The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-07-16
OUTLOOK FOR
 THE C0MIkG YEAR
Ry HOLLAND


 the government experts of the aggregate
 number of bushels of wheat which vii
 be harvested this year is disappointing
 nevertheless reports which have come | to New York since that estimate was published justify the surmise that the next government report may be more encouraging. It may be that the farm CTS will not harvest billion bushels of wheat, but the chances are that unless weather conditions in the northwest are unfavorable as many as saoo, OooOo0 bush els Will be harvested and perhaps many more.
 The weather has not been entirely fa- Vorable in some parts of the country, whereas, in other wheat belts, the cii- mate has been admirably suited, accord- Ing to reports received here, for growth of high quality of wheat and the gar nering of more than an average number i of bushels per acre. But the United States is so large, it's northern wheat boundary reaching the Canadian line and its southern including parts of Tex as that it is almost inconceivable that perfect crop weather will prevail in every part of the country in any one season. John H. Rich. who is chairman and federal reserve agent of the Ninth fed eral reserve district. with headquarters at Minneapolis, has sent this morning to New York a somewhat detailed report of crop conditions in the northwest. Mir Rlch is in an especially favorable post ton for securing accurate statements from farmers of the northwest, since IS Iederal reserve agent at Minneapolis he IS brought in touch with the agricultural regions within the boundaries of that district
 According to MT. Rich it is dry weather. especially in Montana and North Dakota which has played havoc With the grain crops. Up to q month ago the weather in that district was very kindly encouraging the hope that the largest harvest ever gathered would be secured this year. Then of a sudden came very dry and very hot weather. II was especially harmful to the crops of Montana. IT. June the reports from Montana led to the expectation that the state would maintain her position as one or the leading wheat producing states, put head and sun have played some ha- voc with Montana s wheat production, as also with that in parts of North Dakota. On the other hand the promise is excel lent Of large wheat harvest in South Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin Therefore the belief prevails in the north west that the losses due to hoI anu dry weather in some sections will not be great enough to prevent the entire dis trict from reaping as large g crop of wheat as it has ever grown.
 THE RED VALLEY RIVER
 It used to be almost a hobby with James J. Hill to encourage the cultiya- ton or wheat in the Red River valley MT. Hill felt sure that bearing in mind the extent of the wheat belt as com pared with other and larger belts it might, when entirely brought under cul- tVatlon, prove to be the largest wheat production area in the United States
 However, unfortunate weather condi- tions may have been in other parts of the northwest the harvest in the Red River valley is likely to prove this year as large as any ever gathered there This is due to the fact that moisture has been abundant and sufficient to carry the crop through to maturity. So also l throughout Minnesota the outlook for a very large wheat harvest is excellent, l'NA'tiSNSii S-NNcEtioilS Slloulu De made to some sections of the northern part of the state There, however, the wheat that | Is growing may be greatly benefited should there come good rainfalls.
 We undoubtedly are to have, if not a record harvest of grain, nevertheless one or the largest ever garnered and in some parts of the country the season is so far advanced that the wheat has been cut and is now being threshed
 ma ha ;,,ta port were to be made setting forth in addition to the sketch of John w Sterl- ling, which appeared in this column yes- terday, some of his personal character istics. First of all, a good deal of com ment has been made since Mr Sterling s death few days ago which refers to the fortune which he accumulated. Those
 who are best informed are inclined to De- iieve that when his estate is probated 1t will be found that he accumulated q much larger fortune than any other American lawyer ever gained. There would be surprise If it were found that the aggregate money value of his estate were less than s10,0o000o. When the will of Joseph II. Choate was offered for pro- bate it was discovered that he left an estate somewhat in excess of $40O0, ,0tO, and lawyers said that this was undoubt- edly the largest fortune ever accumu- Y throgh the practice of his profession. Whatever be the amount of MT. Ster- lings estate, and it undoubtedly will make a record, it is certain that he gained no small part of it through for tunate Investments and through oppor- tunities which came to him while serv- ing very large interests and perfccting railroad congratulations. He was a wise Investor, and as his manner of life was modest. his income must have been so great as to enable him to make each year large new investments.
 He was peculiar man in many money. for it often happened that he charged nothing for his services in that respect resembling the late John G. Johnson of Philadelphia. He did know. however. when and why to make large demands One of the most perfectly equipped and from the architectural point of view, beautiful, of all the Amer ican homes for aged women was estab- lished by 8 benefaction made by the widow of Charles Osborn. who himself accumulated a great fortune. In this benefaction Mir Sterling was of great assistance to Mrs. Osborn. At her death ] 1t was found that she had bequeathed to him s2oo,0oo. He refused the bequest, or at least applied the whole of it to a
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