Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1910-07-01

| Grand Forks, N. D., June 3O.-The
above report of H. NJ. Creel, the Off
cial representative of the bureau OF
statistics of the United States de-
partment of agriculture, indicates
what is considered a fairly accurate
view of the crop situation. Farmers
in this county began yesterday to
turn over their fields and only the
wheat on the better land will yield
any kind of crop, no matter wha'
kind of weather may come.
! Yesterday was the nineteenth day
of the scorching hot spell which has
doomed North Dakota's wheat crop
and the thermometer registered 20
degrees in the shade. A hot dry wind
blowing almost a gale added its pow
er to the killing Of the crop. On
Saturday farmers held some hope OF
half a crop with favorable weather,
but three days with the theremome-
ter registering over IS degrees IN the
shade and no sign Of moisture mas
effectually disposed of that hope.
But the wheat crop is not by any
means the only crop that has been
damaged by the drought. The oats
crop is practically gone, barley Is
damaged and flax is in need of rain
Even the potato raisers Of the valley
are beginning to look anxious.
The following from an article on
the crop situation which appeared
Yesterday in the Duluth Herald Will
be of interest in this connection.
The extended period of dry wealth
er following unreasonable climatic
conditions earlier in the year has
produced a crop condition in the
northwest that may be described as
calamitOus.
The effect of a short crop of all
grains, especially wheat, would be 1ar-
reaching and it's ramitications would
extend into almost every branch or
business and the industrial, stock and
copper markets.
Duluth is particularly concerned be-
cause of the relation Of this market
to the spring wheat crop. 1t de-
rives nearly all of it's receipts from
North Dakota, where the damage is
most severe and where the drought
has been most prolonged.
The sudden change in the condition
of the spring wheat plant has been
one of the most astonishing features
of the grain trade in the history OF
the northwestern markets. The faV-
orable weather early in the spring
caused farmers to SOW all grains 10
large and increased acreage. AS the
wheat plant appeared above the
ground prospects for bumper crop
we're ideal. Then came cold weather
and blighting frosts which impaired
the vitality of the plant, although IN
some portions of the northwest this
climatic condition resulted in the OBJ
LEGATION of ''kingsheads," especially IN
the Red River valley. The cold re-
tarded the growth of the plant above
the ground, but where 1t did not
blight it caused the roots to seek a
greater depth and this was looked
upon with favor by those who expect
ed a normal year from the standpoint
of precipitation.
Following closely upon the unsea-
sonable cold and heavy frosts cane
unusually hot weather, lack of rains
and blighting winds. The Wneat
plant has been in the ground ninety
DAYS and it has not had a normal
amount of moisture, yet it faces a
period of the year, one of the chlef
climatic characteristics of which IS
lack of rain.
The three leading producers OF
spring wheat in the United States are
North Dakota, Minnesota and South
Dakota. In Canada the big producers
are the provinces of Manitoba, Sas-
katchewan and Alberta. AS the tarlH
wall III an effective barrier to 1mpor-
tatt6n of wheat, except in bond, the
.e4nadian situation does not influence
conditions in the market directly.
Indirectly it is a potent factor.
North Dakota last year produced
90. 1852, 900 bushels of wheat from an
acreage estimated at 6,625,OO0. Min
nesota produced 94,0S0,00O bushels
from 100000 acres. South Dakota
raised 47,5SS,0OO bushels from 1885,
900 acres.
Estimate Of Crops
While the Herald is not prepared
Just now to issue an accurate esu-
mate of the wheat yields this year,
based on the present condition of
wheat, owing to the inability to pro-
cure accurate reports from all To-
calities, yet it has received a sufi-
cient number to enable it to get
fairly acurate idea of the situation
as a whole, South Dakota may be
1of+ o,+ If tho reckoning entirely be-
cause this market draws little stun
from that state. This leaves Mime
sofa and North Dakota as the two
factors in the situation as it applies
to Duluth