The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1920-07-16
PLENTY OF FARM LABOR
KANSAS NOT FACING ANY
SHORTAGE YET
Crop Yields Claimed To Be
Best In Many Years
Past

Kansas City, Mo-. July 12.-[By The
Associated Press THE harvest labor
situation in Kansas and the southwest
is generally good according to officials
Of the federal free employment bureau
in Kansas City, Kan. and the Missouri
bureau of farm labor, conducted by
state authorities with federal aid in
Kansas City, Mo. At the opening of
this month a surplus Of farm labor
was evident. There were a number
Of instances OF men who came back
from the harvest fields declaring that
they had been unable to find employ
ment. At the end of the first week
in July scattered requests were re-
ceived for more harvest laborers to be
sent to counties in northwestern Kan
sas, need which is being filled, &C
cordiDg to the federal employment
agents.
Generally speaking the Southwest
has been supplied with all the harvest
labor necessary as soon as the wheat
crop was ready for cutting this sea-
son. Indeed. a number OF men who
came west to work in the harvest
fields were kept waiting for some
time because of rains, had delayed
the wheat harvest. A wage standard
of seventy cents an hour, agreed upon
by farmers in the wheat belt of Kan
sas and announced through the state
labor commissioner, Samuel Craw-
ford, attracted many workers. There
have been repeated reports, which are
credited by the federal farm bureau
workers. of wage cutting on the part
of the farmers who found for the
first time In years that the farm Ia
Dor supply was more than adequate
and xxyhn 6acfra6 fhnrnfnro 10
money by paying smaller wages than
those which had been advertised.
Car Shortage Serious.
In regard to the car situation. oper-
ating officials of the leading roads
through the wheat sections agree that
there il at present an inadequate sup
ply of available cars, Plenty of cars
have been ordered west. It Is stated,
but as yet they have not arrived In
fetal of the local terminal company
In close touch with the interstate
commerce commission declared that
although the car supply Is still some
what short, it is better than in other
sections of the country and better
than it has been here In past years.
Railroad officials were not inclined
to agree with this rather optimistic
estimate.
The 1920 wheat crop is beginning
to reach Hutchinson. Kan. 1t is said
TO average better than for many
| years, testing from sixty to sixty two
pounds to the bushel and bringing
| $40 to $3.50 per busheL Yields run
from twelve to twenty bushels to the
acre, farmers declare.
"Grasshopper planted" wheat Is
reported to have turned out well in
many places. In their attacks on
! wheat fields last fail. grasshoppers
cut the heads off the wheat, causing
them to drop to the ground, which re :
suited in tracts of volunteer wheat
| Near Lyons a grower reported TWEEN
ty bushel to the acre, yield from a
! "grasshopper- planted" tract Exten-
/ sion Of credits to farmers unable to
market last years wheat because OF
car shortage has been promised by
| federal reserve boards according to
members of the Kansas committee
who have returned from Washington
after conference with the interstate
| commerce commission.
Ideal growing weather prevailed In
most Of the farming country of Kan
sas and Missouri during the first week
of July. according to federal weather
REPORT issued weekly by s. D. Flora,
federal meteroligist for Kansas. The
weather was favorable for harvest
work and corn made a vigorous
growth. In the southeastern counties
corn Is now four to six feet tall, and
in the northwestern section of Kan
sas one to two feet Potatoes and
garden produce are also reported aH
making good progress. Alfalfa shows
4 slow growth