The Topeka state journal., 1919-12-17
Labor, Prices Hit Kansas Acre.
age, Govt Report Shows.
Farmers Also Trying to Return
to Normal Production.
SEEDING SLUMP, q Per CENT
Reduction Greatest in East and
SOuth-PaxtOn.
DrOuth Was Responsible for
Latest Recorded Planting.

hdHSdS wheat acreage Slumped Il
per cent from the high record a year
ago, according to a report issued today
| by Edward c. Paxton, field agent, fed
eral bureau Of crop estimates. Con-
dition of the 9.196,00 acres of wheat
growing this winter in Kansas is 50
per cent of normal. the report asserted
Altho less than last years seeding it
is only 375,000 acres less than the av-
erage seeding for the last five years
and exceeds the pre-war quinquennial
/ by about 1.250,O00 acres. The report
continues:
A decrease in wheat acreage was
to be anticipated. The tremendous
acreage sown last year was abnormal
and due solely to the war production
urge. Undoubtedly this years ten
dency was to get back to near normal.
Some of the reduction was premedi-
tated and Intentional Some of the
acreage now growing was unpremedi-
tated and unintentional. The ext
gencieis of the weather coupled with
! insect control are apt to mould the
1 farmers plans. more or less to suit
| their whtm and fancy.
Dissatisfied Over Price.
Dissatisfaction over wheat prices
and profits had an influence, but the
=, farmer is in business and sometimes
he is not equipped to raise anything
| else than wheat. If every farmer quit
/ raising wheat the year he failed to
make money on wheat, Kansas would
shortly be raising no wheat at all.
Kansas did not rise to be the peerless
wheat state of the Union by any such
process of thought and action. Labor
was i factor both in respect to supply
and price, particularly as regards
! present price and the probabilities of
7 harvest price next year. 1t is mat
ter of note and particularly commend
able that the wheat farmer did not
deliberately curtail his wheat acreage
to the point where an adequate supply
for next years necessities would be
menaced in order that he might force
a price for wheat that he deemed
profitable.
| In general the reduction in wheat
acreage is greater as one moves from
west to east or from north to south
in the state. The western third shows
an average decrease of 10 per cent in
acreage altho individual counties show
an increase. The central third has 81
per cent less wheat than last year
with reductions most severe in the
southern counties The eastern third
( has 33 per cent less with reductions
as great as so per cent in individual
counties.
Sowing Was Delayed.
In practically every county of the
state, seed bed preparation was i'm
possible until after September 10.
! Thru the heart of the wheat belt and
in the southeastern counties the
I drouth did not abate till October. The
result is that the present wheat crop
was undoubtedly seeded at the latest
average date in recent history. More
over the present crop was probably
! seeded on as poorly a prepared seed
bed as was ever recorded. Plowed
1 seed beds are the exception instead OF
the rule. Much drilling was done in
stubbie without any tilth. The COM
monest prepa ration was -discing, some
times double, but usually only single
discing.
West of a meridian thru Larned
fully half the wheat now growing is a
teer wheat is not from the usual
source of shattering at harvest. but it
directly attributed to the grasshopper
depredations just before harvest The
rate and distribution of seeding or
this volunteer acreage is far from
ideal. ranging from two to fifteen
bushels. At present volunteer wheat
looks promising to the casual OBJ
I server, but its potentialities are easily
over rated. 1t is generally shallow
rooted, too rank in growth. and by all
means too thick AS long as moisture
well. but any protracted period OF
drouth between now and next years
harvest will easily reduce it to zero.
Winter to Control Growth.
South central and southeastern Kan
sas has a large acreage of wheat of late
seeding that had not yet Sprouted or
December first. Its outcome is very
largely dependent on the nature of the
winter and spring weather. Thus far
it has better than an even chance tc
make good.
The present condition rating of 8;
per cent for the state is 6 points be-
low last years high average and is
points lower than the average condi-
tion recorded on December 1 for the
last ten years. However. it is l points
higher than in December. 1917. Con
dition becomes less promising as yoI
move from west to east or from north
to south. The poorest cnditions pre-
vail in fhe south central and south