Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1902-03-27
BIG LOSS IN WHEAT
a HALF MILLION ACRES RUINED
BY HARD FROSTS.
Total Damage is Estimated at Two Millions
A Theoretical Shortage Of Three Million
Bushels in the Pacific Northwest Crop is
the Result Of the Cold Wave, but Loss Is
Offset by New Acreage

the Result OF the Cold Wave, but Loss Is
Offset by New Acreage
Portland, March 24.-IIalf million
acres of winter wheat have been resown
in Oregon, Washington and Idaho, the
result of the February frosts which
came down with killing effect on a
number of unprotected localities in the
three states. Umatilla county alone
was damaged to the extent of 100, 900
acres. Walla Walla county was still
harder hit. Eureka Flat, which pro-
duces more big crops than any other
section in Washington, was practically
all reseeded, and there is big winter
wheat district in the Palouse that will
this year be planted in spring grain
after the fall wheat was wiped out en-
tirely or left in such struggling patches
that it was drilled over and resown.
Conflicting reports have been coming in
from the wheat districts since the cold
weather nearly two months ago, but it
was not until the past few days of
warmer weather that the full extent of
the damage was learned, and some
fields which had apparently come
through the winter all right are now
being reseeded.
In Oregon the greater part Of the
damage is confined to Umatilla county,
but some OF the exposed patches in Nor
row county were also touched sufficient
ly to demand reseeding of the whole or
part of the affected farms. Between
Umatilla county and Eureka Flat the
damage runs in places as high as IS
per cent. Over toward Dayton the
damage is lighter, and as there is very
little winter wheat in that vicinity, the
effect will not be felt. The cold wave
swept across Snake river and killed
lot OF wheat on the new acreage around
Washtucna, then hit the high spots
again in the vicinity of Ritzvlle. In
the heart of the PalOuse around Colfax,
Garfield and st. John entire fields were
wiped out, and the per centage of dam
age throughout that section was very
high. 1t struck the Idaho line south
of Moscow, but the effect was milder
the effect around Genesee being only
about 30 per cent. The Big Bend es-
capped the frost, except in isolated cases,
and the damage in that territory from
this cause is inconsequential.
The exact effect of this extensive
damage cannot be determined until har-
vest. With favorable spring wheat
season the yield on the reseeded ground
may be pulled up to nearly the same
figures as would have been returned
from the winter crop. Conservative
men, however, estimate that under the
best circumstances it would not be safe
to figure on within five bushels per acre
of the yield that would have been &C.
cured from winter wheat. If this ratio
of loss should hold for the entire tract
damaged there will be theoretical
L.
To this must be added 500, 900 bushels
of actual wheat used for reseeding,
making total Of 5000, 900 bushels of
wheat lost by the severity of the winter
in February. At present prices this
would represent loss of approximately
100000. With conditions similar
to those of last season from now on,
there will still be as much wheat in the
Pacific Northwest as there was last
year. This is due to the fact that there
is quite material increase in the
acreage, there being more new land
under cultivation for both winter and
spring wheat than ever before.
From the Big Bend country, which
turned off wonderful crop last year,
come reports that there is decided
lack of moisture and there the condi-
ton of the crop is by no means so good
as it was year ago, and it is feared
that the lack of moisture can not he ,
made up in time to do much good in
pulling the crop up to the proportions ,
of year ago. In the Big Bend coun-
try there is more new acreage than in
any other section, and it is on this new
acreage that the railroads are depend {
ing for a nd.off for the poor yield t
which now seems inevitable. The re- I
eeling in Umatilla and Wala Walla 5
counties has not been done under very v
avorable circumstances, for immedi- 5
ltely after the drills stirred up the r
ground dry wind swept over the t
and absorbed considerable
moisture, leaving the ground so dry "
hat the wheat was very slow in germ n
mating, and will not have very good /
tart. t
Carnegie Library for Denver. s.
Denver, March 24.-Andrew Carnegie il
las offered to furnish xo00 600 for tho O