The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1901-10-07
have GONE
WHEAT CRAZY.
Kansas Farmers Will Give Up
tho Raising of Corn.
CROPS HAVE BEEN SMALL,
% the Other Hand Those Who Raised
Wheat Have Become Wealthy
Within q Few Years.
CROPS HAVE BEEN SMALL.

salina. Kan. oct. 7.--Kansas will be an
immense wheat field next year, for, in
stead of corn. wheat viii be sown in the
greater part OF the state.
The wheat belt in the past has been
a we'll defined area in the central and
southern portions OF the state. including
only Is connties-one-fourth eff the area OF
the state--yet these % counties this year
produced more than 100000 bushels. or
one-ninth OF the entire product OF the
United States.
In the great corn belt which comprises
the counties along the Nebraska line the
farmers are deserting corn FOR wheat.
The corn acreage here has been from 200
200 10 100000 acres each year, while only
10000 TO $1,000 acres were sown i'm wheat.
Now corn is 10 be wiped out for wheat.
The desertion IL called "A craze by the
newspapers OF the northern counties,
Jewell and Republic counties next 10 the
Nebraska line. have been the banner corr,
counties OF the Union. In 1895 they pro-
duced upward OF 20.0000 900 bushels of corn,
more than the average crop of many
states This fall four-ffths OF the great
corn acreage will be sown 10 wheat
much of it is already IN.
The implement dealers are the first TO
profit by the change. Already thousands
of wheat drills have been sold In the corn
regions.
Very few farmers I'm the corn belt are
equipped for wheat raising. In addition
TO the drills for sowing, the farmers will
have TO buy self-binders when the har-
vest times comes, and after that scores
of steam threshing machines will have
TO be imported.
III there IL good wheat crop next
year the harvest-hand problem Will be-
come far more serious than ever. For
the past two years. when the wheat has
ripened, a great cry for help was gone
up from the Kansas wheat bslt-the 26
counties I'm the central and southern parts
OF the state. Men were imported from
other states by the traiuload. and other
parts OF the state sent thousands OF har-
vest hands 10 help save the wheat
Next year not only will the one-fourth
Of the state I'm the wheat belt be asking
for help. but all the rest of the state
AS well. The corn counties will not only
he unable to help the wheat counties, but
they viii themselves demand help
The cause of this wheat craze is the
fact that many farmers I'm the wheat belt
have become wealthy I'm two years. Farm
ers who barely managed to make liv-
ing for several years have harvested from
5000 TO Zoo bushels OF wheat each Of the
rast two years, and they have made
enough TO buy additional farms or ac
cumulate bank accounts running into
four or five figures
Others who had 80 much land during
the hard times that thov were scarcely
able 10 pay their taxes and the interest
on their mortgages arc now independently
wealthy. Some OF them have started
banks and are themselves loaning money.
A number of instances are on record
where bankers have closed out their
banks and gone 10 farming In order 20
make more money.
The corn farmer. on the other hand.
produced comparatively nothing the past
year. The average corn farmer I'm Kan
sss makes his money by feeding his corn
10 cattle and hogs rather than by selling
st. When the drought came on this year
the corn farmers found large numbers
pf cattle and hogs on their hands and
so corn with which 10 fatten them
The pastures dried up. wells. ponds and
and creeks went dry. and the farmer with
live stock. became almost desperate 20
provide his stock with water Many farm
ers was compelled TO rush their stock
20 ma rket at "A sacrifice.
In the meantime the drought has not
Injured tho wheat farmer. Rains were
plentiful when needed before the harvest.
The. dry weather which came on at har-
VEST time helped the harvest along When
the streams went dry the wheat farmer
had no big herds of cattle or droves ~
hogs TO suffer from thirst. All he had 10
look out for was water enough for the
few horses he worked. the COWS that gave
him milk. and the engine that ran his
threshing machine. Rains would have In
terfered with the threshing but the
drought helped II along. Everything has
worked against the corn farmer this year
and 40 tho advantage OF the wheat farm
er. The wheat farmer has grown veal
thy while the corn ia rmer has sold his
stock al sacrifice and has done We'll Ia
hold his own. The result Is the wheat
craze.