The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-06-30
The Crop Outlook,


 tremes of weather has been the rule.
 Wet weather has prevailed over much of our best farming lands for most of the season. The soil in many sections was so thoroughly water-soaked and plowed so wet that it has been in bad shape and much of it will remain so throughout the season. Such soils can never produce a good crop of any grains. Unfortunately there is so much soil in this condition all over the country.
 Corn Crop.
 The condition of the corn crop is sim- ply distressing. I have just returned from a trip through Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan and Iowa. These are all great corn states. The conditions in nearly all are about the same. Thou sands of acres of corn on the 20th of J''ne were not yet plowed Besides there are a great many fields not planted.
 Water-soaked soils weeds, grass, corn irregular in size and poor stand is the rule. In Missouri the conditions are some better than in the other states named.
 In some sections O. Missouri the sea- son has been favorable for the corn crop and there was or is no excuse for the crop in these sections to have been so poorly cultivated and for it being in so poor condition small and weedy. Many farmers have done better with their crops. Some sections in tEe state has been too wet. of course. for effeetuai work The dry sections of Missouri re- ceived fine rains on 19th-2Oth and where the corn has been cultivated it will now make A rapid growth. I wish to state here that the dry weather of May and June should always be used in cultl- yating and pushing the crops. During these months is the time to make crops.
 Farmers should never wait for ralu in order to be able to cultivate crops 1Ao fallf fine condition before the planting that inc cultivation may be carried on during our driest weather, and this is especial- lv true of all crops while small when the crops are young and small they should have regular cultivation ana tue soil kept perfectly clean or all "eeus, Dry weather during May and June IS just ideal for nearly all crops, especially where regular shallow cultivation, leav- ing a dust mulch to consume moisture, IS kent up Give me dry weather in May and June and showers in July and can produce the best of crops.
 The more travel over this great coun- try the more l see and feel the heeu of agricultural education among the Tar mers But I must pass on and take this part of the subject up later on.
 We will next notice the great ana growing state of Illinois. The conditions here are even more distressing than they are In Missouri. The most of the crops are late poor stands and generally foul. In the early spring there was spell of fine weather, and some farmers were wise enough to prepare plenty of seed corn. ho if one planting was lost they would have seed for another, and so LOOK advantage of the early season anu plant ed. They now have fine crops of corn nicely cultivated and these few scattering crops are so far, all the crops of much ,,,.a,,,ieo to ba SeaO The farmers, who always wait for the signs to get right are badly behind as usual, With late and weedy crops. Passing out or liii- nois we came next into Indiana, another one of our great corn-produclng states. Here the conditions in many of the as- poets of the corn crop, are very similar to those in Missouri, only the corn IS smaller and poorer stands. The soil IS in bad condition and much land on June 26 is not yet planted.
 Indiana. like Alabama, and Missouri Is growing too much brush sassafras' per simmon and briars. never want 10 hear another Indianaian making fun Of the southern farmer and his methods of farming I stated about one year ago that the farmers of Ohio and Indiana had bet ter clean up their own farms and fences' before making fun of other people. 10 this I will now add the state of Illinois and Iowa for in all four of these states
  of farmers as this country affords. The corn crop conditions in Ohio are about the same as in Indiana In Michigan the crop is even later, and many lands yet to be planted. In Iowa, the greatest Of all corn states, the conditions on all the bottom lands about the same as they are in Illinois, except perhaps the uplands have been better cultivated and give better promise. With present pros pects the outlook for a large corn crop Is anything but encouraging. In the states of Iowa Illinois and Indiana and Ohio, corn should be laid by by the Fourth of July and crops that are much later than this have to run the chances of being caught by early frosts It will take most favorable late fall weather to pro- duce a good crop in the greatest of our corn states.
 Wheat.
 There is much speculation as to the wheat crop. The harvest line has crawled away north having now nearly reached the limit of the winter wheat bet.
 My conclusion after travelling over all the present winter wheat growing belt is that there is a reduced acreage. caused by the dry weather of lase ff Il and win ter, and following this caire very un- usually hard winter in most sections. These conditions caused the wheat to be thin on the land in or over greater part of the winter wheat belt. DO we are pound to have a considerable shortage or winter wheat. While this is tru, we are going to have an unusually fine quality of grain. The heads are large and the grain gen. orally full, large and plump. However. some few sections have been badly sf- fected by rust, which very much dam aged the quality of the wheat. It $ rs sther early to make predictions on the spring crop of wheat. I am ROW receiv- ing fine samples of new win.cr wheat from the east, and reports from parties east say that the crop is ine.
 Early Potatoes.
 This has been rather bad season for growers of early potatoes. 1t did net re- quire a prophet or a son os ss prophet last winter to tell what would he the outcome of the potato business this yeor. The season has been unfav voraaie for tfis crop over the greater par. of the south and southeast, which has 'auSsd a large amount of very poor stock to be rushed on the markets. which completely demor alized the markets Continued iains pre- vented cultivation and many crops had to be dug from water-soaked soils. and such stock would rot before reaching tine market.
 One morning I saw in Ka lsls City four cars of Texas potatoes come in rotten, and buyers said this was by no means uncommon. Besides these conditions, there is an unusually large stock of cd potatoes carried over, and tiase are un- usually fine in quality, so that only the hest growers in most favored sections of the early potato growing belt made any money out of the crop, There werre zoo