The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-04-28
l|CENSURE FOR HILLSOWING LESS WHEAT
"A Heavy Reduction In Acreage Prob
able This Season.
MORE COARSE GRAIN BEING sowN
Estimates of the Decrease In Wheat
Dihacult Because Of Unusual
Seeding Conditions.

d + d T. . + . ~ r ID + < ?
To what extent the wheat acreage Of the
northwest will be reduced this year is just
now the leading question in the grain
trade. That it will be lighter is the gem
eral expectation. It is the belief that
more corn, oats and barley will be planted
this year in Minnesota and the Dakotas
than ever before, and that as the coarse
grain acreage is increased SO will the
wheat acreage be lessened.
No attempt has yet been made to esti-
mate tho extent OF this reduction, nor
have any estimates been possible owing
to the rather unusual circumstances at
tendant upon seeding this year.
There has been lack of uniformity OF
soil conditions this spring. Some parts
of the northwest were seeded weeks ago
while In other parts work has only been
completed and in still other parts 1t is
only starting. About the middle of March
few days Of unusually fine weather made
conditions in the southern and central
parts of this state and in portions of South
Dakota about right for farm work. Many
farmers took advantage of this and al
though it was early, yet much wheat was
sown. Then came a period of unsettled
weather, followed by a long dry SPELL In
parts of the Red River valley it was too
wet for work. In the south central parts
Of Minnesota it was all right. The dry
weather coming on accompanied by high
winds quickly put the valley and the
northern and western part OF the state IN
prime condition for seeding. but did con.
siderable damage in the south central
part, where some of the early soWn acre
age was uncovered and much seed blown
out. portion of this territory will have
to be reseeded.
Up to week ago there were the appar-
emily inconsistent, but nevertheless true
reports of farmers in one part Of the state
waiting for the ground to dry little the
better to enable them to get to work
while in other districts farmers were
praying for rain to put the ground into
condition to hold the early sown seed.
All this has made it impossible to make
even preliminary estimate of the wheat
acreage, and the changed conditions re-
sulting from the substitution of corn anc
other grains for wheat by many farmers
will make an. estimate of the northwestern
wheat acreage more difficult this veal
than ordinarily.
Ross e. Parks, Of Lily, S. D., has beer
covering Day county with view to ascer
tanning to what extent farmers are substi
tuting corn for wheat. This was not will
the idea that any information thus OBJ
tanned from limited area would afford {
safe basis of calculation, but merely t
obtain an idea in general way as to how
the farmers feel in the matter. Mr.. Parks
believes from his Investigation that tn
wheat acreage of South Dakota will b
reduced materially, if the sentiment else
where is as he found 1t in Day county. E
Peterson, eight miles from Lily, has sow
forty acres of wheat in place of two hun
dred last year, putting the remaining 16'
acres to coarse grains. On the William
Mcdowell farm the acreage is reduced b!
200 acres. &C. C. Wade has cut the whea
acreage from 200 to 40 acres. B. J. Kort
gard is sowing 100 acres this year in place
Of 1870; Peter Coburn is putting in hal
of what he had last year, while on Mr.
Parks own farm there has been $40 acres
sown to wheat in place of 725 acres las
year. In this one township the wheaa
acreage will be cutsby about 1000 acres.