country Gentleman.

Cor. Country Gentleman
The wheat crop of the United
States is, no doubt, much the largest
ever harvested; but many believe it
has been over-estimated and That suf-
ficient allowance has not been made
for the inferior quality of much of
the grain. Yet information comes
to me, from Washington, that. the
Agricultural Department has sur
prise in store, as the returns from the
agents really show a much greater
yield than that officially indicated in
the October report, and that the final
estimate will show crop far away
in excess of GOO, 000, 900 bushels. 1t is
difficult to believe that such manip-
ulation of the official returns would
be undertaken, or that any official
would so prostitute great office; nor
is it probable that the crop will much
exceed the October indications,
though there can be no doubt that
the threshings are pleasantly disap-
pointing.
The autumnal s0wings have been
made under very unfavorable condi-
tions and are not yet completed in
the southern part of the winter
wheat belt. During journey
through some of the best winter
wheat States (recently completely
the area was reported to be below
that Of a year ago, the plant small
and the termination uneven, while
some of the fields sOwn more than
three weeks failed to show any sign
of the plant in the absence of the
needed rain.
The secretary Of the Kansas State
Board of Agriculture expressed the
opinion that the area sOwn in Kan
sas was about IS per cent. as great as
that sown in 1890, while my observa-
lions would lead me to believe this
to be a very liberal estimate. Like
conditions have obtained in Western
Missouri, and the area, in that part
of the State is probably reduced quite
as much as in the adjacent Kansas
districts.
AS there had been slight increase
in some of the other winter-wheat
States, the probabilities are that the
area, as a whole, has been reduced
by fully 100000 acres, while the con
dition at the end of October is incom
parably below that Of 1890.
The department report indicates al
Out-turn of Indian corn exceeding
2,0OO,OO0,OOO bushels, or some pc
cent. only below that of the grea
crop of 1889, when the acreage wa
somewhat greater and the crop gooC
everywhere. From what l hav,
seen of the crop, / should place tn
yield fully Is per cent. below that O
1889, or crop but little more thar
1,S00,0O0,00O bushels. Ordinarily
the valley or bottom lands of Kansas
Missouri and Nebraska, as well a
Western Iowa, produce about a thir,
more than the adjacent uplands, bu
this year this is, as rule, reversed
and the bottom lands produce but
poor crop and in many cases nothing
while the uplands produce no NOR
than in 1889.
There are many things to indicat
that there is no more, if as much
maize available for consumption as
year ago, as then the country wa
carrying very large quantitie
brought over from the immense croI
Of 1888 and 1889, while at this tim
the granaries are empty, and i
many of the southern and centra
districts the crop has been draw
upon months in advance of the usuf
time. In Kansas, there will certain
ly be l00,000,0O0 bushels less cor
harvested than two years since
while the same is measureably tru
Of Nebraska and Missouri, and Will
Iowa, Ohio and Indiana may hav
somewhat more corn than in 1873!
the increased production in sue
States will not nearly make good tn