The Washington herald., 1918-03-01
SHOULD RAISE
/ MORE WHEAT
Holland Urges Farmers to
Z Plant Greatest Possible
Acreage.

How great some of the changes
in the agricultural industry of the.
United States in recent years have
been Cchanges of which the public
has taken little heed. is now well
illustrated by some of the statistics
which. under the stress Of war. the
governmental authorities at WASH
ington are issuing. There is, for
instance, the example of California,
State which excellent authority
asserts Is now compelled to import
from other States nearly 100000
bushels Of wheat in excess Of the
aggregate amount of wheat which
Is cultivated and. harvested in Cali
fornia
California Now Importer.
This is a somewhat strange re-
versal of agricultural form in CAL
ifornia, so to speak. although it is
probably due to the fact that in that
State a much larger part OF the pop
ulation is now occupied in cultiva-
tion Of citrus fruits. beans and other
products of the soil than was the
case a few years after California
was supplying the world each year
for several years with approxi ximate-
ly S5O.00O.00O of new gold, thereby
revoIutionizing financial and none
tary conditions in the United States.
A few years after California dem
onstrated her pre-eminence as a
gold producer, there began the cul-
tivation of the wonderfully fertile
wheat belts of that State. This pro-
gressed so rapidly and successfully
that in the course of time California
astonished the Eastern part of the
United States by reason of her abil-
ity to harvest not only as much
wheat as her own people needed.
but also to export each year many
thousand bushels. Therefore the
State became distinguished both as
a producer of new gold each year
and as a cultivator and harvester
Of wheat in sufficient amount to
provide a large surplus for export
Now comes intimation from official
authority that the needs of the peo-
pie of California are such that il is
necessary for them to import nearly
10,9O0.O 900 bushels Of wheat Consump-
ton of wheat in that State has pro-
gressed so rapidly that at last a con-
mas DECu cSldDllSntu WHICH Is
in line with the prediction made some
years ago by Englishmen OF high au-
thority, and also by some Americans.
that the time is near at hand when
the yearly harvest Of wheat the world
over would not be sufficient to meet
the demands of the worlds population
for food OF that kind.
That prediction, however. has not
Yet been justified excepting in the case
of California and perhaps two or three
other States
wheat In the south.
Secretary McAdoo presumably mad
In mind increased production Of wheat
in the Southern States, as well as
other grains, when he recently called
upon the farmers Of the South to raise
food stuff in excess of any amount
heretyfore raised in that section Yet
one of the great changes in the aSri-
cultural industry Of the United States
which has taken place within the past
fifteen or twenty yCIrs is the extra
ordinary development OF the Cultiya-
ton of wheat in the Southern States.
California alone imports about one
third as much wheat as the entire six
teen Southern States import from the
wheat producing States west Of the
Mississippi. A few years ago wheat
was not an important harvest in the
Southern States. The cultivation Of
wheat is now increasing rapidly and
the probabilities are that within few
years the Southern states, Oklahoma
being included In the list. will harvest
not only enough wheat for the needs
Of their own people, but will secure
such excess in production as will add
considerably to the American surplus.
1t is commonly assumed that the
leading Western grain States are
Illinois. Michigan, Wisconsin and
Iowa The time Is coming when
some of the great States of the
Northwest-very likely Montana,
the DakOtas and Mime sofa may
capture the prestige which hitherto
has belonged to these four States
in the harvesting of grain In 1917
Illinois. Michigan and Iowa har-
vested sixteen million bushels less
wheat than the people of those
states needed if normal consump-
tion of flour was to be maintained.
of course there were climatic rea-,
sons for this falling off in the pro-
duction Of wheat last year. Pre-
sumably climatic conditions OF this
kind will never seriously impair
the production OF wheat in the
South.
New York Can Raise More.
Probably very few recall the days
when New York State gained and
maintained pre-eminence as a grow
or of wheat. The rich farm lands
Of the Western part Of the State
were cultivated to wheat with great
success and the splendid water
mower that was available to West
crn New York was utilized in con-
veFting the wheat into flour, There
in lies the fundamental reason for
the growth Of the city of Reches-
ter, n. Y. Later with the develop
ment Of the west and the providing
of ample transportation facilities.
New York as a wheat producing
State surrendered its prestige to
the west. And yet if the Depart
ment Of Agriculture at Washington
and the legislature at Albany can
act in cooperation there seems to
be no reason why New York State
prestige as wheat producing
state. When william C.. Brown
was president of the New York
Central Railroad Company, about
ten years ago, he made a careful
study of agricultural conditions in
New York State and upon this study
was able to say. that he believed
that with the utilization Of many
thousands acres Of now unused land
for the cultivation Of wheat. the
state Of New York could produce
all wheat needed for home con-
sumption and have a good surplus
remaining. Today New York State
needs q little under fifty million
bushels OF WHEAT converted into