The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1910-07-26

j. w. Foley in ST. Paul Pioneer
Press: Harvest time has come again
in North Dakota. The unusually warm
and sunshiny weather and the lack Of
normal rainfall has ripened good
many fields of early sown grain and
the binders are at work in the fields
in several counties in the state. Reports
of the yields will be received with in
terest from the wide difference of opin-
ion as to the extent of the damage to
the wheat crop. Some reports predict
not over $4,000, 900 bushels for the en-
tire state, or about 20 per cent of an
expected crop, and from that the esti-
mates range to so per cent of wheat
crop. The latter estimate is doubtless
high, and the former may be a little
too low. Taking 100000 acres as the
total wheat acreage of the state, the
estimators who incline to the smaller
yield say that twothirds of the acre
age will produce little or nothing; some
of 1t has been plowed under and much
OF that which has not been plowed
under will not be cut unless it be for
feed. OF the 100000 acres, or there
abouts, that will yield anything like a
fair crop. ten bushels to the acre would
be high average yield and this would
produce not over 25,0OO,Oo0 bushels.
For seed and local milling purposes
a good deal OF the wheat now in
granaries in the state and to be har-
vested will be necessary, and 1t is not
likely there will be much wheat ex-
ported from the state this year. In
various counties the shortage of seed
and milling wheat is being urged on
holders of wheat in granaries, and one
owner of wheat, who has 10000 bushels
still in store, states that none of it will
be shipped or offered for sale until
next year. This cue will probably be
taken by other owners Of wheat from
last years crop and from the crop to
be harvested this year. In a good
many cases, of course, wheat threshed
out this year will have to be marketed
to meet the current obligations of
farmers and settlers who have pledged
a part Of their crop in advance for the
seasons necessities. But the general
tendency in the state is to hold on to
the grain wherever possible. Seed
wheat is expected to sell at high
price next spring, and clean, sound
berries will be in great demand for the
next years sowing.
Some Favored Spots.
There are some counties in the state
that will produce fair crop this year.
Richland county is one Of the favored
spots and they look down there for a
pretty nearly normal crop. Parts of
Trail county, between Hillsboro and
Mayville. report a good crop. In parts
OF Cass county, where ordinarily the
farms suffer too much moisture, owing
to low and heavy land, there will be
fair crop. In Walsh county 1t is re-
ported that so great is the resistance
of soil to dry weather that some fields
of wheat on exceptionally heavy soil,
will go eight or ten bushels to the acre,
although there has been little or no
rainfall since April & .G
In the Golden valley, out in the
western part of Billings county, in the
counties along the Milwaukee line, in
PARTS OF Stark and Dunn counties, in
Bottineau county, parts of Pembina,
Grfggs and other widely scattered sec
tions of the state the yield will be fair.
All things considered, the crop has re-
sisted the long drouths splendidly, and
the wheat that will be harvested is
splendid tribute TO the qualities OF
North Dakota soil.
Hav is being cut wherever possible,
and everything in the nature OF for
age crop will be gathered, as with
fne tooth comb. Fodder and feed will
he an important consideration this
fan and winter. and nothing will be
overlooked that may contribute to sus-
tanning the live stock of the state. In
the northern part of the state the dry
weather has caused drying up OF
many pools and lakes, ordinarily run
ming full. and the wild ducks, which
have begun to breed in large numbers
IN the state since the adjustment OF
spring shooting, are hard put Tor reed
ing places. But prairie chickens nave
had an ideal year. There has been no
flood of rain to drown out the nests
and the number of grouse and chick
ems is expected to be greater than for
many years.
New Congressman is Likely.
One of the things that is promised
for consideration in the next session
of the legislature is che division Of
North Dakota into congressional dis
tricts. The census is expected to show
a large enough population for North
Dakota to give the state an additional
congressman, making three in all. and
the plan suggested now is to divide
the state into three districts. At pres
ent both congressman are elected at
large The division that will be pro-
posed by d number of leaders and am
bilious statesmen In embryo in the
northern and western part of the state
will be to put the Red river valley
counties and possibly a tier of the
west in one district, on a north and
south line. The other part of the state
1t is suggested should be divided by
an east and west line, putting the
northwestern part of the state, Ward,
Williams. McHenry, Bottineau, Nc
Kenzie and the surrounding counties