Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1902-02-08
THEY TRY NEW CROPS
KANSAS FARMERS ALWAYS READY
TO EXPERIMENT.:
They Have Firm Faith that the Soil
of Their state Will Raise Anything
The Record Breaking Wheat Crop
of the Year 1901.

The advance of Kansas to the first
place among the wheat.producing com.
inonwealths again calls attention to
the wonderful productivcness of that
state. 1t Is also calculated to make
one reflect on the remarkable history
OF agricultural experiments by the
Kansas farmers. In the early sos there
was high.pressure wheat growing, but
IL did not reach the volume. nor even
the relative Importance. of the crops
or the last few years. The crop of
1901 aggregated more than 90.OOO.OOO
bushels. by far the largest Of any
state IN the Union. This crop Is val.
ucd ut more than SjO.00O.OOO.
Wheat raisn: In Kansas has passed
through many experimental stages. Us
has the growing Of many other ngri-
cultural products. At first 1t was sup.
posed that only spring wheat could
he produced with profit In the State.
This idea was dispelled by the demon.
strations of 4. q. Henry. known as
the wheat king" who owned ut one
time G0,OUO acres of land near Abilene.
Henry introduced winter wheat. one
year uSIG lie raised more than 2OO.-
900 bushels, which he sold at about
Sl.2O per bushel. lie revolutionlzed
wheat raising in his State. At present
the spring wheat crop Is an inconsid.
cradle item In the total product.
In spite Of the fact that Kansas has
led the prairie States In agricultural
development. and has held the center
or the stage for many years. there have
been times In the experimental pro.
cesses when Its people suffered dis.
arrangement for their foolish and I'M
profitable methods. II used to be said
that Kansan would plan anything:
that he had to be shown that u thing
would not grow before he would be-
lieve his State could not produce 1t.
For example. there are said to be $500
varieties of apples. State reports show
that ut least 1000 of these have been
tried In the Sunhower State. many of
them proving utter failures. of course.
but the best varieties being establish
I'd through this indiscriminate but con.
elusive method of demonstration.
\ story Is told of Secretary Mohlcr
of the agricultural department that he
once visited the French market in New
Orleans ana there for the first time
saw macaroni. lie was inquisitivc
about the curlous-looking food prod.
uct. He was told Of the various uses
20 which the. article could be put. He
declared that he believed "the stuff
would grow In Kansas" and expressed
his determination to try It,
In recent years the Kansas farmers
have learned through their own eXper-
iments and through the useful infOr-
nation Of the agricultural schools
what crops are best adapted to their
soil and climate, what parts Of the
State are best for this or that variety,
when to plant ana SOW. how TO fight
crop enemies. etc. This practical school
applies TO cereals, fruits and cattle. 1t
is wholly probable that the present
preference for wheat over corn will be
permanent since II has been demon.
stratcd that as fine winter wheat can
DE raised in Kansas as In any other
part Of the world and with much more
certainty Of success than attends the
raising Of corn, says the Kansas City
Star.
IL seems improbable that the worlds
wheat supply win become overlarge as
a result Of this change In Western
States. The product Of the Eastern
States Il growing less and loss A.
an illustration: Two counties In Kan.
sas produced this year more than H..
100000 bushels of wheat-mOre than
all the New England States and Jer-
sey, Delaware Alabama, Arkansas.
Montana ana South Carolina combined.