New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-06-29
THE ACCOUNTS ABOUT THE CROPS.

Inst n This season stories Of extensive IN
Jury to growing crops such as have been
widely circulated of late. need 10 be received
with caution II Is unfortunately the fact. as
experience has proved. that sor' OF the crop
roportlnc organizations or offices are always
open to speculative influences. and do not fail
to discover and distribute most gloomy intel-
sonce whenever there exists speculative in
tcrcst strong enough TO make II worth Whlie'
Sources Of information not open 70 such infu-
cnccs also exist. hut are not readily dSIn-
gushod by the reading public 1t is also true
that some farmers organizations for several
ycors past have exerted nm extensive influence
In the circulation Of erroneous reports. ana
about harves, time II Is imagined that the in
terests Of farmers can be served only by CIV
ing false impressions rs TO the size Of their
crops.
Such Organizal Ions. 1t Il we'll known, nave
greatly Influenced the work Of Government crop
reportlnc. so as to make It entirely valueless
at times. To what extent the present Secre-
tarv Of Agriculture has been able SO to reor2an-
i2e his service rs 10 avoid that Influence can
not be definitely stated. for the last revision OF
reports by the Department issued In February
was demonstrably far below the truth as 10
wheat though more nearly correct than others
which had preceded. Presumably his best ei-
forts have rs vet been able TO get rid OF only part
Of the sources Of false information. which has
been 80 Systematically distributed for years in
the belief that the true interests OF farmers
would thereby he promoted When II Is added
that In many Of the States the bureaus are I'M
der the same influence, and have as regularly
undcrstatcd the yield Of important crops rs il
that had been their only object of existence. il
may be realized that gloomy Information has
fine opportunity to get extensively circulated.
whether true or false about The time farmers
are harvesting
one fact Is often overlooked The area de-
voted 10 wheat. corn or cotton growing In THIS
country Is SO extensive. and the times when The
crop IS exposed 10 injury vary so widely IN dif-
fercnt regions that II is practically impossible
for any disaster to reach n large proportion Of
any crop after II has fairly advanced toward
maturity Tn" storm which might do harm 10
wheat Jus, being harvested In September In the
Ear North woull do no harm whatever 10 wheat
harvested IN the three preceding months from
Texas northward. u has happened that vast
Aood has destroyed the cotton planted In extern
sivc portions NJ several States and yet the ag-
grrgate yield has been greater than ever Great
damage has been done to wheat In several
States not only once but many times, when
the general yield proved 10 he larger than usual.
II does not follow That the aggregate produc-
ton IS apprcciably affected II In some counties,
or even IN several adjacent States. the farmers
have suffered serious loss.
In the light Of such considerations any serl-
Gus alarm about the outcome Of harvest rs 10
either Of the great crops Is likely TO be unwar-
ranted, unless tho general press dispatches have
recorded. NJ many points extending over n wide
territory, climatic conditions so extraordinary
that they are never left TO be made known by
crop reporters only. When all accounts show n
large acreage. with extremely promising con
dltlons on the whole down 10 n late date Il
Is generally safe 10 pay little attention 10 stories
Of production which have not appeared first In
general news dispatches. and in 30 many dis
patches as 10 arrest public attention.