The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-03-15
PROSPECTS FOR
 WHEAT HARVEST
By HOLLAND

New York, March A.-Herbert C. HooN- CT expects to become a private citizen after July 1. devoting himself to private business so that he may earn a suitable income At least this is the report that has come from Paris. Therefore. if he retires July 1. he will not be in posi- tion as food administrator to take ad- vantage of the harvest of wheat 1918. which may be so large as to affect his prediction that the price of wheat per bushel may be as high as $S5O per bushel.
 Of course, if the farmers can get $50 a bushel for their wheat they can ig- nore the government guarantee of S2.2 bushel But the wonder is whether immense supplies of wheat can be mar- keted at this price or even at the price fixed by the government.
 Already reports are coming to New York from various parts of the country. especially the northwest. which say that there is now fairly good promise of large increase in the wheat as compared with the amount of wheat that was har- vested last year. In the far northwest, especially the eastern half of North Da- kota and in Minnesota, the forecast made by competent experts tells of an increase in wheat acreage of 10 per cent as compared with the acreage of last year. Of course this increase reflect; the plea of the government to the farm. CTS that they continue to increase thei. wheat acreage, but it also reflects the certainty that no matter what the market price for wheat may be, the farmers will get 22e a bushel delivered at Chicago.
 From Montana come encouraging re- ports which serve to increase the i'm. pression that this great state is speedily to rival in her agricultural products, and also in the production of meat cattle. her mineral industries.
 Last fall the farmers of Montana planted an increased acreage of winter wheat and it's harvest promise is excel lent And in eastern Montana the con Gitions are favorable for heavy plant ing of spring wheat, The federal gov ernment is encouraging the farmers ot Montana by seeing to it that they are we'll provided with the necessary seed
 WHAT THE PROFITS WERE
 There comes to New York today d statement made by an influential and eX- perienced banker of South Dakota in which he says that the farmers of that state are beginning to turn theif attention to stock raising. This may seem strange in view of the fact that in 1918 the money gained by the farmers for their wheat was greater than any ever before secured by them. Many farmers took as high as s60OO to $7000 from a sin gle quarter of wheat land. So also the president of a bank of Minnesota who has been for years a careful observer of crop conditions, reports that in hls county every available piece of land Will be cropped in 1919.
 From other parts of the country come reports of similar nature. We hear that Kansas expects to harvest great CT number of bushels of wheat than were before garnered in that state. So also in the south the promise of an excellent wheat harvest is now even at this early season looked upon as encouraging. Alp pa rently then there may be large sur plus of 1919 wheat and if there be then if is regarded as doubtful whether the government would deem it expedient 10 buy the entire crop at S226 pushei anu then dole it out to the flour manutactur- CTS and others at the market price. fcs if is reasoned that it would be cheaper for the government to pay the farmers the difference between the market price of wheat and the price guaranteed by the