The Forrest City times. [volume] (Forrest City, Ark.) 1871-1919, 1901-07-26
SE('Y WILSON 5 opinion.
Does Not Take So Gloomy a View
of the Prospects as Some
So-Called Experts.
HOPEFUL OF An AVERAGE CORN CROP.
If Farmers Would Extend the Period
Of Corn Cultivation Two Weeks
We Could Look for Big Crop
Says Farmers VIII "Lny ~"
Their Corn Too soon.

New York, July 24.-A dispatch 10
| the Tribune from Washington, says:
| Mr.. Wilson. secretary of agriculture.
has favored the Tribune with IA talk
on the effects of tb~ long g-continned
drought on the growing crops of the
west. lie does not take 81 gloomy 4
view of the agricultural prospect be-
| twen the Allegheny and the Rocky
mountains, as do some of the So
| called experts who are not connected
with the government service. Nor yet
| does Mr.. Wilson attempt to minimize
| the injury already done and that will
| increase unless there is a great pre-
| cipitaiton of moisture during the next
few weeks in the vast stretch of coun-
try between the continental mountain
| ranges. While he acknowledged that
the hard wheat belt of the north
west has been damaged, he does not
set despair of an average yield of
| corn in the corn belt. which he de-
| fines as extending east from the Mis-
| souri, river to the Alleghenies, em-
| bracing the states of Iowa. Wisconsin,
the northern part of Missouri and all
of Illinois, Indiana and Ohio.
RegretabIe Loss.
The most regretable loss from the
view point of the department, de-
elares the secretary. is that of the
macaroni wheat crop. For the first
time an experiment had been made
this year in the production of this
variety of wheat on IA large scale in
the United States. Secretary Wilson
has been encouraging this expert
| ment ever since he has been at the
| head of the agricultural department.
and imported the seed from northern
| Africa, where most of the wheat is
| produced which supplies Europe and
| the world with macaroni.
The secretary is especially hopeful
| of an average corn crop. He says it
| will not be n record breaker or IA
bumper" in the parlance of the agri-
cultural department, but, at this mo-
ment the prospects favor a fair aver
age yield.
| Advice to Farmers. d
"lf something could be done to in-
| duce the farmers in the corn belt"
said Mr.. Wilson, ito extend their
| period of cultivation about two weeks
this year beyond the usual limit.
would look for "A big crop. But the
| usual season for cultivation is rapid
| ly drawing TO a close, and | fear that
with comparatively few exceptions
the farmers will lay by their corn at
the regular time, regardless of the
| Il Ia, -. I,.I ia
| the exception of Missouri, which has
a shallow soil, 80 inches of rain dur
ing the year is all that is needed to
produce II crop. If even only II or Il
inches of this falls during the four
months of production good yield
can be counted on.
Stir the Soil.
The corn belt soil, with the excep-
tion noted, is deep. and holds moist
are we'll. To utilize this conserved
moisture 10 the best advantage in the
| absence of rain the soil should be con-
| tinually stirred, so as To make what
we call "A mulch, until the crop ~
inatured. Therefore. | repeat that ii
| the farmers in the corn belt at this
| time could be shown the advisa blity
of extending their cultivation season
about two weeks we could look for a
| good yield this year. The farmer,
Ike every other business man, always
does what he believes to be best for
his own interest. but in case like
this il is extremely difficult to dis
seminate broadly in farming commu-
mites the information that is OF pres
sing and immediate value. BY this [
mean if we only could spread all
through the corn belt The news that if
the season Of cultivation were extend-
ed about two weeks beyond the usual
limit, there would need be no fear of
the result"