The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1907-05-22
WHEAT OUTLOOK
ENCOURAGING
Worlds Shortage Will Force
Price Of Cereal Up


the next few weeks, farmers of Walla
| Walla county may expect to reap a
bumper crop Of wheat again this year.
According to well known farmers, the
prospects for big crop again this sea-
son are exceptionally bright. In the
Eureka fiat belt. spring grain is stool
| ing nicely and has taken the second
root. The heavy rains last Sunday
gave sufficient moisture to assure a
| big yield on the fiat unless adverse
| conditions prevail during the maturing
season.
| In the Touchet country, known as the
light land district. the heavy rains last
week came just in time for early spring
wheat and farmers of that section are
| anticipating big yield this year. Grain
reports from the Prescott and Dixie
| neighborhoods. as well as from all over
the foothiH district are encourag ing.
! The high level of prices on the east
| ern grain exchanges has caused
stiffening of the local market and Wal
| la Walla farmers are predicting bet
ter than IS cent wheat at the opening
| of harvest. According to eastern grain
men, the world is confronted with a
unique situation. Every grain produ-
cling country on the globe is short on
wheat. The worlds situation is
summed up as follows by Bartlett, Fra
ger and Carringtons stock market
journal, copies Of which have been for
warded to Walla Walla:
1.-The world is confronted with an
unprecedented wheat situation. II is
confined to no enc country or sec
ton. From Manitoba To India thel q
is no country that can hope for an
average crop, even on the basis of the
yicissitudes of summer and harvest
are still to be encountered.
I'm this country the outlook is es-
pecially disquieting. We have seen our
winter wheat acreage cut from 3l,OoO.-
600 down to 2S,OOO.OOO by May l with
condition that at that time did not
Justify the expectation of more than
396, OOO, 900 bushels, while last year we
harvested 100000 acres that pro-
| duced $4,000, 200 bushels. The dam
age to the crop was occasiOned by WIN
| ter killing and by the ravages of tn"
| Aphis or green bug Thus the crop
entered this month in weakened con-
6iticr, and in no shape to withstand
further trials. But conditions nave
been worse rather than better. KILL
ing frosts have extended all over the
Southwestern wheat belt almost every
other night for the last two weeks.
Progress Of Screen Bug" Pest.
1.-The Aphis, favored by the cool
weather has increased enormously and
has extended its ,ravages from the
Southern tier of Kansas counties clear
across the state, and is now found In
constantly increasing numbers through
out western Nebraska. Every report
| from Kansas indicates that the dam
age is continuous and every estimate
is for lessened yield.
The Aphis has already done serious
damage to the Missouri crop and the
field of it's operations grows daily
wider. 1t has appeared in southern
Illinois and southern Indiana and IS
slowly working northward. Judging
.,om it's spread during it's previous,
vlsitations in 1890, it is safe to con
clude that before harvest the Aphs
viii have covered the entire winter
Wheac belt west of Ohio and south
of Michigan.
&. Decline in Condition Since May I.
cit would be only in keeping with
known facts, to state that if a re-
rort on acreage and condition should
be issued now, two weeks after the
government report, it would indicate
very little if any more than 350,0vv.,
900 bushels, as against the May 1 es-
innate of S96,000,000 bushels.
What the condition will be June ]
is purely a matter. of conjecture, ou,
we know that the damage is progress
sive and the area if infection con-
stantIy increasing.
"Conditions in the spring wheat belt
of the northwestern states and tile
Canadian northwest are so similar
that they can be considered as a whole
In tina, section the seson is short ano
an early seeding and a warm seed Led
almost invariably mean bountiful
harvest. This year, however, they
have had no spring. 1t is now the 18th
of May, and in Manitoba the streams
and lakes are frozen and snow is still
on the ground. Not 20 per cent of
the fall-plowed land has been seeded
and no spring blowing has been done
The seed that has, been sown has
gone into lumpy frozen soil.
"A poor seed time means a poor
harvest the world over. A late seed
ing always means a doubtful harvest
and in Manitoba it not only means d
doubtful harvest, but undoubtedly
frosted wheat.
UnfaforabIs Seeding Conditions.
I'm North Dacota probably so per-
cent of the wheat land has been seed
ed under conditions not quite as un-
favorable as in the Canadian north
west, but during a season when every
other day brought blizzard and every
night froze the seed bed solid. The
wheat has been sown in this kind of
a bed over 60 per cent of the wnea,
area; but on the 18th of May not a
seed had terminated, and it rests III
a cold seed bed, waiting for sunshine
and seasonable rains to start its
growth.
The season is very little longer in
! North Dakota than in Manitoba, and