The Van Buren press., 1901-07-27
SEC WILSON'S OPINION.
Does Not Take So Gloomy a View
of the Prospects as Some
So-Called Experts.
HOPEFUL OF An AVERAGE CORN CROP
II Farmers Would Extend the rer'o"
of Corn Cultivation Two weeks
We Could Look for "a biz
Saws Farmers VIII LAY ny
Their Corn Too Soon.

New York. July PA dispatch 10
the Tribune from Washington says
Mr.. Wilson. secretary of agriculture
has favored the Tribune with TAX
ON the effects of the long-continueu
drought on the growing crops OF the
west. He does not take S" gloomy i
view of the agricultural prospect pc
TWEEN the Allegheny and the Rocky
mountains, as do some of the So
called experts who are not connec'eu
with the government service. Nor yet
does Mr.. Wilson attempt TO minimize
the injury already Gone and that Will
increase unless there is great pre-
cipitaiton of moisture during the nPNt
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
vet 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, en-
bracing the states of Iowa, Wisconsin,
the northern part of Missouri and all
of Illinois, Indiana and Ohio.
A Regretable Loss.
The most regretable loss from the
view point of the department, ue'
clares the secretary, is that OF the
macaroni wheat crop. For the nrst
time an experiment had been made
this year in the production OF this
variety of wheat on a 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 II
will not be a record breaker or "a
bumper" in the parlance of the agri'
cultural department, but, at this mo-
ment the prospects favor fair aver
age yield.
Advice to Farmers.
If something could be done to in.
duce the farmers in the corn belt,
said Mr.. Wilson, "to extend their
period of cultivation about two weeks
this year beyond the usual limit,
would look for big crop. But the
usual season for cultivation is rapid
~ drawing to q close, and fear that
with comparatively few exceptions
the farmers will lay by their corn al
the regular time, regardless of the
drought In the entire corn belt, with
the exception of Missouri, which has
a shallow soil, 80 inches Of rain dur.
ing the year is all that is needed to
produce q crop. II even only ~ or ID
inches of this falls during the foul
months Of production good yield
can be counted on.
stir the Soil.
1.-THE corn belt soil, with the excep'
ton noted, is deep, and holds moist
ure well. To utilize this conserved
moisture to the best advantage in the
absence Of rain the soil should be con
tinually stirred, so as to make what
we call mulch, until the crop Is
matured. Therefore, ! repeat that il
the farmers in the corn belt at thi,
time could be shown the ACCESSIBILITY
OF extending their cultivation season
about two weeks we could look for O
good yield this year The farmer
like every other business man, Away,
does what he believes TO be best fol-
his own interest, but in case like
this II Is extremely difficult to dis
seminate broadly in farming commu
mites the information that is OF pres
sing and immediate value. by this
mean " we only could spread al
through the corn belt the news that 4
the season Of cultivation were extend
ed about two weeks beyond the usua
limit, there would need be no fear o,
the result"