Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1900-08-10
SHORTAGE OF WHEAT
Carefully Gathered Information from
the Northwest Shows a Big
Shortage Of Wheat.
Chicago Crop Experts Puts the Total
Yield Of Three States at Sc,
100000 Bushels
Large Percentage of Acreage will Not
be Cut and Other will Yield
Poorly.
OF WHEAT.

The shortage of spring wheat in the
northwest is clearly shown by B. w.
Snow, the crop expert who writes for
the Chicago Times-Herald of the stu
alton in the three states OF Mime
sofa. North and South Dakota. Com
menting generally on the situation he
says:
so far as the spring wheat crop is
concerned the only question is as to
the extent of the disaster. At the
close of June every one at all familiar
with the situation agreed that the
crop loss was the most severe in the
history of the northwest. AS to the
effect OF the rains which came with
the first week of July, there has been
n continues much difference of
opinion. and within a week there has
been a range in the estimates of those
atectlng to be we'll informed of from
%12,OOO,OOO to 125,UOO,J 900 bushels for
Minnesota and the Dakotas. 1t is
perhaps significant that the higher
range of estimates comes from
sources connected with the elevator
interests in that section of the coun-
try.
With a view Of ascertaining the
situation as it is seen by those classes
whose daily duty requires them to
Keep In touch with agricultural con-
dltlons in their respective localities a
special circular was this week sent to
country bankers, managers of local
elevators, railroad station agents and
individual farmers in every county in
n three northwestern states.
Each of these classes is necessar-
lly familiar with the local conditions.
and each reporter was cautioned to re-
port for only his own township, or at
least for a definite area with which he
was personally familiar. The circu-
airs were so scattered as to secure re-
ports from all sections, but especially
full from the districts of heaviest
population.
Returns have been received from
l31 country banks, lis local elevators.
eighty railroad agents and $40 farm
ers selected for their special experi-
ence in judging of crop prospects.
lhese returns when consolidated into
county averages include those coun-
ties which have 81 per cent of the
wheat acreage of Minnesota, 81 per
cent of South Dakota and o. per cent
OF North Dakota.
The questions submitted were:
l. What percentage of the acre
age seeded will not be harvested?
=. AT what do you estimate the
rate of yield per acre for all the area
that will be cut?
). What do you consider an aver
age rate of yield for your section in a
norman year?"
From the returns received, Mr..
Snow estimates the total crop of the
three states at S6,223O,OO bushels, al
lowing 47,43O,OOO bushels for Mime
sofa, 19,9OS,OOO bushels for South Da-
kota and 1S,9O0,OOO bushels for North
Dakota. Mr.. Snow puts the acreage
abandoned in North Lakota at 40 per
cent, giving the number of acres for
harvest at 100000 and the average
yield at 6.3 bushels.
In a summary of the conditions in
North Dakota Mr.. Snow says:
Not a single county in North Da-
kota shows anything like a full crop.
Richland in the extreme south of the
Red Rived valley, making the best av-
erage with 1911 bushels, against a
normal of 1871. This is the county
that received a good local rain on
June II. The averages for the differ
ent sections in the order of their i'm
portance are as follows:
A~~, VsI Ne ,