The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1917-08-18
BILLION BUSHELS OF WHEAT
NEXT YEAR

BILLION BUSHELS OF WHEAT
NEXT YEAR
United States Department of Agri-
culture and State Officials Set
High Mark for Wheat Produc-
ton Winter Wheat Acreage
to be Increased this Fall -
by Is Per Cent. Over
Last Year
The production of over one billion
BUSHELS of wheat and over eighty
three millions bushels of rye, through
the planting of 47,337 600 acres to
winter wheat and of 5,131, ZOO acres
to rye this fall, is the immediate war
agricultural program for the Nation
announced today by David F. Hous-
ton, Secretary of Agriculture This
record winter wheat acreage, an in
crease of eighteen per cent. over last
year, would yield 672, 100000 bushels
If the average yield for the past ten
years is equaled, or under a repeti-
ton of the favorable conditions of
1914, would give 8S0-000.00 bushels.
In either case with spring wehat crop
next year equal to that of 1915, the
Nation viii have more than one bill
lion bushels wheat for domestic use
and export.
This vastly increased production of
wheat, needed in any case, viii be alb
| sOlutely essential to prevent a ser
| ious shortage of breadstuffs next
summer should the growing corn,
now behind the season, be much dam
aged by early frosts.
| The program approved by the Sec
rotary of Agriculture represents the
best thought of the U. S. Department
of Agriculture and of State Agricul-
ture officials and State councils of
| defense.
The study of this question has in
| vOlved many factors and the special
| lists have been aware from the first
| that the demands for wheat may eX-
! coed the supply next year. Effort
| therefore has been made to recon-
| mend in each state about as large an
acreage in wheat and rye as can be-
sown without upsetting proper farm
practice which must be maintained in
| the interest of wheat rye crops this
| and succeeding years, as well as in
the interest of other necessary spring
| planted crops which are not discuss
ed IN detail at this time as they are
not food crops in which a marked
shortage exists.
| The estimates, the Department
| states, are made with the knowledge
| that there is some shortage of the fer
| tilizer supply but with the under
standing that there will be no general
shortage in the supply of seed or of
| farm machinery which is necessary in
1 the production of wheat crops. 1t is
understood also that ample transpor-
| tation facilities will be provided and
a fair price of wheat will be estab-
ished. These factors have been assum-
ed as fixed and satisfactory. If any
one or more fail to be adjusted in
good time, no person can tell how
serious will be the effect on the total
crop.
The planting and cultivation of
| these increased acreages of fall-sOwn
grains call for unusual effort on the
part of the farmers. Plans to place
at the disposal of farmers all assist
ance possible, are being perfected in
the U. S. Department of Agriculture
the State Colleges of Agriculture
and other State and local agencies
which cooperate in farming matters.
| The assistance of successful growers
OF wheat and rye in a campaign to
turn out bumper crops is assured.
| The State officials will do their ut
most to get the acreages expected of
their States into the ground The pro-
gram as originally worked out by the
Federal Department of Agriculture
called for somewhat more than a.
When this proposal was presented to
the officials of the several States a
further increase was considered pos
sible and desirable by them AS q con-
sequence the recommendation for
the sowing of 47,337,OOO acres is
made
Following is a summary of the De-
partment's recommendation regard
ing winter wheat and rye:
WHEAT
The planting of approximately A.
o31 200 acres to winter wheat, on the
basis of the average yield for the
past ten years indicates a total pro
duction of 672 million bushels, which
exceeds all previous winter wheat
crops harvested in the United States
with the exception of the crops of
1914 and 1915 when the acreages
harvested and yields per acre were
both above normal
If the extremely favorable condi-
tons under which the winter wheat
crop of 1914 were grown are again ex-
perienced, the yield of winter wheat
next year will be 8SO,0OO,O0O bushels
or by far the largest winter wheat
crop ever produced and even larger
than the total of both winter and
spring wheat crops for all past years
except two.
1t IS too early to determine the
area which should be sown to wheat
next spring, but If this is equal to
that sown In the spring OF 1917, or 10
million acres, and the yield is up to
the average of the last ten years, a
crop of PSI million bushels Of spring
WheatWill be harvested, and If the yield
per acre should equal that obtained
N 1915 the crop viii be $50 million
bushels, the same as the greatest
spring wheat cerop ever produced.
i