The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-08-13
0NE-THIRD CROP.
That H. What Hay T. Making in
Shawnee
FarmersAre Now Busy Harvest
ing the Crop.
THE PRICES ARE HIGH.
Much Hay VIII Be Shipped In
to Topeka.
This May Keep Feed From Being
Dear as Gold.

Maud Muller is It The hay season is
at its height All the farmers in Shaw
nee county are cutting down the prec-
ious blades OF grass and putting them
In safe deposit vaults
Tt is generally believed that just al
the present time the hay market ~
Tope}ra has reached the lowest point II
ia likely d reach this year. And today
the price Is from SO to s14 a ton, de-
pending on quality. If s14 IS the 10"
ebb. it makes one dizzy to think what
hay viii 60 TO before the next crop Is
ready for the moving
Hay in Shawnee county viii make
less than a shlrd crop This IS what
the farmers say. and they know, be
cause they are actually engaged Just
now In harvesting the crop shawnee
county is one OF the largest hay pro-
ducing counties in the state.
on some OF the bottom lands in the
county a second crop OF hay VIII be
harvested some time in September
The amount of hay which can De Sc
cured at the second harvest depends
partly upon the amount Of rain Willcn
falls during the rest Of the summer
and partly on the lateness Of the frosIS-
If the fall is late this year, the second
crop VIII be good There VIII De no
second crop on the uplands-
Even now the hay on the uplands IS
getting dark" as the farmers say.
That means that the ends Of the grass
are whitening Hay must ue cut De-
tween the last OF July and the z1rh 81
August to be- bright and green ana
command the highest prices.
There are some extensive hay farm
ers who think that Topeka viii receive
such large cons gumeDIs of hay from
other parts Of the state that the price
VIII be hammered down here tempo
rarity TO a stiIl lower point than So ana
S14 a ton. Among these IS j. r snyder
who has one OF the largest hay farms
in the county Mr. Snyder cuts hay
from 800 acres of land. and expects this
year to get about 100 tons, whereas the
normal crop Is 800 tons. Mr.. Snyder
II think that there VIII be an inn
rnense amount OF hay shipped into To-
peRa this fall T have had several ln-
Quirfas from large hay ralsers IN the
Vicinity of Chanute and Fort Scott, in
curing about the local market Hay
raisers had rather ship hay to Topeka
than to Kansas City, because If they
ship to Kansas City they have TO pay
the inspection fees. and have to ship
hay which viii reach > very high grade
Kansas City grades hay much higher
than any other western market. and
farm ers do not like 10 take the risk Of
shipping TO such a market The nat
ural tendency viii be 10 ship to Topeka
and I think that the result viii be- that
hay viii remain at reasonable prices
here
win not the farmers in this county
hold their hay as much as possible and
wait for higher prices later in the sea-
SOM"
II hardly think they VIII do that to
any unusual extent" said Mr.. Snyder.
You see, in many respects II is better
TO sell as soon as possible after cut
ting. After the hay stands in the stack
and sweats il loses in weight a great
deal Besides. there IS always consid-
cradle waste at the top and bottom of
each stack So on the whole the man
who carries his hay TIL late runs the
risk of the variable market and is Ger
tain to have to stand a considerable
loss from natural Gauss n