The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-04-21
He SAYS ITS WORSE
Farmer Near Mt Hope Dis
putes Eagles Figures
or WHEAT CONDITIONS
Thinks More Than 26 Per
Cent Is Killed.
WHEAT CONDITIONS

The Eagle is in receipt of the following
letter from Mt. Hope:
Mt. Hope Kan, April %.
To the Editor of the Eagle:
| notice that you say in today's paper
that only % per cent Of the winter wheat
IS killed by the cold weather. 1 think you
will find it more. I know that wheat in
the vicinity south of Mt Hope wont make
half a crop One field of 100 acres is al
ready plowed up. Upon what do you base
your estimate. Can you give more def
mite information ]. S. MARTIN.
1t has been stated at different times
that the condition of both the wheat crop
and fruit varied locally and that in some
sections both the wheat and fruit are in
good condition. The Eagles figures yes
terday were taken from the report of the
state board of agriculture.
This report is compiled by counties and
is the average of statements by extern
sive wheat growers in every locality in
the state, supplemented by the opinion of
millers, dealers and grain men every
where especially close attention being
given to territory where the greater bulk
of the cop is produced.
The department says in its report that
it has not made earlier announcement of
the wheat conditions because of a con-
viction that a few days of continuous
settled and reasonably warm, growing
weather were essential before any intelli-
gent and reliable estimate of the situa-
ton could be reached; in other words
that an accurate judgment of wheat plant
conditions is not best arrived at until late
observations. The department does not
publish information nor accept as final
the positive knowledge of the states
condition obtained by the well-meaning
observer who has ''been out over the
state" on a railroad tour.
The area sown for the crop of 1898 was
returned by assessors as 4,5O5, 459 acres.
It was estimated by the departments cor
respondents in November last that the
area sown for the 1899 crop would be 8
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 ffty-four
of the Jos counties have 90 per cent of the
wheat acreage, and constitute practically
the wheat field Of Kansas, the area sown
in the remaining fifty-one counties being
less than the acreage sown in the two
counties of Sumner and Barton 1t Is
likewise of interest to know that one
half of Kansas winter wheat acreage is
in a block of sixteen counties, compris
ing the southern two-thirds Of the CEN
trail third of the state, or the counties
Of Barton, Dickinson, Ellis, Ellsworth,
Harper, Marion, Mcpherson. Pawnee,
Reno, Rice, Rush, Russell, Saline, Sedg-
wick, Stafford and Sumner. In these
counties the reported increase in area
sown amounts to Z per cent; 81 per cent
of their total sowing will likely be plowed
up, and the present condition Of the re-
mainder IS ST per cent, on the basis of 100
as a good. satisfactory condition.
For the state the estimate of the pro-
portions sown which, from the severe
winter, unfavorable. long-protracted
spring and other causes, now seems a
failure and likely to be plowed up or de-
voted to other crops, is % per cent The
condition of the remainder, or about g.
515,216 aces. is IS per cent.
Generally throughout the state the soil
is in excellent condition as to sub-surface
moistre, 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 favor
able. they could be now and have been
IN other years decidedly worse. and there
is no occasion at this date for fearing that
Kansas will not in the aggregate have |
large output of winter wheat