The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1920-08-25
HORN OF PLENTY IS
POURED into LAP OF
KANSAS THIS YEAR

III CIA<as xAkaANo.s aug. GC-oIoA AOS
of sudden wealth in the Kansas wheat
belt are numerous this year, due to the
unusual acreage of volunteer wheat"
crop grown from seeds which fall
in the previous harvest. Officially es-
timated there was 100000 acres of
volunteer wheat in Kansas this year.
or about a sixth of the total har.
vested acreage. This wheat yield
probably 40,0O0.0O0 bushels or repre-
senting a monetary value of about
500. 900. The total Kansas crop Of
wheat is estimated officially at 1907
900, 200 bushels.
The large acreage Of volunteer
wheat Is due to the fact that great
deal Of this acreage was deserted as
wheat land by the owenrs, after last
years none to bountiful crop had
been harvested. The 1919 acreage was
in excess of 100000, by far the re-
cord for any state in the union. A
wet fall caused the kernels of wheat
which had fallen to the ground dur
ing the harvesting. to terminate.
Finding the volunteer" crop max
ing a stand, farmers did not disturb
the growth and, with ideal wheat
growing weather this spring, the vol
unteer wheat made yields fully as
bountiful as the rest of the crop.
Deserted Farms Produce
Innumerable stories of deserted
acreage" producing $4,000 to s25, 900
worth of wheat come from western
Kansas where the bulk Of the volun-
teer wheat was grown. Others tell
Of farmers who purchased farms this
,, year and paid for them with returns
Of this years wheat harvest. Illus
trating the Sudden wealth" general
throughout the western Kansas coun
ties, where land has been cheap and
! favorable seasons few and far be
tween, recent canvass Of wheat yield
in the vicinity of Oakley, small town
60 miles east of the Colorado line, In
Logan county, showed at least so farm.
ers whose wheat crops this year are
worth moro than $4,000 each each
! at least Is have moro than $4,000 OF
wheat each. and every farmer has 8
Of them of northwest Kansas, this
year are yielding ABOLISH bushels OF
wheat, according to the latest Off
cial estimate by the state board OF
agriculture.
The one big draw back to the Kan
sas wheat growers prosperity this
year, is the lack Of facilities in which
to transport his wheat to the market
centeD. Cars still are scarce, espec
tally ~ the central and western parts
of the state, but the situation Is not
as desperate as 1t was two month:
ago. grain dealers report.
Big Corn Crop Too
Favorable summer rains have prac
tically assured a big corn crop In Kan
sas this season. The crop has beer
officially estimated at 14O,00O,000 bu
shells and the official forecaster nov
asserts that the continued favor
able weather means the yield will
mount still higher. The Kansas wea
Their bureau here reported that it |:
the first year in its 33 years existence
that Kansas had a bumper" whea
and corn crop the same year. A bank
er who lived in Kansas So years |:
authority for the statement that II
that time, such favorable crop comb
| nation never before occurred
Similar conditions prevail with ths
oats and barley crops which have beer
harvested. The state raised 20,000,O0
bushels of barley-four times the aver
age annual yield Of the last 20 years
Alfalfa and grain sorghums, t
which millions of acres are devoted
in Kansas, likewise are producing
bountiful crops. Kaw Valley potato
growers, report one of the best crop
ever grown. AS one editor of western
Kansas puts it: THE horn of plent
appears to have poured right into tn
lap of Kansas this year"