The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-06-12
Crop Prospects and Prices.

While IN some portions Of the North
west there Is danger of serious damage
| to the grain crop, there is still little in
| the general outlook for crop prospects
or grain prices to lend announcement
| to the preachers OF calamity and de-
spair. With prospect Of a heavy grain
crop generally the market price of
wheat Is advancing rapidly. and the
| crop this year promises to bring the
| greatest aggregate return to the farm
ers Of the country ever recorded. There
| Is a prospective shortage both IN France
and Russia. in the former country
wheat being from three to fve weeks
late. and badly injured. In some sec
| tons of the United States the wheat
| crop promises to be phenomenal.
| In Kansas for example, the estimate
| is now made that the crop will reach
| 90. 000, 900 bushels, which IL at least 30
| 900, 900 bushels greater than the highest
previous record. According to the pres
| ent outlook. the farm price of wheat
| in Kansas this year will be not short
Of sixty cents a bushel, which would
make the aggregate value OF the wheat
crop of the state not less than $54.-
| 600. 900.
Several prosperous seasons in success
| sion have lifted Kansas out OF the hard
| times rut and set her feet on the road
to prosperity. The aggregate amount
| of farm mortgages paid of in the past
| few years has reached enormous fig
ures. There has been a plethora OF
money in the banks OF the state. and
great sums have been sent East for in
vestment. In fact II is asserted In
financial circles that the money to
finance several trusts in the East has
been furnished indirectly by Kansas
farmers. The agricultural states, long
heavily indebted to the East and pay
ing yearly heavy interest charges to
| that section. are now assuming the
roles OF creditors. and are furnishing
| the money needed for the establishing
| anu oPctdtioll VI 6Itdl
establishments in the East. and even in
Europe. On top OF this prosperity II
seems likely that the majority of the
agricultural states are to enjoy even
a richer harvest than before. with in
terest charges largely eliminated and
with no back debts to pay of, the re-
turns from the present crop will ada
immensely to the aggregate wealth OF
the agricultural states.
1t is no wonder that Populism is fast
disappearing among farmers that the
calamity bowler is laughed at, that six
teen to-one has lost It's attraction, and
that the cheap money delusion
has ceased to have follow
| ing The idea OF the govern
ment coming into the market TO loan
unlimited sums at an interest rate Of
one or two per cent. bears an entirely
heavy bank account. who is himself
looking for safe and paying investment.
than II did when that same farmer was
facing short crops and low prices. with
heavy mortgage Indebtedness. bearing
high rate OF interest. hanging over
him. The delusive hope OF being able
10 scale down an overwhelming indebt-
edness by paying # in short weight dol
lars was undoubtedly temptation TO
many overburdened wheat farmers four
years ago. That proposition bears
when. with their debts wiped out. they
themselves have surplus invested. and
have Joined the creditor class No
money Is any too good for them now.
and the short-weisht dollar has lost tor
ali time the most respectable OF its sd-
vocates.
IA with Kansas. so with the other
| agricultural states. The farmers a.
Eastern Washington have again before
them the prospect % another prosperous
season. ana the great wheA; belt, IN
which Populism held strong sway four
years age. can be counted on with al
solute certainty 70 cast It's vote for the
party OF progress and prosperity.
The United States assay once made
pretty good record last year. bu;
there will be a large Increase in the
amour. ot gold dust handled this sea-
son.
picture at the Royal Academy this
! Naar anneareh 10 ranresent The Prince