Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-09-19
secretaryWilson Thinks United
States Will Consume Its
Entire Crop
SURPLUS WILL SOON DISAPPEAR
Excess of Production Over consump-
ton of Wheat in United States Not
Likely to be of Any Considerable
Quantity in the Near Future-Diver-
sified Crops.

Washington, Sept. 1o.-SecretarS
Wilson. of the department of agrlcul-
ture sees in the comparatively near lu-
ture a production Of wheat IN this
country which will supply only the
demand. He also predicts an
other shifting of the wheat producing
center of the country, unless the farm
ers of the present wheat belt take war
ming and diversity their crops.
There is no danger that we VIII
have to resort to Importation to sup
ply the domestic demand during the
coming year." said Mr.. Wilson Satur-
day. "The estimated production, &C
cording to the reports of our agents
in the field, is 54G,O000OO bushels. The
best obtainable information on con-
sumption, is that it is six bushels per
capita. The population of this coun-
try is now about eight million, so that
we can supply the 4S0,000,O00 bushels
of wheat needed to feed the people
for export.
But that surplus will soon be wiped
out if immigration continues at the
present rate. Foreigners are coming
into this country at the rate of $780,
600 a year. A large majority of them
are going to the cities. They Will
need their proportion of wheat and in
time the supply will just about equal
the demand.
Acreage to Increase.
Zone would naturally conclude that
with the supply and demand equal, i'm
portation would follow Immediately,
but l believe this threatened condition
will be met by an increase in acreage.
With wheat at it's present price, GER
tainly there will be an increase in
acreage, and consequently in produce
ton next year. It will be a profitable
crop for farmers who are now raising
other staples. In Iowa, for instance,
the farmers will naturally plant the
crop which will yield the most money.
They will turn over their grass lands
and produce fair average yield OF
wheat per acre, not so great as was
once produced. but large enough to
pay.
"Of course, Canadian spring wheat
will come in greater or less quantities
as the market conditions justify it's
importation. Price alone will deter
mine that, in my opinion. But with the
shrinkage In exports of wheat from the
United States to Europe the Canadian
product will naturally go to the coun-
tries which have depended upon US
heretofore for their supply Of this sta
pie. There will be loss of the export
business, but the farmer will have no
difficulty in disposing OF his wheat IN
local markets, so that it will be proht-
able for him to continue to raise wheat
"Macaroni wheat will also help to
keep off any threatened importation OF
foreign wheat. l have not had any re-
port on the production of this. year, but
the acreage planted was greater than
last year. This wheat is as good for
breadmaking as either winter or spring
wheat. 1t is especially adapted to sec
tons where there is as little as ten
inches rainfall. 1t can be raised in the
western Dakotas and Montana, and the
farmers in that portion of the country
are turning their attention to it. Mac
aroni wheat has better rust-reslstlng
qualities than other wheats.. Add the
production of this crop to that OF other
wheats and you see that the Danger OF
Importation is far Off.
Diversity Crops.
Secretary Wilson then turned to
discussion of conditions in the north
west. He repeated warning which
he has sounded before and again urg-
ed diversified crops.
.NThe wheat raisers of the northwes.
are making a serious mistake" he
said. Gin not diversifying their crops
They put in wheat and wheat only,
year after year. They begin with an
average crop of twenty bushels to the
acre. This drops to eighteen, to flf-
teen, to twelve, to ten bushels per acre
and even lower. But they continue to
n11t in wheat and now the land is COM
pletely exhausted. 1t fails to afford
nutriment to the growing grain. The
grain is not robust and healthy, is not
able to resist rust and the various dis
eases which attack it. Consequently
there comes a crop failure.
"The conditions prevailing in Min
nesota and the Dakotas today are the
same as the farmers of Iowa had to
contend with forty years ago. We had
rust in our wheat In 1857. Then wheat
failed 70 be a paying crop. The farm
ers turned to other crops. They began
raising corn, but adopted a differen,
method. They found that corn could
not be raised successfully on the same
land more than two years in success
sion. The third year grass was raised.
Dairy cattle were put in to Craze in
these fields. What was the result?
Iowa is now the greatest corn-pro-
ducing state in the union. 1t is also
one of the leading dairy states. The
corn-fed hogs bring better returns
than putting the corn itself on the
market
minnesota and Dakota farmers
must stop planting wheat on the same
land year after year. or they will find
themselves in worse plight than the
Iowa farmers. They must rotate crops
plant wheat two seasons in success
sion, then turn the fields over to grass
for a season or two. They will find
that it will pay in the end, altho the
present income might be reduced
somewhat"
The secretary would not express any
opinion as to the present prices or oth-
eer conditions of the wheat market.