Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1912-08-06
CENTRAL WEST IS
/. UP CLOSE TO THE
BUMPER CROP MARK
General Manager Slifer Of Great
Western Makes Tour Of 1nspec.
tion Along Lines.
VISIT PAID TO SEVERAL STATES
Goes Out and Gets in Touch with the
Actual Conditions in Country.
YIELD OF WHEAT BEST IN YEARS
Quality is Better Than in Former
Years.
CAR SHORTAGE ALMOST CERTAIN
II Grain 10 Rushed Off to Market
There ia Not Enough Equipment
VISIT PAID TO SEVERAL. STATES
Goes Out and Gets in Touch with the
Actual Conditions in Country.
YIELD OF WHEAT BEST IN YEARS
Quality is Better Than in Former
Years.
CAR SHORTAGE ALMOST CERTAIN
If Grain ID Rushed Off to Market
There Is Not Enough Equipment
in Country to Handle the
Millions of Bushels.

"If grain men and farmers attempt to
rush the wheat crop to market there vii!
be the greatest freightcar shortage the
country has ever experienced. but II they
use good Judgment and let 1t move along
moderately fast, the railroads Will be
able to handle the grain In reasonably
good shape" said General Manager
slifer of the Great Western. who spent
the day in Omaha, after two weeks In
spection Of the wheat growing area along
the company lines In Minnesota. Iowa
and Missouri. Continuing, Mr.. slifer
said: .,
There is no question but the central
west has raised the greatest small grain
crop in its history. Nebraska Is talking
55,OO0,oO0 bushels; Kansas, 1oo,o0,0oo, and
North Dakota, 125,00O,o00, and from what
I have seen. do not think these figures
are so very far out Of the way.
There is bumper crop in Iowa. Min
nesota and South Dakota and with these
conditions confronting the railroads, II
the farmers insist upon marketing In a
hurry, there are not cars enough in the
world to handle the crop and there Is not
enough storage to take care Of 1t when
it gets to market. 1t would simply swamp
the handling capacity Of everything"
Has Seen the Grain.
Mr.. Slifer's estimate Of the crop 10 made
after visit to the fields and graneyios
Of the farmers. Through the states that
he has visited on his tour, he has had
his car stopped at stations and thon In
an automobile has ridden out from ten 10
twenty miles into the country on either
side Of the line. In this way he has
come in touch with the exact condition.
Everywhere that he has been he has
found the yield very heavy, with much
of the wheat testing sixty-one 10 sixty
three pounds to the bushel with consider
able running as high as sixty-five.
Through Minnesota and Iowa, Mr.,
Slifer found the corn well advanced and
with the abundant moisture in most TO-
calties, he unhesitating!y predicts at
least an average, and perhaps a crop
much better than this.
Speaking of the car shortage, Mr..
Slifer says that it is on right at this
time, but not to such. an extent as TO
cause alarm The Great Western, he
says, with the cars previously on hand
and the large number of new ones pur-
chased this year, is prepared to handle
everything coming unless there Is an at
tempt made to move the crop within
short time and get the bulk onto the
market for August and September deli
very.
All roads, according to Mr.. Slifer are
gathering up empties and hurrying them
to the towns in the wheat growing area
that they maye be loaded for market
and by the time they are handled out of
the country on the first trip, he looks
for wheat to sell off several cents. Should
the market go down on account of the
heavy receipts, this he says would natur-
ally stop the out movement for a few
days at least and give the roads time
to catch up. Once caught up. they would
be able to take care Of the wheat and
get 1t out of the way before the move
nient of new corn could set in.