The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1912-09-21
OUR GREAT HARVESTS.


for this year in this country, record
breaking crops. Every estimate by the
L, 5. Department of Agriculture and
by the private or corporate agencies
which collect crop reports, gives an in
crcasing figure in the yield of all the
chief harvests of the country. The
earlier estimate of shortage in the
wheat crop was that the later.sown
| spring wheat mi ght make good the
shortage in the winter wheat crop.
Now. however, it appears that the win
ter wheat crop is by no means as short
as expected, and the spring wheat
crop is far above the estimates. The
spring floods in the Mississippi river
system were reported 10 be extremely
destructive, and such late sowing Of
| spring wheat as occurred was supposed
| to be doubtful in results. But, as the
New York Evening Post says, Gas If
in whimsical turn of mind, Nature
thereuDon proceeded Go make mp for
the bad luck of the winter-sown har-
vests by providing the American farm
Or during the remainder Of the sea
son. with weather which was favor
able to a degree rarely witnessed IN
agriculture. There were weeks, IN
midsummer, when the prolonged heat
had forced along the crops so last
that drought was an imminent dan
ger: thereupon rains, Of exactly the
sort required and in exactly the
necessary quantity, fell in the harvest
States. When the crops, in a thor.
oughly healthy condition, and on an
acreage so large as TO offset the loss
of winter wheat, were approaching the
season when low temperatures threaten
trouble, the country was favored wlth
o spell Of heat, prolonged into the mid
die Of September, which stimulated
growth so rapidly that tho handicap of
late planting was virtually overcome.
AS consequence, four or five of our
greatest staple crops now promise the
largest yield in the country's history
even the hay crop. whose yield last
year was much the smallest in three
decades, now foreshadowing the great
est recorded harvest To make the
transformation complete, these huge
harvests are coming upon q market al
most denuded of old supplies, thus as
surfing remuneratiye prices to produc-
ers, and are apparently coincident with
something like harvest failures in Eng
land, by which full and profitable
export trade is guaranteed. "a
On tho other hand, the crops in
Europe are generally short; in Eng
land they are almost a failure. The
London Economist sums up the crop
situation in its issue at the close Of
August in the following language:
1t Is many years since English farmers
found themselves in a position so serious
as at the present moment. Tho conditions
are in many parts oven worse than they
We're at the end OF August, 1879, the most
disastrous year In recent times For six
weeks there has been almost continuous
rain. and from many parts of the country
come reports Of floods and ruined crops
Large areas OF the country are under
water. rivers have overfiowed their
banks, aud have carried away fields of
farmers have lost the bulk OF their hay
and their grain.
In some districts fodder may rise TO
high prices. and this will hit stock farm
has occurred in Yorkshire. Lincolnshire.
Norfolk, Nottinghamshire, Cambridge
shire. Huntlngdonshire Bedfordshire.
Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Berk-
shire. Oxfordshre. Surrey. and Kent, and
in those counties the greatest damage has
been done: In the fertile corn growing
districts is Of the fens Of Cambridge, Hunts,
cut for a fortnight and more. but prao-
ticaly none is carried. Some of 1t is
standing in water. while IN other cases
hn hnc1 to
the shock. About half the harvest In
Sussex is completed but the grain is
In a bad condition, and VIII have TO re-
main in stack for long time before il is
fit to thresh.
Half century ago weather like the
present would have sent up the price of
wheat at least a pound a quarter. but
fortunately for our people the crop news
from abroad is satisfactory, and In spite
OF the failure at home the worlds wheat
harvest ls now confidently expected 10 be
Bumper crops are anticipated In Canada
and the United States. and a, mod erately
good output should come from Russia
All this indicates heavy demand
from Europe for American grain. and
since the account. OF the conditions so
graphically described above was wri.
ten, the same nnfavorable weather has
continued in England The prospec.
tive demand for American grain in all
the countries Of Europe is likely TO be
keen, and the prices which without
some such demand as this might have
fallen TO something like the old levels.
are likely TO be maintained at the high.
est standard: for since the demand is
certain to be so much greater than ever
before. we can hardly expect de.
crease in the prices
II is noteworthy in this connection
that the baroness of tine markets of
grain has caused an unprecedented
rush Of new wheat TO the central grain
depots Of the country. Nothing like
it was ever known before. and the
railroads have been taxed TO their ut
most 70 furnish transportation for the
immense exactions of the grain trade
The Lord evidently loves this republic
and its people. Surely this country Is