The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-07-02
SO MILLION BUSHELS.
Immense Crop of Wheat for Kansas
Other Crops

The wheat acreage harvested in Kan
sas this year will be about million
acres, or u million acres more than re-
ported by the state board of agr1cul-
ture.. Assessors returns from 62 coun-
ties indicate this. The wheat area re-
ported in these counties amounts TO =
les 900 acres. as compared with 1,986,000
acres in the same counties the preced-
ing year These figures include both
winter and spring wheat, and If the
same proportion prevails in the counties
which have not reported, the total WIN
ter and spring wheat area TINS year
was close to $500, 900 acres, including
what was winter killed and plOwed up
About 200, 900 acres of the total are
epring wheat. The state board of ag-
riculture'S estimate of wheat plOwed UP
is 20 per cent, which would leave over
$500 900 acres of winter wheat to be
harvested. 1t is safe to calculate, there
fore, that the winter and spring wheat
acreage amounts to over ) million
acres. The average yield per acre, even
If present conditions are no higher than
those of April, when the last state re
port was made, will amount to over IL
bushels so that Kansas has raised at
least 80 million bushels of wheat this
year. and there is a possibility of it's
running as high as so million bushels.
The Oklahoma crop is Variously esti-
mated from Is million to % million
bushels and the southern Nebraska crop
Is million bushels.
The great increases in area in Kansas
are in the western counties. Sherman
county, for example, on the extreme
western end of the state, has 126, $50
acres OF wheat this year, as compared
with only 46,021 acres last year. Other
important western counties showing in
cree SEES are: Ellis, increase 5000; Nor
ton, increase 1900; Philips, increase 2
900: Russell. increase 5 900: Thomas. in
crease Ia, 600; Sheridan, increase 5000;
Rice, increase, 10000; Rush,increase H.
OG0
The assessors returns for the 81 coun-
ties which have reported show corn
AREA of 1921. 791 acres, as compared with
4.904, S29 acres in the same counties Ia st
year. If the same proportion is main
tanned throughout the counties not re-
porting, the corn area in Kansas this
year is about S1s millions acres. and will
break all records for corn area in any
state in the Union. Iowa never had such
an area of cOrn-nor Illinois, nor any
other state. The Kansas corn area last
year was 1897 GOO acres. In 1895 it was
1896, 900 acres.
The oats area in the counties report
ing is nearly a third less than last
year, indicating a little over a million
acres for the state, as compared with
1,41S,G0O acres last year.
The fax area is about 25 per cent less
than last year or about IFS, 900 acres, as
compared with 231 600 acres in 1896.
The broom corn area is Just about the
same as last year-4O 600 acres The
areas in the important broom corn
counties are as follows: Mcpherson,
S522 acres; Rice, 1898 acres; Reno, 5,215
acres; Cheyenne, 345S acres; Pratt, l.
81 acres; Sheridan, LOIS acres.
Larned, July 2.-Pawnee county is to-
day one vast wheat field. Assessors re-
ports show that 116, 594 acres were sown
TO wheat in this county last fall 1t is
estimated that fully 81, 900 acres of this
area has ripened its grain. which is now
being harvested. Over $50 harvesting
machines have been sold here in the
last two weeks,and nearly 800 men have
been imported to assist in harvesting
the crop. The average yield will be not
less than Is bushels to the acre Some
fields are estimated as high as 40 BUSH
els to the acre.
1t is feared now that a considera Bile
per cent of the crop Will be lost on ac-
count of the ina blity of the farmers to
secure sufficient help to harvest it be-
fore it gets too ripe.