The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-08-28
Mr.. C0burn Places 1t at Nearly
Seventy.four Millions.
This Is $4,000 More Than in
1907.
BARTON In THE LEAD.
Credited With Four and a Quar-.
ter Million Bushels.
Ellis and Pawnee Rank Second
and Third.

and Third.
Winter wheat yield, 1908, 7s,e sos, 600
bushels, increase OF $4,000 over 1907.
Corn condition, 6s.7, which is So
lower than at the same time last year.
and 1913 lower than in 1906.
Corn acreage 7.o52,415, an increase
OF 24s,4os acres as compared with last
These facts are from the latest "Co-
burn crop report" issued today by F.
ID; Coburn, secretary Of the state board
Of agriculture.
The banner wheat county Of the
state Is Barton, with 4,251,24S bush
els This Is far ahead of any other
county. Ellis and Pawnee counties
rank second and third. Ellis and Paw
nee, it will be remembered, are in
TRma Jim's" semi-arid belt
Corn conditions, 1t is pleasing to
note. are highest in the big corn pro-
ducing counties.
The following is Mr.. Coburn's re-
port:
Winter Wheat-Estimates of cor
respondents last fall indicated that the
area sown to winter wheat would ap- .
proximate 6.s7s,0o0 acres. Returns of
assessors for each of the los counties,
which in two or three instances may
be slightly amended after further in
vestigations, show that the area ac-
tually sown in the fall of 1907 was
6,s34,S00 acres. or 143,200 acres less
smaller by 217,0S2 acres than the area
OF the previous year. Basing the aver
age yield per acre on the entire area
sown, Kansas is now credited with q
yield of winter wheat in 1908 of 73,-
606,000 bushels by those who have
grown and are threshing and market
ing it. But portion has been thresh-
ed as yet, and returns when threshing
has been completed may show a sit
| uation somewhat different; hence the
figures will be subject to such final
revision, up or down, as developments
warrant. By this showing the years
output is $4,000 bushels more than
that OF 1907, and I 9 per cent less than
| the crop of 1906.
The bulk is reported as of good.
merchantable quality" although here
and there the berry is said to be
| bleached, and in some localities rains
| did more or less damage to wheat
| standing in the shock for a consider
able time 1t may be said, too, that
smaller percentage than usual Of the
| wheat was stacked, because of the
pressure of other farm work 50 long
delayed in many counties by the we'll
| nigh incessant rains.
| In the main the larger average yields
| per acre are in the northeastern quar-
| ter of the state, the highest yield, 20
bushels being reported by Republic
county; Nemaha and Pottawatomie fol-
| lowing with 10 bushels per acre each-
| Doniphan, Brown and Shawnee each
report IS bushels per acre, while Mar
shall Riley and Washington counties
are each credited with II bushels.
Among the counties having the larger
wheat areas Barton and Pratt lead In
! average yields per acre, with 16 BUSH
els each, and in aggregate yield Barton
is first, with 4,251,24S bushels, Ellis a
remote second with 2,S10,370 bushels,
Pawnee third with 2,75S,26 bushels, fol-
lowed by Stafford with 2,667,300 bushels,
Pratt 2,524,192 bushels Reno 2,335.104
bushels, and Rush 2,135,74s bushels.
Twenty-Five counties. all but one in
the central third of the state. raised
one million or more bushels each, and
aggregate over two-thirds OF the
states crop. The smaller yields are in
the counties of the southeastern and
western parts of the state. and in some
of these the crop was practically fall
ure.
After several years of rather surpris-
ing increase in the sowings of spring
wheat in some Of the western counties
especially, it seems that interest in this
variety, excepting possibly in a half
dozen of those in the northwestern
corner of the state, is diminishing in a
marked degree. as this years returns
show 107. 900 acres in spring wheat as
against 1sS.401 acres the year before.
and 1904 acres in 1906. Thus the
spring wheat industry seems to be
gradually receding to it's natural posi-
ton among the states crops; to the
place it occupied before the advent of
mararoni wheat into Kansas. No fig
ures of the spring wheat production
are as yet compiled.
rainfall throughout much of the
states principal corn-growing territory
that seriously interfered with prepara-
tions for corn and it's planting, the
area is greater than that of 1907 by
243,403 acres, and aggregates 1862
AIS acres. The general average con-
dition on this area is 6S.7. 100 repre-
senting a good average stand and
satisfactory growth. This is 5.3 points
lower than the condition last year at
about the same time and 1913 points
less than in 1906.
AS was the case with the lower
Yields of wheat. so also are found the
least promising prospects for corn in
the western and southeastern counties.
In the latter the complaints were first
from too much moisture and then
from a lack of it. while in the west
ern part of the state the season was
uniformly too dry. Now however. in
the main the soil and weather are ia
vorable for corn. conditions being
greatly improved by more or less re-
cent re.Es. although they came too
late in many communities to be OF
material benefit to corn. and at fne
date of this report adverse circum-
stances still exist IN the southeastern
counties, as well as in perhaps q
dozen others. mostly in the west.
1t is gratifying to note that Smith.
Jewell, Cloud and neighboring north
ern counties. famed for their aggre-
gate yields. report excellent prospects
for corn. Smith having, the highest
average condition, or SO. Cloud next
with 81. Mitchell Sc and Jewell and
Dickinson 95 each, Other counties
having conditions OF 80 or above are
Barton, "a; Washington, SO; Stafford.
go: Kiowa and Osborne 81, and