The Washington herald., 1917-12-28
CROP PROPHETS
CONVEY GLOOM
Forecast Less Wheat Next
Year, with Seed Corn
Lacking.


pirate for the Christmas and holiday
season. for they point to considerable
and possibly great disappointment in
the production of two of our grain
harvests next summer. these two be-
ing the most important of all our food
products, wheat and corn.
The authorities report that the win
ter wheat crop will be. when harvested
and with favorable climatic conditions.
about five hundred and fifty million
bushels. The government has ear
nestly hoped that the farmers would
be able to harvest at least seven hun
dred million bushels of winter wheat
this year and that the harvesting of
spring wheat would make it possible
10 report a total OF a billion bushels.
Predictions made in the early spring
of crop conditions. especially those
which come from the government. are
always more or less discounted.
Figures Quite FaIIibIe.
II frequently and in fact usually
happens that the reports made by the
government of crop conditions and
prospects are not justified by the har-
vests, for these are likely to be greater
than the governments experts fore
casted.
But there can be no mistake on the
governments part in estimating win
ter wheat harvest for next summer not
in excess OF six hundred and fifty mil
lion bushels For the farmers were
unable to respond TO the appeal OF the
government authorities that they con-
siderably increase the acreage devoted
Cto winter wheat planting. The in
crease over last winters wheat fields
is only four per cent.
NAV hR that p1Odarn SCIENTIFIC
methods will be so generally adopted
by the farmers as to make 1t possible
to secure a much larger number OF
bushels per acre than has heretofore
been harvested. But the probabilities
are against such general improvement
in farming conditions as would serve
to make up for the comparatively
small acreage by producing a much
larger number OF bushels per acre than
has been possible in the past.
Wheat for the Allies
The discouraging feature of this re-
port is said by those who should know
to be found in the fact that we must
continue through another year to sup
ply our allies with as much wheat as
land more il poss.ble) than we are
now sending to them. That means
of course continued economy in the
use of wheat by the people of the
United States.
II often happens. when the wheat
harvest is not as great as spring pre-
dictions reported it likely to be. that
the falling or in wheat is more than
made good by the increase in the
harvest of Indian corn. More and
more the people OF the United States
are making use OF corn in various
10 Ioe Ifzfr
the prediction made by Samuel J.
Crilden a few months after congress
declared that not he but General
Hayes had been elected President OF
the United States.
Governor Tilden sailed for Europe
ehortly after the Inauguration of
Hayes as President. He turned his
attention when there to economic ques
tions and especially one based upon
our food supplies. In a speech de-
hyered by him from the porch of his
home in Gramercy Park after his re-
turn from Europe. ne made the pre-
diction that the day was not far dis
tant when the people OF the United
States would make. relatively. as great
use of corn for domestic purposes
not meaning corn converted into meat
products-as they then did OF wheat.
But II mas taken lne eAlSenCleS OF
the war to make it possible to say
that Governor Tilden's prediction is
at last justified.
Seed Corn Lacking.
II is a misfortune, therefore. that
with the estimated total production
of wheat in 1918 at not much more
than 700,000.OcO bushels. weather per-
mitting, there should be danger of
a serious falling of in our produc-
tion OF Indian corn. This will be
due. unless the danger be overcome.
to a fact which has no relation to
climatic conditions next summer
While the corn harvest of last sum-
mer was a record harvest in the
number OF bushels, yet in a consid-
cradle area. where under BILE
conditions large crops of corn are
harvested. the situation is now alarm
Ing simply because it is impossible
TO obtain seed corn which will germ
lnate. Some of the effects of this
situation are also alarming because
the farmers in some of the corn
producing States have been compelled
to send a large amount of stock, in
cluding breeding animals. to the mar
ket. whereas this stock should have
been kept for another season.
In the Northwest a business and
banking organization had been per-