The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-05-11

1 have largely spent themselves and nav ], practically exhausted their influence fo i the further impairment of trade and in dustry. Moreover there are new fac | tors in the field which give every promis of working in behalf of a recovered pros nerty
 We wish especially to direct the atten ton of our readers to the government crol report which will be published this after noon. As every one knows. or ought t know. who has his being and business il the greatest crop country in the world crops are the basis of American prosper ity and good crops are it's assurance Never have the agricultural auguries O any year been so favorable to the United Seates as they are today. All the indica tions are that this afternoons report vii be an exhibit of crop possibilities of thu most brilliant character.
 The report will. among other things present estimates of meadow and pasture land conditions and of the percentage of probable spring blowing and planting which has been done. If we are moi greatly mistaken it will in these respects show the farm season to be we'll ad- vanced It is, however in respect to the growing winter wheat that the return should be a stimulus for a revival of bus mess optimism
 Valuable as it is mea sured in dollars and cents, the American wheat crop is even more valuable as a sentiment mak- ing factor. Unless all signs fail, and unless there is a most unhallowed vlsita- tion of unpropitious weather this month, the winter wheat harvest in the United States this year will be of unparalleled abundance. Last years crop of h23,2bi ,o00 bushels was a record breaker, but the 1m- mediate outlook Is for q harvest of winter wheat ranging from 6oo,o0o,ooo to s5o,ooo,- 00o bushels.
 In the last few days the agricultural departments of Kansas Nebraska. Okla homa and Missouri have all published win ter wheat estimates showing only negli- sibIe decreases in acreage as result of winter killing. What is more, they have also shown in every case conditions fig ures of May 1 higher than a month ago. In Kansas. the greatest of all winter wheat states. elevators are being enlarged anu tut capacity Ot HtlllS IS DtlIlS ll- creased In preparation for handling such a crop as Kansas has never raised in all it's history It is worth noting also that since May the weather according to the weekly reports from Washington, has fav- ored the full maintenance of the "excel- lent outlook for wheat
 Now crop enthusiasm may be overdone co rlx in ha theless, making ample allowances for the various qualifications which suggest them- selves from experience with the various blights that may blast the fairest farm prospect from seed time to harvest, we believe that there is every reason in the agricultural situation at the moment for the American business community to begin to take new heart at the prospect of pros- perity given by nature to the United States.
 Men in the grain trade whose ventures are determined by their knowledge of conditions and their informed calculations of probabilities are talking of the reas- onable likelihood of total American wheat yield in 1914 aggregating at least 900, 900, 900 bushels, or about 150 900 00O bush
  els in excess of any previous harvest There Is no guarantee here. of course that such possibility will be realized, but there is ample warrant in the present po- sition of winter wheat and it's tokens of farm conditions generally for the adop- ton of more optimistic attitudes toward the business future than have lately pre- vailed.
 It is something altogether to the good that the agricultural season is making such bright beginning. Furthermore its hopeful auspices add to the reasonable incentives derived from other considera- tions for new stirring of American busi- ness life.
 Not all business factors are to every body's liking and they are not going to be, but the terms on which business has got to be done, whether tariff terms or other wise, are infinitely clearer than they have been for years. Prices have been reduced to levels comparatively devoid of imitation and financial and business conditions have been liquidated to state of healthy soundness The country is impatient to go ahead. and the crop promise should provide impulses to a business recovery. ;