South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1914-06-29
WHEAT CROP OF
ST. JOE COUNTY
To BE BIC ONE
County Agent Estimates Fig
ureS viii be Greatly in Ex-
cess of 1881, Last Years
Yield.

Farmers in St. Joseph county will
have plenty CT money with which to
buy autos and new things If every
thing from which they derive revenue
gives them as good returns as 1T is
indicated the crops will do. For the
crops this year, in everything but APP
pies and pears, promise to De RECORD
breakers, according to County Agent
John S. Bordner.
Wheat will be the bumper crop or
the year, and promises TO surpass last
years yield, when 11,I95 acres pro
duced 1881 bushels. Considerable
more wheat has been sOwn this year
than last. and the harvest should be
greater. unless the heavy rains OF the
past week or SO continue. wheat,
after il is cut, must be kept dry, and
rain during the cutting season, now
on. greatly hampers the work of the
farmers Not all the yield will be OF
the best, for some of the seed was
sown on poor ground, where 1t stools,
or grows very slowly, and the HesSian
fly a deadly enemy Of wheat, gets in
between the young shoots ana the
main stalk and kills them off. If the
crop is planted on good ground. the
nourishment given by the soil gener-
ates power in the roots and they send
been killed.
Alfalfa Yield Heavy.
Rivaljng wheat, in the matter OF
Weld. is alfalfa. This crop has only
been sown in about 500 acres but will
be the heaviest by One-half of any
crop ever produced in this county.
Many acres will produce from two to
two and one-half tons Of alfalfa per
acre. Alfalfa gives two crops a year,
and the second crop this year is well
under way, many of the plants being
over six inches high. Some of the
crop will be cut this week but the big
harvest will not take place until the
middle or latter part of July.
Corn, which suffered greatly from
the excessive draught last year, gives
every indication of producing many
bushels this year. Unless a blister
ing heat should persist.
Apples VIII be Scarce.
Apples, the fruit which everybody
loves, will be scarce this year, as also
will pears. Both of these fruits, which
during the poisoning season gave
every indication of a bOuntiful yield,
have been struck by pear blight"
disease which kills the trees and the
fruit.
OF the lesser crops, clover points
to be about the strongest, as most Of
the seed sOwn in spring was put in
good favorable ground, from which
the lime had not been taken. Rank
ing with clover, in largeness of yield,
are soy beans and COW peas, which
city folks are apt to know little about
but which are important TO the farm
er who must have feed for his cattle
during the winter. These crops will
be unusually large this year.
Oats Makes Fair Showing.
oats will make only a fair showing
this year on account of the small
acreage, as most Of the land is used
kakee crops will be greater this year
than last year, as the rains have
helped their growth wonderfully.
The trouble seems to be in getting
harvest hands, although the farmers
in this locality do not expect as much
trouble as the great wheat producers
in the west, where it is said the east
ern men, who go there 10 harvest,
soon tire Of the excessive heat and
leave the growers with little cere-
mony.
Home grown cabbage is being
brought into town by the producers
and according TO reports the crop this
year will be much heavier than usual.
Cabbage will sell at three cents a
pound. They will weigh from three to
10 pounds.
Good Potato Crop.
Garden truck over the county is
much better than in other counties.
Potatoes are said to promise one of
the largest crops while in numbers
of other counties the crop has been
an entire failure. Reports are that
the price, which has already been
boosted ten cents a bushel. will Jump
higher in the near future and con-
tinue TO climb. Plans are being made
by local farmers to ship potatoes to
dealers at Detroit and Michigan
cities.
Extreme hot weather in the south
ern part of the state. in lower as we'll
as the Petoski potato raising district
IN Michigan, has practically burned
up the crop. it is said.
That the tomato crop will be the
largest ever raised. at least in this
county, was the report of the farmers
who say the stand is perfect. Straw
berries proved big money getter for
the farmer this year. in many cases
the Cron hrip in, Srno -