The Washington herald., 1919-06-21
WORLD NEEDS
BUMPER CROPS
Looks to America Alone
For Grain, Holland
Says.

Sometimes when the Department Of
at Washington has fore
east the harvests. the figures which II
gave fell below those which were pre-
pared by the unofficial experts, and
the experts were the most accurate
In the past 1t was often said that IL
was worth while to discount govern
ment crop reports because they were
likely to be underestimates rather than
overestimates.
No suggestion Of that kind will be
made by those who read the latest
report from the Department of Agri-
culture. For II Is enough to know.
the experts say. that the government
forecasted a harvest Of nearly LEO
10000 bushels of wheat. winter and
spring wheat combined. in this aggre-
gate What does II matter IL this
estimate be too low? Never before
has the government forecast bounu-
full harvest OF this kind for wheat
The report Is spoken of here as hav-
ing been made In happy coincidence,
in point Of time. with the assertion
of Mr.. Hoover that Europe will need
as much food commodities for the
next twelve months. almost all of II
to come from the United States. as the
armies were face to face and engaged
in battle.
Some years ago the prediction was
made that the American farmers pos
sessed fertile lands Of sufficient acre
age for the cultivation OF wheat suf-
fcient to harvest a billion bushels.
Three or four considerations were
thought of by those who predicted
that the day would come when our
wheat fields would yield a billion
bushels at one harvest One Of the con-
siderations was the enlargement Of the
wheat belts, partly by irrigation, part
ly by reclamation and partly by utiliz-
ing lands hitherto untitled which were
capable Of producing wheat. Another
y consideration was the cultivation OF
intensive farming and the abandon
mtnt of haphazard and primitive
methods OF growing wheat. A third
consideration was the promise that the
farmers would receive pay for their
wheat in sufficient amount to yield to
them a reasonable proft. Another con-
s;Geration was centered upon the abil-
ity and willingness of the bankers to
finance the movement of the crops
, from the fields to the markets. There
vas also the question Of adequate
what the Harvest Means
- All of these considerations have
been happily worked out so that
with approving climate. the worlds
greatest record of 4 whcaS harvest.
greater probably than the tradition
al record contained in the scriptures
of the Egyptian harvest whicE To-
seph dominated. Is to b. made this
year. 1t is to supply abundant wheat
for domestic use and to furnish sew
eral hundred million bushels avail
a bic for export to the countries of
Europe which. Mr.. Hoover says. will
he IN desperate need OF American
foDd for another twelve months a,
least.
But this is not the only harvest
4Appa arently all Of the grain crops are
TO yield relatively as abundantly as
the wheat fields. many of which
have already received the treatment
of the mower and reaper so that the
wheat Is ready for the markets.
. In other days. the railroad man.
sycrs contemplated with especial
@ratification a large yield of ,-orn.
They were accustomed to say that
II there were a harvest of corn IN
/. excess OF two billion bushels. II
meant prosperity for the railroads
a we'll as prosperity for the coun-
trs-
Not yet is it possible more than
'sguely to forecast the yield in Indian
corn this summer. But it is observed
that the experts are almost ready
to predict. If due allowance be made
for possible unfavorable weather con-
ditions. a harvest Of Indian corn GER
tainly in excess of three billion BUSH
els. and very likely the largest aggre-
gate OF bushels ever harvested.
Hay and Cotton.
Not until later in the season will IL
be possible to forecast the yield OF
hay and OF cotton for this year. The
high and well-justified prices that cot
ton is commanding and probably will
. continue to command make it prob
able that whatever the yield in hay
may be the money value of the cot
ton crop will be greater than that of
the hay crop.
In other ways. cotton and hay
ran, as the saying is, true to form;
sometimes the cotton crop was
marketed for a little more than
the hay crop and perhaps the next