The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-09-17
Indications Are Kansas VIII
Plant Small Acreage.
Soil in Many Parts of State
Hard To Prepare.
TELLS OF CONDITIONS
He Says State Should Have s
Million Acres.
Little Chance Price Will Be
Much Cheaper.

Manhattan, Kan, Sept. 17.-Consid-
cradle anxiety was felt early in the
season by a number of those inter-
ested in Kansas agriculture over the
possibility that too large an acreage
of wheat would be planted this fall.
For awhile a record production seemed
assured from the more than il u mil
lion acres planted in wheat, and IL the
promise of spring had held out, Kan
sas farmers would have been tempted
strongly to repeat, if not increase, last
years acreage.
The record production failed to ma
terialize, however. the yield was light
and the crop was handled at great eX-
pense. Then dry weather set in, fol-
lowing the excessive rains of spring
which packed the ground, and it has
been difficult TO pillow in many sec
tons. w. NJ. Jardine, president of the
Kansas State Agricultural college, who
has just returned from a tour of the
state. gave out the following state
ment concerning the problem:
What Jardine Found.
IT have covered the state pretty
thoroly during the last month and
never have 1 seen so little ground
plowed and in shape for wheat plant
ing. 1t looks now as if. instead of an
extravagant twelve million acres plant
ed to wheat, we shall do well il a nor
NAL area of seven or eight million
acres is secured. In fact, L feel i'm
PEELED to appeal to Kansas farmers
that they endeavor to plant a normal
acreage to wheat this fall.
Eight million acres to wheat will
not be too much for KaEsas. The
question is, how can sufficient ground
be prepared now with so little plow-
ing done? I believe this problem can
be solved by using corn ground for
wheat as far as possible. Corn land
I Ia l.
by a large yield of grain and il is
fairly free from weeds If the corn
| is removed at once and the ground
disked, II will furnish an almost ideal
| seeded for wheat and at very little
expense. There are probably five mill
lion acres of corn ground that can be
| used. In some sections, in eastern
Kansas especially. some ground has
been plowed. More can be plowed
II 1t rains soon, otherwise it will be
necessary to use ground that has been
doubled disked, to supplement the
corn ground.
Price To Stay Up.
1.-The consuming public, beset by
soaring prices for all necessities OF
life, is cherishing a hope that wher
| the government guaranteed price fol
wheat expires the price of wheat to
| farmers and the cost of bread to con
sumers will fall. The public must re-
member, however, that it cannot ex-
pect wheat to be less than 81 a bushe
until labor and machinery and every
thing 1t requires to produce, a croI
of wheat descend to lower price levels
IF the price of wheat which the
| farmer receives were reduced so cent:
| or rs cents bushel, it would mean E
/ reduction in the price of bread to the
| consumer of not more than 1 cent OIL
IL cents a loaf. OF the $29.10 thaf
the wheat necessary to produce a bar.
rel of flour costs by the time it reache!
the consumer in the form of bread
| the farmer receives only $9.06. or les
| than one-third. Millers and middle
| men get the rest. 1t is a mistaken
| idea that wheat growers are rolling il
wealth because of a government guar.
| n rtnad rorica -