Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1902-08-14
DAKOTA CROPS BEHIND TIME.

View Of Expert John Inglis Regard
ing Condition of Wheat Different
From other Rosy Storics.
The Welt known crop expert, John In
slis, of Chicago, who has been remark
ably successful in giving preliminary
estimates of the yield and probable re-
suits Of me wheat crop of the country
for the past sixteen years, was in
Jamestown on his annual tour Of in
spection Of the spring wheat of Mime
rota and the Dakotas. He had been
through. Minnesota and South Dakota.
He drove out to fields near jamestown
and gathered samples of the wheat
the condition Of the berry and the va
Nous details that go to make up an ex-
pert opinion that is used by men Of
wealth for purposes Of their own in dis
counting the yield Of wheat Of the coun-
try.
MIR. Inglis has been through the VIM
ter wheat belt, also, this year, and his
Of inion on the results of that crop is
being borne out by the large receipts Of
off-grade wheat In Chicago.
In regard to the wheat crop of the
Dakotas, as far as he has examined it,
Mr.. Inglis' opinion will be considerable
of a surprise.
The general view has been that, with
favorable weather, North Dakota was
BIC ked for big yield of wheat, and
both the Dakotas reports have been
made very rosy.
| Mr.. Inglis says that the heads are not
we'll filled, and that there is good deal
Of smut in every field where the heads
We're examined.
Two or thre per cent of smut is suf-
fcient to knock off a grade. He attrb-
utes the presence of smut to the wet
weather. more than to any spore that
S found on the seed at termination.
One Of the remarkable features of the
present wheat crop, says Mr.. Inglis, is
the length of the head, and the smutty
leads are as long as the others, while
Usually they are the shorter stools.
The crop is also from ten days to two
Weeks late, and will have to have very
favorable weather to mature properly.
The straw in most of the South Dakota
fields AMI those in the southern part Of
North Dakota is not green from the
first joint to the ground, but there is
CROUCH strength in the upper part of
the stalk to mature the head if the
right kind of weather prevails for the
next two weeks.
At present much of the wheat is only
in blossom some in the milk and some
in the dough. While the heads are
long, the other conditions of the plant
do not warrant the view that there will
be the unusually large yield indicated
by the heads.
Another thing noted by Mr.. Inglis is
that the acreage of wheat in the Dako-
tas has been overestimated. In South
Dakota, corn, rye, barley and oats have
taken the place of the wheat crop in a
large degree, and in North Dakota flax
and other grains have taken the place
of wheat. In riding from Sioux Falls
to Canton, S. D., Mr.. Inglis made tha
following count of fields in distance
Of about twenty miles: Wheat, 81:
corn, 46; oats, &c; barley, a. flax, 3.
In another count Of fields. in a distance
Of ninety-fve miles, he found the fol-
lowing: Wheat, $50: corn, 204; oats,
los; barley, 1O2. This decrease in the
0ClSdSS VI W44CdI III oOulIi DdhOlci AAc1
come about in the last three or four
years, and is owing to the low price
and small crops. The acreage of corn
fas increased largely. and the fields are
RS large as the wheat fields once were.
From his extensive travels. Mr.. In
glis believes that North Dakota is the
best all-round state in the Union for the
raising of food supplies.