The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1907-08-02
Inland Empire to Produce
FOrty4MilliOn Bushels.
WHEAT MARKET ON THE COAST
Labor Will Be High; Men Wanted in
the Western Country to
Harvest Crops.
Especial correspondence.l

tSPSSfo' SoiicSPotuCHSC'J
Spokane, Wash, July 29.-Forty iv,
million bushels is the estimated yielC
this season of the wheat belts in tn,
Inland Empire of the Pacific Northwest
embracing 10000 square miles of ter
mtory in eastern Washington and Ore
gon,, northern Idaho, western Montana
and southeastern British Columbia, ano
of this, it is predicted by John w
Arrasmith state grain Inspector, the
growers in the state of Washington
will harvest between 30,000000 and 35,.
100000 bushels. This is big gain over
the season of 1906. All the wheat will
either find market on the Pacific
coast or will 90 to the mills in the
interior, the price starting at 20 cents
The labor question: threatens to be a
serious one unless there is a large in
fux of farm laborers within the next
two or three weeks, and while combined
harvesters will be used in the big dis
tricts, thus cutting down the number
of men, it is estimated that 10000
men will be required in addition to
those already in the fields. Wages will
range from $3.50 to 1926 for ordinary
labor and from So to 81 day for
experienced machinsts.
y Governor Albert f. Mead has advised
the department of commerce and labor
at Washington. ID. c., that while all
classes of workmen are needed in all
parts of the state, the greatest demand
is in the agricultural districts in east
ern Washington. This has become so
pronounced that japanese and Indians
will be employed to man the machines
if the employment agencies find them
selves unable to supply the demand
for white men. 1t is also expected that
many women will don overalls and
Jumpers and 90 into the fields.
Several hundred women were at work
in the Big Bend and the Palouse belts
. last season, for the reason the ranch
ers found it impossible to secure the
requisite number of men from the
middle west and east. In some in
stances as high as So day was offer
ed. This included board and comfort
able quarters, but the supply of men
was nowhere equal to the demand. The
mines, railroad construction and lum-
Der camps have literally snapped up
every man who wants to work, hence
the shortage of farm hands will be
greater than ever this season.
Preparations for cutting and thresh.
ing the big crop are under way and the
beginning of the coming week will see
the far flung line of machines, equipped
with 32-horse teams or traction en-
gines under way. Machines, which
head, cut, thresh and sack the grain,
go over from fifty-five to seventy five
acres of land a day, and it is only
the question of three days to clear a
quarter section, but in the Big Bend
and Palouse countries, where 5000 and
10000 acre ranches are no uncommon
sight, it requires more machines, hun.
dreds of men and longer time.
Many of the wheat growers, operat-
ing on a small scale in this part of the
are going to make their crops, as the
buying up of all the combined harvest.
ers by the big producers has put most
of the thresher outfits out of business
The threshermen are now forming a
combination to force the price up to
IA cents hundred pounds, against !
cents bushel last season.
Agents for eastern and middle west
ern manufacturing concerns say they
are unable to supply the demand for
machinery, the cause assigned being
that the country is growing too rapidly
and that their plants are unable to
fill orders. This becomes apparent
when it is understood that LOO ears
of farming machinery and appliances
were shipped into the Inland Empire
last season, and yet this was not hall
enough to fill the orders placed early
in the season.
-. Growers say the yields will be from
thirty to thirty-six bushels the acre
in the Palouse country, south of Spo-
kane, while in the Big Bend district
will be from thirtyseven to forty-five
bushels. In the Snake river district
forty bushels the acre is looked for
The Walla Walla district should cut
100000 bushels, while other districts
will harvest between 100000 and TO-
000,009 bushels. The Rattle Snake and
Horse Heaven countries, southwest OF
Spokane, will also contribute their
quotas to making up the grand total
There has never been a similar period
in the history of the Inland Empire
when the crop outlook was so promis.
ing.
Whitman county, directly southj OF
Spokane, and adjoining Spokane coun-
ty; will make the record crop this seas
on, conservative estimates placing it at
,10000,000 bushels. This is the predic.
ton. of Seymour Manning, general
agent for the Northwestern Warehouse
company, which confines all it's opera
.tions to the Inland Empire. He be-
lives that the western part of Whit
man county will gather the LARGEST