The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-05-22
WILSON IS TOO SLOW
Secretary of Agriculture Can't Keep
Up to Kansas.

Secretary James Wilson of the
United States agricultural department,
has written another of his remarkable
letters about the Kansas agricultural
situation. 1t is almost as marvellous
as his speech in which he referred to
Kansas as the "semiarid belt
- Secretary wilson's topic this time is
Kansas hard wheat. He says that
after mature deIiberation he has come
to the conclusion that Turkey red
wheat is just the thing for Kansas. He
says that some years ago when he
was teaching agriculture in Iowa, he
discovered the fine qualities of Turkey
red wheat. and recommended it to
everybody" He is pleased to observe
that the wheat has found its way
down to your people,
perimenting'' with hard wheat in
Iowa, Kansas was raising 10000, 600
bush els of that same cereal year
This is about forty times what Iowa
ever produced in any one season.
1t seems mighty difficult for certain
officials at Washington to comprehend
what Kansas can do, and is doing IN
an agricultural way. Some of the re
marks which Secretary wilson MAKES
in. apparent good faith may strike the
Kansas reader as rather humorous,
The letter written by Secretary VIII
son is addressed to the state board OF
high tribute to the hard wheat which
for 25 wears has been making Kansas
famous. This is Mr.. Wilson's letter:
NV Dear Sir:-In view of the mis-
chief. more or less, being done IN your
country by the green bug, l wish TO
saw a word about a fact that has come
under my personal observation. learn
incidentally that large part OF your
winter wheat is Turkish Red WINTER.
I experimented with that wheat, among
others at the Iowa experiment station
from 1881 to 1897. when came mere.
Every other wheat during those SIX
years disappeared and the Turkisn heu
Winter remained. At that time we
recommended it to everybody, and II
has found it's way down to your peo-
pie. though possibly somebody theIe
Ames. But this is the point l wished
to speak of: $1,000
when spring came and we looked
over the fields, we quite often found
thin stand, and the question always
arose whether we snouio Prov NJ, |. Up sts nd ID
would yield We gave the wheat the
benefit of the doubt, always And TINS
was the reason: I have never known
antlv as that same Turkish Red Winter
wheat Where one kernel had Sprouted
and sent up a stalk that eoulu pc seen
in the spring, l have counted 20 heaus
of fine wheat, and If had a Wheal
fie1d down in your country and 1t look
ed like a quarter of stand, Wouia
let 1T remain instead of ploWing IL up.
I have looked very carefully INTO what
is known at this department concerning
this plant louise and it's parasites. we
have our men out there doing Wnat
they can to help the SITUATION, as we
deenIy sympathize with your people 1t
is We'll known, of course, among en-
tonoloeists that the plant louise can
work in colder conditions than its para
site hut our eIltomologists mere nave
10 hesitation in saying that few days
of warm weather will cause the entire
disappearance of the. green bug through
the activities of its parasite. which, IN
der the microscope, looks like niue
ripping that YOU and your people
will reap an abundant harvest, notwlth-
standing the damage. that has .oeen
done, I remain very cordially,