The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-04-20
Nearly Five Million Acres SOwn
This Season.
Increase of Five Per Cent Over
Acreage of 1898.
MR.. COBURN'S REPORT
Shows That Only &c Per Cent
Is a Failure.
Remainder is In a Very Salts
factory Condition.

"A report on the acreage and present con-
dltion of winter wheat in Kansas has been
issued by the state department of agri-
culture 1t is compiled by counties and
is the consensus of statements by extens-
i've, observant wheat growers in every
neighborhood, supplemented by those of
millers, dealers and elevator men, especial
ly close attention having been given to
territory where the greater bulk of the
crop is produced.
The department has not made earlier
announcement of the wheat condition be-
cause of conviction that few days of
continuous settled and reasonably warm,
growing weather were essential before any
intelligent and reliable estimate of the sit
uation could be reached: in other words,
that accurate judment of wheat plant
conditions is not best arrived at by use
of pick and spade, in ice, snow and frozen
earth. All all events the Kansas agricul-
tural department does not seek, publish
or stand sponsor for information thus OBJ
positive knowledge of the states condi-
tions obtained by the well-meaning and
the state on a railroad tour from Alma
The area sown for the crop Of 1898 was
returned by assessors as 4,5O5. 459 acres. 1t
was estima ted by the departments corre-
sown for the 1899 crop would be 3 per cent
greater; at the present time their estimate
is that the increase amounts to rather
more than per cent.
1t is an interesting fact that "a of the
105 counties have so per cent of the wheat
acreage. and constitute practically the
the remaining 81 counties being less than
the acreage SoWn in the two counties of
Sumner and Barton. 1t is likewise of in
tereSt to know that one-half of Kansas
winter wheat acreage is in a block of Is
counties. comprising the southern two
the counties of Barton, Dickinson, Ellis,
Ellsworth, Harper, Marion, Mcpherson,
Pawnee, Reno. Rice, Rush, Russell, Sa-
line, Sedgwick, Stafford and Sumner. In
these counties the reported increase in
area sown amounts to per cent; q per
cent of their total sowing will likely be
pIowed up and the present condition of
the remainder is 81 per cent, the basis
of 100 good. satisfactory condition.
For the state the estimate of the proper
ton SOwn which from the severe winter,
unfavora BILE. long-protrac spring and
ly to be plowed up or devoted to other
crops is % per cent. The condition of the
remainder, or about 3,5152l6 acres, is 6S
per cent.
Generally throughout the state the soil
is in excellent condition to subsurface
moisture, but the chilly, drying winds of
the past four or five days have by no
means been helpful to and may destroy
many wheat plants of low vitality, which
with cOngenial weather would have sur
vived. While this is true, and on the
whole conditions might be more favorable,
years. decidedly worse, and there is no
caSion this date for fearing that Kan
SaS will not in the aggregate have a large
output of winter wheat
The table below shows by counties, in
the order of their rank in acreage in 1898,
crease sOwn for this years crop the per
cent which it is believed will be total
failure. and the per cent of present condi-
ton (based on 1000 for the remainder: