The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1901-09-02
Drought Will Lead to More Diver
sified Farming in Mis-
souri,.
FORAGE CROPS APPRECIATED
State Board of Agriculture Ar
ranging for Annual Farm
ers' Institutes-Liberal
Appropriations.

REPUBLIC Special
Columbia. No.. Sept 1.-The wheat acre-
axe of Missouri will be increased from zto
80 Der cent because Of the drought" This
ID the opinion Of George 3. Ellis. secretary
Of the State Board of Agriculture. himself
q large and successful farmer, after . care
full investigation OF the situation.
Tho unusual failure Of the corn crop n
the unusual success Of the wheat crop this
year will drive many farmers to change
from corn to wheat. 1t will not be in all
cases best SO to do, for the wheat, unless
planted upon extra-strong land and given
care, will not be the success expected. More
over, the army of chinch bugs likely to
or follow the wheat will do
more damage than the wheat will yield
profit.
There. will be more diversified farming
because Of the drought. This will be csoe-
cially true on the bottom lands along the
Missouri and other rivers. Heretofore the
only crops harvested in this section were
wheat and corn. I look for q change moro
or less decided here. Further from the
rivers and out on the pfairies there have
been diversified crops already. and the
drought will scarcely improve or change
conditions.
TT State will not feel the effects Of the
drought SO much this fall n winter as 1t
will next spring and early summer before
another crop Is gathered. The stock solo
on will give the average middle-class farm
er money enough. to get through the winter.
The pinch will come next spring when this
II exhausted and he has yet no returns from
another season. Really, however. the State
has not been as seriously damaged. nor will
1t be az much 30 as when At first reported.
The damage wrought by a drought 30 I'M
precedented is. OF course. severe, but farm.
ers are already getting over the blues. Cat
| tie will be high-good cattle-for many havl
been shipped out of the State. We car
almost certainly expect good crops next
year, as a failure never follows q failure.
Will Pla.t Forage Crops.
The drought will cause the planting Of
larger amount OF forage crops. More va,
planted this year than In any previous year
though singularly enough our report,
showed tina in June, before the drought
there was q third less cattle In the Stat
than usual Alfalfa has been tried with onil
limited success in some places. Down II
Polk County It has proven q greater sue
cess. I nave just now reports from 1her'
where two fine crops were raised this yea
from one field, besides several weeks pas
turage. More COW peas have been sow
this year in Missouri than ever ana the re
ports are that this acreage will be largel.
Increased next year. Farmers are begin
ming to appreciate the great value Of thi
forage crop"
Secretary Ellis IL making arrangement
for the holding Of annual farmers INST
tutes. Because Of the increased appropria
lions for this purpose made by the Forty
nnt General Assembly. the institutes VII
this year b more in number and bette
In quality. The institute stan will be hs
ger and more points will Be covered.
Tho opening institute will b In Lncot
County, on the nd Of September. and FOL
lowing this there will be institutes IN eight
or 100 points In a. many different 'countie
Nearly all sections Of Missouri viii b coy
cred, though the itinerary has not yet bee
finally determined upon.
A notable feature OF the institute wor
Win be the coordination of! teachers' inst
tute and Q fafnerf Institute. ON eessto
Of every meeting VIII be given % :to thu
i vhIah was asrsed upon In couferenpe y