The Athena press. [volume] (Athena, Umatilla County, Or.) 18??-1942, 1903-08-21
WHEAT ESTIMATES.
UMATILLA's YIELD PLACED AT
BELOW 100000 BUSHELS.
Kirk Has Wheat That Makes go
Bushels Per Acre Harvest
ing Soon to Be Over.

in il nov. T. J. Kinks crop will out
strip all other crop yields in this section
for this year. His field east Of town is
averaging so bushels per acre. When
the machine pulled out from the first
setting the pile of sacks it left behind
numbered 1040. Six to seven hundred
sacks is the usual number for a single
setting. -
The machines at work in this vicinity
are many and with good weather next
week harvest will have been practically
finished. Prices quoted for wheat range
around 10 cents, but farmers do not seem
disposed to sell at this price, preferIing
to hold on for the rise, which they be-
lieve is sure to come. Wheat hauling
has commenced in earnest and the forces
at all the warehouses are busy.
+. W. Wright, travelling correspond
ent for the Oregonian who visits the In
land wheat region annually, gives a
description in the Oregonian of Umatilla
county's crop. Mr.. Wright is a conserv-
ative writer and usually his estimates
are below local estimates. The follow
ing is part of his story:
The inelegant but forceful epigram Of
the Kansan that "those what has, gets, !"
fairly bristles with truth when applied
to the wheatgrowers Of Umatilla and
Walla Walla counties this year. The
rich farmers owning the best lands and
conducting their operations on approved
methods are in most cases securing very
good yields and in not few instances,
the out-turned has been phenominal.
On the lighter lands and where farming
has been more carelessly conducted
there are thousands Of acres in both
counties that will not be cut at all, and
many more thousands OF acres where the
yield is running from three to eight bu-
shells to the acre. The condition OF this
latter class OF lands is such that the
good showing made elsewhere is totally
inadequate to bring the average up to
even last years proportions, and it will
be remembered the crop last year was
short. SD
As near as can be estimated at the
present time, Umatilla's crop will be in
the vicinity Of 2,500,000 bushels, and
Walla Walla will probably be about
100000 bushels short OF Umatilla's g
yield, the total for the two big counties
barely approximating the record yield of
Umatilla. The high price Of wheat COM
pared with that Of last year will make
the aggregate value of the 1908 crop
slightly greater than its predecessor
The distribution Of this money is so un-
equal, however, that the man with a
three -bushel crop does not take kindly
to any allusion to it.
Darn queer figuring some of YOU
fellows do, said farmer to whom the
equalizing process was suggested.
How is the county going to be just as
off with small crop and high
- as with big crop and low prices
the big fellows are getting it all?
thero's George Perringer, he's got
money to burn, SO Of course he is getting
Y bushels to the acre, but where does
man with the three bushel crop, or
crop at all, come in on this 'iust-as-
nuch-money-in-the-county calculationS
Its The same way over in Eureka Flat.
Did man Babcock will have big crop,
IS he always does, but those poor ranch
grs on the light lands over near the
snake river breaks are all in the soup,
win not get enough wheat to feed
81 chickens. The same amount of
ey that was here last year may
into ihe county all right, but it
hands Of smaller number
east end Of Umatilla county will