The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1918-10-10
EARLY ESTIMATE
OF STATE CROPS.
EITHER EQUALLED
OR ARE BETTERED
"A. J. Surratt's Detailed
Statement of N. d. Crop
Situation Is Out
WHEAT YIELD rs
GREATLY BETTER
Production of Nearly Hun
dred Million Bushels
Present Prospect

Grand Forks, N. Oak, Oct 10
The October report of the U. S. Blu
reau of Crop Estimates for North
Dakota made public October 8,
places the preliminary estimate Of
yield for wheat at 10 bus. oats "a
bus. and barley 21.5 bus. per acre.
Harvest condition for corn SIS per
cent flax Is per cent, potatoes 90
per cent. The state crop outlook
for wheat barley, flax and potatoes
is either average or better. Corn.
oats, rye and hay crops are below
average.
Commenting on the report, A. T.
Surratt, North Dakota agent Of the
bureau says that threshing returns
OF wheat in all counties have either
equalled or slightly exceeded the OPP
timistic forecast of last month, Prac-
tically all eastern or valley coun-
ties have either a normal or better
wheat yield with several phenome-
nal individual Yields recorded. An
area in the central part of the state
extending as far westward and in
Guiding Benson. Eddy and Foster
counties will average around normal
wheat crop. Conditions very spot
being both good and poor. Damage
factors were drought, hail and
grasshoppers but the chief damage
factor was drought. In a general
way the county averages for wheat
taper from II to % bus. in the east
ern to a range from 6 to 9 bus. in
the western counties. Quality is eX-
cellent as rule except for occas-
sional samples Of slightly stacked
burned wheat from header stacks
that went through the heavy rains
in later August.
Oats Hard Hit.
Oats were much more unfavora-
bly, affected by drought than either
wheat or barley and yields are quite
generally inclined to be slightly be-
low earlier expectations" said Mr.
Surratt. This is especially true in
northwest counties where a small
per cent Of the late oats were FROST
ed This condition increased the
feed supply Of roughage as these
oats were cut for hay but lowered
the grain yield to some extent.
State quality is favorable as a rule
except in the northwest which shows
rather uneven and often light weight
tests. County yields mostly range
from % to 80 bus. in eastern to IL
to 20 bus. in western counties.
Barley yields practically the
same as estimated last month or
above average for the state. Yields
are poor in the western counties
but the greater part of the barley
acreage is located in the more ia
vorable area or eastern half of the
state. Quality is good except no
ticeabIy discolored from late August
rains. County average yields mostly
range from % to 80 bus. in eastern
to IL to 20 bus in western counties.
Numerous farmers in central and
western counties state that their
barley yields often equalled or eX-
ceeded the oats yield.
Corn Lowered.
Severe frosts during the first week
of September materially lowered the
corn condition over practically the
entire state. The yield of this sea-
son crop was not so unsatisfactory
but the quality is lacking. The fod-
der and silage quality is below aver
age as the majority Of farmers were
too short Of help and busy with other
work to take care of it Immediately
after the frosts. However the crop
will supply a large amount of rough
age as well as considerable reason
ably mature corn especially in south
FERN counties. The state will have a
good supply of flint seed corn but
supply of dent seed will probably be
Enoticeably short as the termination
test of dent corn that was not picked
before the freeze is reported to be
rather low.
State flax condition was lowered
about per cent due to early Sep
Itember f-osts in western and north
tern sections and to some extent by
damage from grasshoppers in the
southwest. Damage mostly ranges
from 5 to 20 per cent in the counties
effected, however, there are a few
small communities where it is some
what greater. Flax is a spotted crop
especially in the western half OF the
state. There are some excellent
Ithreshing yields reported especially
i'm the eastern half of the state, but
yields on at least half OF the state
acreage are not quite up to earlier
expectations. Outlook is that the
state yield per acre will be around
average and of medium quality.
Potatoes Favorable.
Potato outlook is favorable ex-
cept in the southeastern part Of the
state where yields are only fair. Re-
ports from nearly all the remainder
OF the state are very favorable es-
pecfally the northern half Of the
state and the outlook is for a state
yield well above the average with
excellent quality.
Pasture condition noticeably low
cred by dry weather. Fenced pas
lures especially poor most of the
stock has been turned onto stubble
fields and other ranges where feed
is much more favorable.
Grain threshing practically COM
spleted and flax threshing we'll adj
ganced under ideal weather condi-
ZION during the past month. Con-
9tnued dry weather has been I'M
favorable for rye seeding and the
drying out of the soil has noticeably
retarded blowing. The month closed
with practically all counties in need
of rim The amount of fall blowing