The Ronan pioneer. [volume] (Ronan, Mont.) 1910-1970, 1917-06-29
Montana Experiment Station.

of W heat is s bushels for eacn per
son in the United States. With l0o,-
people this means that it requires
ESQ 900 bushels of wheat to meet
the requirements each year. This
must be furnished before there will
be bushel for export purposes.
The crop of 1915 amounted to
nearly 900. 100000 bushels. This
was sufficient to feed the people of
the United States, TO export $50, 000,-
600 and to carry over upwards Of
100. 900, 900 bushels into 1916 The
crop of 1916 amounted to $40, 000,-
600 bushels. This was less than the
home consumption, but the shortage
was not felt because of the heavy car
ry-oyer from the previous crop. With
the high price and the pressing de-
mand for wheat the export to Europe
during 1916 was heavy which, COM
bined with the short crop of that
year left the supply on hand very
short by the present spring.
The needs of the situation COM
bined with the very attractive prices
led to heavy tall wheat paintings in
the fall of 1916. 1t was confidently
expected that the fall wheat which
would be harvested this year would
yield between $50, 000,0 600 and ZOO,
900, 600 bushels. The spring reports
which have later been confirmed in
dictate that less than 400, 900, 900
bushels of winter wheat will be har
vested this year. Very serious Win
ter killing in Kansas, Nebraska, Mis-
/ souri,, Iowa and some of the other
winter wheat states reduced the crop
in most alarming fashion. When we
remember that last year the crop was
short and that the amount in storage
is very low we can see just how seri-
GUS the losses from winter killing
with winter wheat are.
Spring Wheat Short.
The shortage in wheat due to these
winter losses must be made up in the
spring wheat crop grown this year.
In 1916 the spring wheat crop of the
/ United States amounted to $50, OO0,-
| 900 bushels. If the crop of 1917 is
| of the same proportions we will this
year harvest less than $50, 100000
| bushels, which is 100, 900 bush
els below our own requirements. Not
only will we be unable to send any
wheat to our allies in the great war
| DuL we Will Dc uudUl6 W 1t6u lllC
people of America on a proper basis
This very serious wheat shortage was
one of the immediate reasons for
urging maximum paintings this
spring. Upwards of 80 per cent of
the spring wheat of the United States
is raised in the states Of Minnesota,
North Dakota, South Dakota, Mon
tana and Washington SO that it the
wheat shortage was made up it had
to be made up chiefly in these states.
The central states where the winter
winter wheat killed out are not suit
ed to the growth of spring wheat and
all they can do is plant oats or corn
where the wheat has been destroyed.
Ii the wheat shortage is made up the
northwestern states must raise it.
Aside from the wheat crop the
other staple crops were below norm
al in 1916 In that year the oat crop
vas 1872 per cent below the oat crop
Of 1915. The barley crop was 21.8
per cent below the crop of the preced
ing year and the corn was 1913 per-
cent below. This means that there
was a shortage Of feed for livestock
as we'll as for human consumption
The past winter has been a hard one
on livestock and the losses have been
heavy not only in dead animals but
in the shrinkage in weight. While the
loss in dead stock was bad enough
the loss in pounds of meat was enor-
nous. There was food shortage all
round.