The Bowbells tribune. [volume] (Bowbells, Ward Co., N.D.) 1899-1969, 1900-07-13
AN EASTERN CROP VIEW.
Half Crop Is Promised Where Two
Weeks Ago an Almost Total Fall
ure Was Predicted.

ure Was Predicted.
New York, July 1.-THE Wall Street
Journal says: ..
''Two weeks ago to-day the Northwest
was in the tfroes of the worst wheat
panic ever seen there. The crop failure
was regarded as a calamity. Farmers
were plowing up their land, selling their
stock and accommodating long options in
the market. Most Of them talked total
failure" The panic spread to the cities.
Many large bushes houses called IN their
travelling men, and several leading rail-
roads arranged for sweeping and radical
economies 1t was difficult to discrtmi-
nate between panic and actual damage,
but it was apparent that no crop situation
so bad had ever been seen before in the
Northwest And every day of drouth
made it worse A week ago to-day the
panic and the drouth were broken. Rains
fell generally and abundantly the latter
part of the week preceding, and In
few days the grain that had appeared
burned beyond any chance of recovery
gained one-third in growth and the berry
filled out beautifully. Experts doubled
their estimates of the probable total yield,
and the Northwest found its feet again.
"To-day there is no talk of total failure
or calamity. The people are as happy as
usual, and as busy. A visitor would see
nothing on the surface to reflect the re.
cent panic. 1t seems incredible that crop
estimates should be doubled within
week. or rather that the actual spring
wheat crop in sight should In such
short time be doubled. The explanation
is this: Before the drouth was broken
millions of acres averaged three to four
bushels, which shortly after 1t was
broken averaged six to seven bushels
to the acre. This was worth cutting.
What was to have been abandoned was
thus saved. Wheat as thin as three to five
bushels to the acre could only be cut
with headers, of which there are too few
to Be of much value in such an emergency
of a general character Besides, 1t Is
question whether such wheat is worth
cutting even with the price of wheat
81 per bushel. Double the average yield,
however, and the crop is we'll worth cut
ting at the present prices of wheat.
"a member of our editorial staff was
in the Northwest during the scare and
Immediately after it. He was familiar
with crop conditions in the Northwest,
having lived there many years, and being
familiar with the best sources OF informa-
ton. His first estimates were 40 to so
per cent of a crop, which he afterwards
reduced to Is to 40 per cent. After the
rains he raised his estimate to anywhere
between 40 to GO per cent or between 1O0.-
1000 and 115,OOO,OO bushels for Minne-
sofa, North Dakota and South Dakota.
This estimate is regarded by the best
crop authorities in the Northwest as con-
servative and safe.
sT11,o ooh fn l1a1 fn
this season in the spring wheat belt was
1883, when there was no rain from seed
ing to July. That year two-thirds
of crop was raised. That crop.
however, was fully ten days to two
weeks behind the present crop, so the
rains were all the more beneficial The
present crop is phenomenal in two re-
spects. Never before did spring wheat
suffer from drouth in the three states
simultaneously almost to the point of =
total failure in each state. Never be-
fore have rains SO opporunely and gen.
orally fallen as to double crop estimates
within a week.
'As far as the farmers are concerned.
the worst feature of the situation Is the
failure of the hay crop, which has caused
many, in most cases unwisely, to sell
their stock. A beneficial effect Of the
partial failure will be still further
diversification. AS far as the railroads
are concerned, there is little to worry
about. Only the roads running through
the spring wheat belt extensively are in
jured appreciably, the others being all
the better off in having winter wheat to
haul to the Northwest. The Great North
ern and Northern Pacific may have suf-
fered to the extent Of about 100000
each, but none of this will be shown in
the net earnings, for economies sufficient
to equalize the loss have already been be-
gun. Some of these economies, though
desired, could not have been undertaken
in bumper crop season"