The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-01-03
WHEAT GOES DOWN
SEDGWIOK COUNTY FARMERS TELL
HOW IT HAPPENED.
Improved Farm Machinery Caused the Low
Price of Wheat just as the Invention OF
the Cotton Gin Caused Cotton to Sell
Cheaper--Why Farmers Underestimate
Their Crops-One Farmer After Mature
Deliberation Comes to the Conclusion
Truth is the Best About the Growing
Crops.

'This snow has revived the wheat
wonderfully" said Henry Teachout,
prominent farmer in the western part
of the county yesterday.
Two weeks ago the farmers in this
section had begun to figure on light
wheat crop for 1895, but it is all changed
now Mr.. Teachout said that before the
snow wheat in many places had turned
yellow and that the snow would furn-
ish the much needed moisture. Farm
ers are now generally expecting large
wheat crop.
The hope is based on the well known
fact that the most trying time On the
growing plant is March and April. This
is the season when strong minds are
certain to prevail but they never in
jure the wheat when there is sufficient
moisture to prevent the earth from be-
ing blown away from the young plant.
Mr.. Teachout says that when there
is snow at this time of the year and
extending westward, that we are GER
tain to have plenty of rain in the
spring, which insures wheat crop in
the Arkansas valley. The farmers are
now in the habit Of renlarking that
there is no use in raising large crops OF
wheat for the reason that it VIII FUR
Their depress prices. A well known far
mer in this county said to an Eagle rep
resentative yesterday:
Il will tell you why we farmers
would rather underestimate our crops
than to overestimate them. In the days
when real estate men ruled Kansas we
used to send out great estimates OF our
growing crops and wonderful yields
were predicted. Well, when we organ
lied the oranges the farmers got to-
gether and talked over this matter. we
came to the conclusion that these en-
couraging reports were used to bear
the grain markets and we began TO
discourage them.
There is. however. another side to
this story. We have gone to the other
extreme and now the farmers general
ly understand their crops. People llV-
ing outside this state believe that the
wheat crop in this section was a com
plete failure the two last years and yet
we have had wheat in abundance TO
sell and to feed to our hogs. Now you
see when we over estimated we helpeu
to bear the markets for our own pro-
ducts and when we under estimate them
we injure the credit of our state.
Il have been giving this subject some
thought for a year or two past and
have come to the conclusion that he
best thing to do is for all parties con-
cerned is to tell the exact truth ABOUT
our crops. The fact of the matter is
that we have never had better pros
pect for an abundant wheat crop, at
this time of the year. Everybody
knows that we had very little rain
since wheat was sown last fall but
there was an absence of drying winds
and wheat is now in fine shape. L
will be greatly surprised If we do not
have a great wheat crop this year.
There has been a great deal written
and said about low prices for wheat.
Everybody knows that wheat has been
too cheap for a year or more but II Is
nevertheless true that farmers can now
as easily raise wheat for so cents as
they could raise it for 81 a bushel be-
fore we had the machinery we now nave
The gang pillow and the grain drill and
the harvester has tended to reduce the
price of wheat just as the cotton gin
reduced the price of cotton. These
things cannot be helped and L guess
in the long run it will be better for all
concerned. / would rather raise two
bushels of wheat for one dollar than 10
raise one bushel for. the dollar II L cam
raise the two bushels just as easy. In
that case will be just as well OFF ana
people will have more bread to eat.