The Birmingham age-herald., 1902-06-22

farmers to look after this matter more carefully in the near future for the time may come, and that, too, earlier than we expect, when we may have to grow our wheat at home But a few scattering fields sown in the brush and half way put In will never pay. But as we Will have a special paper on preparing land and sowing wheat in time for this taii sowings l will pass this now. But the question of prices, taking everything un- der careful consideration I can see no reason to expect our wheat or nour 10 De any cheaper for the next season. Oats.
 The oat crop is badly spotted and the l crop is very poor in nearly all sections 1 only few States reporting a good crop. | The winter oats of the Southern States Is very poor. and where not entirely kill ed the sowings Gas mentioned last week. from some unexplainable cause have pro l duced a crop of chess (cheaD instead Of 1 oats. Then the spring crop has been so i badly damaged by drouth that it Is not worth harvesting In many sections. Poor reports come from all sections of the Atlantic Coast States on the oat crop. Rye and Barley.
 There is a small acreage of both these crops; but the crops are generally good These are both profitable crops and why l they are becoming neglected l cant un- derstand The farmers of the South should grow more rye.
 Hay.
 1 In all the sections where there has been rain the hay crop Is fine, and with Ia vorable weather for saving the crop 1 there will be a much better crop than for some years. Most of the greater hay producing States report fine crops. This 1 has become one of our most important | crops
 Potatoes.
 There was a large crop of potatoes | planted and the crop is reported generally ! very good. In the West farmers were i able to plant early and the weather since having been favorable good crop has been secured over a large section of the country. Missouri, Kansas Nebraska. Iowa, Minnesota, the Dakotas, Wiscon- sin Michigan and Illinois all report good crops. The extra early crop in the Southern States was good but the later paintings now suffering badly TOT rain and will be short crops
 The bulk of the good extra early crop of the South has nearly all been market | ed, bringing very satisfactory prices generally. The drouth through which we are now passing will make our crops of late planting so short that soon we will have to depend on the West Tor our supply. The heavy crop West may cause a drop in prices as soon as this crop begins to move. It will only be a l few days until the Western crops will be ready for shipment. Even as far north as Central Iowa the home crop Is ] now ample to supply the home market | This is something very unusual. as the home crops in this section can hardly ever be depended upon for general sup ply before July.
 The fruit crop is generally poor. Bad nd tySe Nfa a fal1in effect on the crop over a large area of the country. The apple crop will be light again in most of the apple growing sections There is a large crop of peach es, but the crop is suffering for rain in many sections and the quality is poor.
 Vegetable.
 The vegetable crops up to this date have been good as a rule and shipments of vegetables from the South to the North have been unusually large and prices have been very satisfactory all around. Texas has made large ship ments; so has Crystal Springs Missis- sippi. This is one of the largest shipping points in the South and up to last re- port had shipped 3e5 cars of vegetables north. These are only few places which have been shipping.
 The season for these shipments north Is about over on vegetabels, but cante- loupes and watermelons are now being shipped in good quantities. These crops were generally good, but many sections are needing rain to finish up the crops, and unless rain comes soon the crops of melons will be cut short in many sec tions.
 Tomatoes.
 This has become one of our best vege- table or fruit crops, and many acres are planted each year both for canning and for shipping. The reports from all parts of the country show the crop in poor condition and the crop will be short again this season. in fact canners are be- coming alarmed as the indications are that the crop will be so short that the output of canned tomatoes will be far below what was expected.
 1 have recently met two of the larg- est tomato canners of the country. Both stated that their contract crops would be short and that they. were refusing tc book any more orders, and both stated that they feared that they would not be able to fill the orders already booked.
 The great trouble with the tomato cror is blight. worms and dry weather. The blight Is general all over the country and so far all efforts to prevent 1t have proven failures The crop has been cut more than half by this blight. Southern growers have so far suffered most be- cause their crops are further advanced but the disease Is spreading and but few sections will escape. This blight comes at various stages of growth, but most frequently strikes the vines after they begin to bear fruit Once it strikes a vine 1t soon dies the disease soon spreads over the entire field. So far nc remedy offered or tried seems to chec its ravages. The worm too, is prov ing very troublesome and Is doing a great amount of damage. In fact the blight and worms together will cut the crop down to less than half
 Reports from the great tomato grow ing sections of Michigan and Indiana show that the crops will be very short Here in the South the crop is also suffer ing badly for rain. and unless rain comes very soon the crop will prove a failure in many localities. Southern growers will lose thousands of dollars from blight, worms and drouth
 Cotton.
 I am not so well posted on the cotton crop conditions as l am on other crops yet. from what I have seen and from what I have been able to gather from re- liable farmers, the crop has been doing fairly we'll though in many sections Is be- ginning to suffer for rain The acreage is large. A good stand was secured gen erally Some sections show the crop to be late and many not yet thinned or chopped out The crop Is especially late in the northern part of this State. MT. Spruel of Leeds, who is a large cotto farmer as well as ginner, says that the crop in his section Is far below what il was last year and that 1t is needing rain badly. MT. Spruell says that he expects to gin at least 100 ,>aleS less than ba did