Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1907-05-03
COBURN HAS HIS SAY.
Gives the Growing Wheat Crop a Coco
Showing.

ture TO-DAY issued a report on the
crop situation, especially as to
winter wheat. This report is o
painstaking analysis of statements
made. by one thousand of the
Boards most experienced and
careful observers representing all
portions of the State, particular
attention: however, being given
to counties having the greatest
wheat acreage. and incidentally
those from which damage by
green.bugs has been most loudly
ard persistently proclaimed.
Secretary Coburn says: IL
should be stated that this is not a
report of probabilities. of what
may happen or what the situation
may be next week or next month";
but of conditions as they we're III
Kansas the last half of the fourth
week in April. 1t is not an ex'
preston of opinion by the Secre-
tary of the State Board of Agrl-
culture; it does not deal with con-
ditions past or present in Okla
homa or other outside territory.
1t is notssthe wall of some unfor-
4unate and detected Jones or
Brown whose wheat field Or
neighborhood has suffered mis-
hap; nor on the one hand the
weird word painting of an ennis
sary sent.o in a pullman car by
SPECTATORS to SOY the land through
bulls ewes and smoked glasses,
nor on the other of an artificially
inspired land broker whose early
expiring options prompt hl,
painting the landscape. in rose
tints, but is the sober consensus
of what the. men on the groun d.
neither bought nor sold, buying
nor selling, see and say.
Every day statements are
publishedssof what may occur and
the various disasters that vii !
follow unless there is a change OF
weather. within a given time, or
that if misfortune, reported in the
next county, should come anG
destroy the..wheat the yield would
be greatly diminished. All of
this when analysed amounts to no
more than :. re- statement of the
accepted fact that unless it rains a
longsdry spell is probable. AK
iety and actual damage are by
no means identical; green lice do
not Of Decessityssspelli great loss,
and April.bugsssdo not avouch a
breadless year"
Winter wheat-Last years
winter wheat..area was 6.239.O41
acres; in December the growers
reported the sowing for this
years crop as apDrOXimatiDg
100000 acres. This in tie
main safely passed the perils of
Kinter The continuous warm,
growing weather..of early spring
caused it to.advance remarkably,
and it was usually forward and
Furnishing. but..later unfavorable
circumstances have changed the
situation. The high conditions
prevailing every where three and
four weeks ago have in a major
portion of the wheat territory
been lessened somewhat each day
since, by the abnormally col d
April. including several severe
freezes. q lack of the rains which
would have sustained or promoted
its yigor. and, in various southern
counties damage inflicted by
mvriads of the green lice..reported
so harmful in Texas and Okla.
hOma. CORRESPONDENTS mention
these as present to a greater OF
less extent in thirty-six counties
doing in some considerable
damage and in others none.
These counties are in the south
eastern fourth of the state. What
the lice have contributed to the
aggregate deterioration is not
Hi -. ~