The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-03-30
Alarming Reports From Kan
Sas-Nebraska Wheat Belt.
Grain and Livestock at I'm
Prices in Chicago.
LITTLE CASH WHEAT At S2.15'
Hogs, Cattle and Sheep Also at
Record Breaking Prices.
Calling Guards Has Taken 3d.
600 Men From Farms.

Chicago, March 30.-The food sup-l
ply of the nation is in danger. was
| the cry in Chicago meat and grain
markets today. Alarming reports
poured into the market from the great
winter wheat fields of Kansas and Ne
braska. They told of drouth and the
blowing up of thousands of acres OF
winter wheat
May wheat opened at s1.eS on the
board of trade today, slight recession
/ from yesterday. but with that excep
ton the highest in history. Cash
wheat of high grade was quoted at
S2.15 to S225, with not enough Of
fered to establish a quotation.
May corn opened at $1.195s. Cash
corn was running well with the May
future. May oats were selling at 81 =
with cash oats ranging at s..
Live hogs on the hoof at the stock
yards today were selling high as
$3.50 per one hundred pounds. a
jump of 25 cents over yesterday. and
an advance of 40 cents in the past
two days, the record of all time.
Steers at $12.9O: Sheep, S12.35.
Wholesale and retail prices were
following hogs. Dollar-eighteen corn
means $3.50 pork. dealers said.
Choice beef steers today sold at $3.50
per one hundred pounds. Sheep were
firm at $12.35 per hundred.
Reports received by the United
and Lincoln, Neb., confirmed state
ments in the Chicago pit
Another grave menace to the ma
| tons food was the fact that the labor
shortage, already acute has been
| made critical by the calling out of the
I National Guard in the agricultural
states. A conservative estimate today
| was that the present National Guard
will take 1000 men from the strictly
agricultural states, in addition to those
ifin iTac he la a a F1d
This figures the regiments called at
/ war strength. These men are the
cream of able bodied workers. Farm
ers hesitate to increase acreage in the
| face of a certain labor famine.
Costly Seed Hits Farmer.
The high price of all seeds is also
| threatening disaster. State agricul-l
tural societies and officials are co..
operating the seed question and
advancing seed TO farmers unable TO
buy on the market. The demand still
! is greater than the visible supply
No way has been devised to meet
the farm labor problem The great
packing houses and steel mills around
| Chicago are bringing tens of thou
sands of negroes from the south tS
meet the labor shortage, which in
turn is injuripg the labor supply OF
the southern states.
| Tentative suggestions from the west
4 have been made of importing Chinese
! laborers.
Winter Drought in Iowa.
Des Moines, Ia, March 30.-The
winter wheat crop of Iowa VIII be
| badly damaged unless a warm rain
comes within the next few days, stated
Henry C. Wallace, of wallace Farm
err today.
1T has been a dry winter with in
sufficient snow" he said. MANY re-
ports of damage to winter wheat are
already coming in but the crop may
come out with a good yield if we have
a warm spring rain very Soon.
! Rush Seed Wheat to Nebraska.
! Lincoln Neb., March 30.-F'ive car
loads of seed wheat for Nebraska
farmers whose winter wheat fields
were damaged by drought, are being
rushed from Minneapolis. The dam
aged winter wheat fields will be seed
/ ed to spring wheat within the next
ten days, it is said. Reports from
! agents in the field for the University
of Nebraska, the Omaha Grain tx
| change, the Nebraska Farmers Aili-
ance and Omaha bankers, state sew
enty-five per cent OF the winter wheat
! fields in the southern half of the state
have been destroyed and many of the
fields in the northern half of the state
are damaged 10 to 80 per cent.
| Farmers have indicated a readiness
to re-seed winter wheat acreage to
spring wheat. if seed wheat, which
! they had been.unable to obtain, is fur
nished promptly.
Hope for Oklahoma Crop.
Oklahoma City. Okla. March 30
| Not more than 10 per cent of the
! 800, 900 acres of winter wheat in Okla
homa is past the possibility of a yield
sufficient to warrant harvesting and
! the remainder stands fair chance of
an average yield" declared John
Fields. editor of the Oklahoma Farm
! err discussing today the effect OF the
/ dry weather on the wheat crop.
We should produce IS 600, 600
bushels if we are favored at all with
moisture. The dry spell thus far has
ruined the crop in the northern tier OF
| countries but elsewhere it is in fair
condition The present crop was
planted under such favorable condi-
, tions that we should have at least
one-third of normal production il we
| M rain