The Washington herald., 1917-06-14
/: HOLLAND LETTER
The Biggest Daily
Financial News Feature Of
the COuntry's Best Newspapers.

Presumably reports received by the
| Washington authorities from the
' Northwest explain the gratifying in
crease in the estimate of the harvest
! of wheat which Washington made a
| few days ago. Now the authorities
are persuaded that at least 700. 1000 OOO
bushels will be harvested, II weather
| conditions continue to be favorable.
II Canada were able to report i'm
provement of like character then the
! allies, who will In the next twelve
months need millions of bushels of
wheat, would be able to contemplate
fairly good response to their de-
mand.
The great area of the United States
makes 1t certain that deficiency in
food harvest in some sections, due to
climatic conditions, will be more than
made good in others. For instances,
| two years ago there was a deficiency
in the corn crop of the Northwest.
attributable entirely to bad weather,
but in some other parts of the coun-
try. especially in the South, the sum-
, mer weather was unusually favor
able. so that the harvest of corn was
very large and more than mace good
the deficiency in the Northwest.
Reports have come to New York
| that rainy weather in the East has
somewhat impaired crop prospe: It's.
but IL the East has suffered from too
much rain, the Northwest has been
SISdliy DeutIlSu Dy nSdNy rams lldJ
fell in the latter part Of May and
early in June. These stimulated the
growing crops in Montana. South
Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin.
| But curiously enough the rains which
were abundant in South Dakota. were
lacking in North Dakota. and unless
what the farmers call Soaking rain"
comes, ther may he some shortage of
crops in that State.
In the East there has been disap-
pointment that May should have
proved so unfavorable for growing
crops. there having been only three
or four clear days. But in North
Dakota the opposite condition has
prevailed SO hat the district reports
the dryest May known in forty-two
what impaired the rye crop of North
Dakota, and unless rain comes may
seriously put back the wheat crop.
The Farmers' Response.
The farmers of the Northwest have
| responded with enthusiasm and energy
| to the appeal that they produce larger
crops than ever. All over the North
west the acreage has been numbered
| among the greatest of fwheat-producing
States. the spring wheat prospects are
so gobd that it is possible for the
State authorities to report that he
spring wheat will repair the damage
done in Montana to winter wheat.
Bankers and business men in the Da-
kotas undertook early in the spring a
voluntary campaign with intent to
persuade the formers to increase their
acreage, hoping that record-breaking
! acreage could be put to seed. These
appeals were successful. The farmers
found that the banks were very liberal
in aiding them with credit, and no
credit in North Dakota. The banks
of that State have lent several mil
lion dollars to the farmers. All that
Is needed in some parts Of the North
west for a harvest OF crops which will
be record-breakers. ever though wheat
able weather. South Dakota, Mime
sofa and Wisconsin should add to the
corn harvest so great an amount that
the hoped-for aggregate harvest of
1000, 100000 bushels will be secured.
The Canadian Situation.
An reports from the wheat-growing
regions of Northwestern Canada are
disappointing. The falling off Is not
due so much to lack of labor as to un-
favorable climatic conditions. The
wheat acreage is less than the normal,
and planting was very late There
fore, the falling of in the wheat yield
in the Canadian Northwest Is likely to
be SO great as to make heavy demands
upon the farmers of our own North
west
Louis W. Hill, president OF the Great
Northern Railroad Company, in an ad-
dress delivered a few days ago, re-
vealed his fathers capacity for COL
lecting and mobilizing statistics that
are not dry, but are full of informa-
ton. For instance, he called atten-
ton to the fact that whileNthe North
west, or that part Of it which his rail-
way system bisects, contains not quite
glance is soon, to take Its nlace Nth