The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-07-14
Not a Bale Is Left in McPher-
SON County.
PRICE HAS ADVANCED.
Producers Haven't Sold Like
This in Years.
All Is in the Hands of the
Manufacturers.
Acreage Around Sterling Small.
est in % Years.

Mcpherson, July 14.-F. G. Hawkin-
son, the Mcpherson broom corn dealer
and broom maker, reports that there is
not single bale of broom corn in this
county owned by the farmers.
The crop this year will be much
smaller than last so that the price has
advanced Is to rs cents in the last few
days. In the eastern states the crop
will be still smaller and in Illinois it
will be only half as great as last year.
The corn is also very late and in many
places was washed away by the high
water, so the price will probably be
higher yet.
The assessors returns of this year on
the acreage of broom corn show de-
crease of about 10 per cent in McPher-
son county The entire acreage, as ct
first reported, was considerably below
this, but on account of the floods in the
Smoky river valley a great deal of
wheat ground and Indian corn ground
that had been drowned out has been re-
planted to broom corn. 1t is not
thought by the buyers of broom corn
here that this late planting will amount
to anything, as the chinch bugs have
developed in large quantities and are
destroying the plants.
Reports show a decrease from the
crop of 1902 of 12,124 acres and it is
thought that the acreage of the entire
state will not exceed $4,000 acres, the
smallest acreage in Kansas in Is years.
Replanting in the northwest counties
has just been finished. There is de-
creased acreage in the southwest cOun-
ties, and the cold wet weather has
caused slow start and a poor stand.
In the central counties the decrease in
acreage is not so great, but on account
of the late planting insects and cold
rains have deferred the crop.
The producers haven't sold all their
corn like this year for about rs years
and the fact that it is almost all in the
hands of the manufacturers will tend 10
make it higher. 1t will also greatly af-
feet the price of brooms and other ar
1icies manufactured from it.
A failure of broom corn in McPher-
son county would influence the market
some as this county raises over 81 per
cent of the corn raised in Kansas, and
Kansas is the greatest state for broom
corn in the United States. So that ii
there is a failure in Kansas there is
very little to rely upon
CROP SMALL AROUND STERLING.
Sterling, Kas, July l4.-There is a
boom on in the broomcorn market, but
the news will hardly cause ripple in
Sterling, al there is probably not a
pound of the product now in the hands
Of the growers. The upward movement
is caused by the small stocks on hand
and the short acreage reported from
the sections which formerly were de-
pended upon for the big end of the
supply.
The acreage in this district is the
smallest in 25 years. There has been
a gradual but very marked decrease
since 1895, the year of the big crop
This year will show a decrease of 10
per cent. over last year
While the old districts are going out
of broomcorn growing, the newer lands
to the south are taking it UP. In Illi-
nois the movement is from the old
central district" to the lower portions
of the state. while in Kansas the crop
is migrating to Oklahoma.
Broomcorn can't hold it's own in a
country where wheat and Indian corn
get a foothold. 1t has been our big
wheat acreage that has gradually been
driving out the broomcorn. What land
is left after the wheat is in now goes
to Indian corn. This latter crop is
easier to handle, and more satisfactory
to market than one which depends too
much upon the needs of a few manu-
facturers for a market.
To show the relative Importance of
Rice county's principal crops it is only
necessary to give this years acreagess
Corn, 23,353 acres; broomcorn, 1878
acres.