The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-06-03
Secretary of Kansas Grain
Dealers View of Wheat Crop.
Says Crop Will Probably Aver
age About 20 Per Cent.
DAMAGE BY THE FLY
SAYS 1t Has Caused Havoc In
Central Counties.
Dry Weather in Some Western
Counties Causes Loss.

E. J. Smiley. who is more or less in
clined every year to be pessim1stic or
be very conservative and who is secre-
tary of the Kansas Grain Dealers as
ISOLATION, issued his second wheat and
corn report for the season this morn
ing and the figures which he has given
indicate that the crop will be severa
million bushels short on account OF
the ravages CT the Hessian fly and dry
weather in the western portion OF the
state. In similar statement issued
the 18th of April he placed the condl-
ton of wheat in Kansas at S9.1 or two
per cent lower than the estimate made
by Secretary Coburn.
This report is made up from personal
visits to hundreds of fields and letters
received from between three and four
hundred correspondents located in all
parts of the state. Mr.. Smiley has just
returned from a weeks trip through
the wheat fields of central, southern
and western Kansas and the figures
used in this report are the deductions
made from observations and the let
ters which he has received within the
last two weeks.
At the time the last report was MADE
the damages done by the Hessian ny
amounted to but little and the extern
sive damage was in Marion county
Wnere the ny mas Deen IOuIlu lOI yCdi .
in great numbers. The report filed to-
day indicates that the fly family has
spread throughout the wheat belt and
has done an immense amount OF dam
age to the growing fields.
There are no flies in the western por-
ton of the state but there has been a
scarcity of rain and this has caused
many fields to be abandoned while 9TH
ers have been used for pastures. While
the acreage in this part of the state Is
comparatively small the yield will
amount to only a few bushels an acre
where it is harvested at all. says Mr..
Smiley.
Mr.. Smiley has handled this class of
work for thirteen years for the Grain
Dealers association and is regarded as
an authority on the condition of grow
ing grains and especially wheat. His
observation trips over the state are
not made in Pullman palace cars nor
his observations from the windows OF
these palaces on wheels. He has made
several trips throughout the state using
an automobile and buggies and person.
ally inspected hundreds of fields.
The green bug which has received a
great deal of advertising during the
past year or so seems to have taken
q vacation this season and left the
fields to the mercy of the Hessian fly
and family. At any rate in all reports
which have been received it has not
been mentioned, nor did Mr.. Smiley
find any evidence of its existence in
the fields visited.
THE lack of moisture in the western
third of the state has done for the
wheat fields what the Hessian fly has
done for them in the central and south
ern part of the state and the devasta-
ton has been more complete" said Mr..
Smiley. II have used 16 2-3 bushels of
wheat per acre as basis for 100 and
on this 1 find that the wheat condi-
tn ctot hef n
and 72 points.
From Kinsley west on the Santa Fe
there has been such lack of moisture
that many of the fields have beer
abandoned and those that have not
been abandoned or paStured will yield
but a few bushels per acre. 1t is toe
late for the rains which have occurred
this week to be of any benefit to these
fields which are burned and ruined anG
many of them will never be cut.
In the territory south of the main
line of the Union Pacific railroad anG
west of the west line of Rush, Pawnee
Edwards and Comanche counties which
includes an area of seventeen countie.
the damage on account of a lack o.
moisture will amount to fully seventy
five per cent. This Is not in the whea
belt, but at that there was something
like 7ss,oo0 acres of wheat planted il
this territory.
North of the main line of the Uniol
Pacific railroad from the west line o
Phillips, Rocks and Ellis counties, tn
twelve counties in the northwest cor
ner of the state the crop will no
amount to over 40 per cent, under tn
most favorable circumstances. Thes
twelve counties had about 100000 acre
planted to wheat, some of which ha
proven a total loss and has been plowe
up or used for pasture.
I'm one field in Ellsworth county
81 No rx-ta fA- lt-to
inches in one drill row and out G
thirty stalks found twelve of them In
tested with the Hessian fly The fiel
was literally alive with the pest an
will not yield over 40 per cent if
does that well. In the central thir
of the state the fields are spotted an
some of them almost ruined by til
ravages of the Hessian fly and thong
they are green and at a distance ar
pear healthy will give but a light Vel
at harvest time.
-Four towns In Kingman county r,
port the conditions at 10. Five
Ellsworth place the conditions at {
with 10 per cent of the wheat dow
as result of the work of the II
-Four reports received from Rice cour
ty place the conditions in that count
at 80. Eleven reports from Rer
county place the yield at rs per cen
Three from Harvey county place II
yield in that county at 70. The acr
age in this district and the SURROUND
ing counties amounts to something lii
100000 acres.
1.-The reports which have been give
by the railroads indicating a Weld
100000 bushels is long ways fro
correct as far as my figures indica
and while would not venture a que
a 4 A 49, 4 - 49, 4 - a