Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1912-04-19
OUR CROPS AND
TRADE revival
Government Forecast on
Winter Wheat Yield and
on General Business
Just What Is Looked for In
Agriculture After a Hard
Season Of Winter

CHICAGO, April 19-The govern
ment's initial estimate Of the winter
wheat crops condition will hardly
serve of Itself fer a basis of great
optimism. Bat attention continues
to converge rather on the state of
general business, which is urioubted-
ly improving n Il substantial way.
During the last two months it mas
made small but steady gains and the
outlook is sr3* 'lg uaily more en-
couraging for a good volume of trade
on q conservative basis. The liquidar
ton the trade has gone through has
put mercantile interests in a condi-
ton where they must buy constantly
even to supply current wants, esr
pecially of necessities.
The acquittal of the packers in the
criminal suit under the antitrust law
has had a good effect On sentiment,
and while uncertainty in regard to the
political outlook remains a disturb
ing factor, it has lost good part of
it's force. The primary election in
this state this week undoubtedly
caused uneasiness among people who
had believed that Taft's lead over
Roosevelt for the nomination was Sc
cure. But even this doubt is expect
ed to be dissipated by later political
events. Meantime the steel mills are
running at full capacity, and nave
more orders on their books than at
this time in many previous years. As
yet the consuming trade is debating
over the action of manufacturers in
advancing prices for finished product,
and are buying cautiously. In the gen
eral jobbing trade sales of the past
few months are barely equal to last
years, but in the last few weeks a
perceptible improvement has been
made.
The Washington "condition Estimate
Tuesdays government estimate on
the condition of winter wheat was
regarded from various points Of view.
On it's face the April percentage OF
500 showed the poorest outlook since
1904, when the country's winter wheat
yield and much the smallest in the
last dozen years. 1t was below the
trades expectations, and 1t showed
a loss in condition, since the Deem
Der estimate, of fully per cent,
which, although not unprecedented in
recent years, is almost double the
average decrease in condition for the
winter during the past ten years.
This loss is the result of winter kill
ing, due largely to severe freeze last
October and November, preceding the
snowfall, but still more largely to the
crops being smothered by contin-
ued covering of ice.
How much winter killing there &C.
tually has been is yet to be deter
mined. If private reports coming in
during the past few days are cor
rect, there will be considerable loss
of area east of the Missouri river,
mostly in the states of Illinois, Indi-
ana and Ohio, and also reduction OF
acreage in Kansas. The feature of
the report was the extremely low con-
ditions in Illinois, Indiana and Ohio.
These are 81 to Is points below the
April estimates of last year, and II
to 81 points under the average for
the past ten years. These states
raised 112,50O,O0O bushels last year,
but their present promise, even on
the original acreage, is only $780,
900 bushels. Still, with good growing
weather from now on, the condition
of the wheat that is alive can improve
materially, for there is an abundance
of moisture in the soil.
Some Good Points in Wheat Crop
Missouri, although reporting a
great deal of winter killing, has a