The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-04-04
KEEPING AN EYE
 ON WHEAT COP

| New rom the northwest which tells of the prospect of the wheat harvest there. it IS always eagerly studied because four or the states of the northwest harvest much the greater part of the northwest ern wheat. As steel is regarded as the business marometer so also wheat is nre- sumed to reflect prosperity or the laak of it, according as the harvest is good or poor. John H. Rich, who is chairman ana federal reserve agent of the federal reserve bank at Minneapolis, which is in the Ninth Reresve district, has been able to secure reliable information from many parts of the northwest, and this he has today communicated to those who are in- terested in the information in New York. On the whole Mir. Richs report is encour- aging. He goes so far as to say that the spring agricultural outlook in tbe north west Is now very favorable Of course it IS too early to make an accurate esti mate of the harvest, but it is alwava encouraging if the early outlook is fav- orable
 conditions seem to have changed in the northwest as compared with the sit- uatlon there last year. In the southern
 
 ing here and there in scattered localities Tor the climate on the whole is uniform " IaVoraDle. But climate counts for much In the northwest Last year the western part of the Ninth district, a part which is in itself of immense area, made some what dscouraging reports The weather was to blame. Long periods of drouth set Tn Just at the time when rain was needed. It has been different this year rne winter climate has ben favorable. There has been abundant snow and that is providing excellent moisture for the soil.
 Take, for instance, Montana which one Of these days is to be first in the ifst or the great wheat producing states of the northwest. Last year no snow fell in Montana. The winter outlook upon the mountains was of bare land and uncov- cred rocks, and the farmers were dis couraged On account of the shortage or snow there was comparatively little Irrigation water in the summer because the streams were dried up. A great change has taken place in Montana this year.
 THE MONTANA SHOWS l Very heavy snows have fallen, covering the mountains sometimes to the depth of many feet When this snow melts the streams will have water in plenty, ana the irrigation plants will not suffer from a scarcity as was the case last year. As ! IL mas been Tn Montana, so also in the eastern half of the wheat-raising district : the condition of the soil has never more favorable In fact, the great grain-rais- ing sections of Montana and also m the Dakotas Justify the hope that wheat will do much better this year than it did last year. unless an unfortunate contingency occurs.
 MT. Rich reports that there will be prob- ably decrease of at least 10 per cent in the acreage cultivated to wheat this year. It looks now as though not much more than 100000 acres will be sown to wheat and if that proves to be the fact, there is likely to be falling off in the wheat production in the northwest of at least 20, ,000, GOO this year. There may be, however, some offset to the decrease in wheat acreage, due to the fact that if weather conditions continue to be good the number of bushels to the acre will be increased as compared with the har- vest of last year.
 PROSPERITY IN NORTHWEST
 The great northwest is sharing in the prosperity which prevails throughout the entire United States. There is no better proof of prosperous conditions than that which is furnished by the clearings of tee banks. Twelve reporting centers show an increase for the mid-week of March of this year of nearly s37 O00, 900 in clear- ings as compared with like period of March a year ago.
 ! The other udy IL was stated Dy one or | the leaders in the oil industry that the increase in the demand for fuel oil and gasoline which is certain to take place this year. is in great part due to the very large increase in the use of internal combustion engines. That statement seems to be borne out by the reports which come from the northwest. Farm CTS are very anxious to secure tractors, partly because they hope in that way to make good the falling off in farm labor and also to offset the high cost of such labor as they are able to obtain. A very lheavy demand for farm machinery and small power gasoline engines come from all over the northwest. It is in fact ar unprecedented demand. and it points to very great increase in agricultural activity and in farm development of the northwest. The manufacturers are un- able to meet this demand.
 THE IDLE LABORERS
 curious situation has developed in the northwest and at present no one there can tell what the outcome will be. Wages are very high, and yet it is impossible to secure the needed number of compe- tent workers careful estimate was made of the number of idle workers in Minneapolis, and it was found that there are in that city alone some 5000 men wno are capable of doing good work on the farm or in factories, but who are indif- ferent to the call for workmen. They are
  iceiving large wages. and have been able to save during the winter enough to carry them through the summer, even if they do not work at all Some of the organ ized trades expect increase in wages by July 1.
 THE MINING OF GOLD Last year the gold mines of the United States furnished not much over 50 per cent of the average yearly yield from our gold mines. Tn fact the amount that was mined was less then the amount of gold needed in the arts. There was hope that gold mining in the northwest would be resumed this year, and pushed to it's ca pacity. But this seems to be rather vague hope, especially in the Black Hills district. It is true that operations are being resumed at the Homestake mines this being made possible by reason of the pumping out of the water with which de mines were flooded in order to put out fire year ago But the American gold mines should within year or two be able again to produce approximately $so,- 00000p of gold a year. although the labor situation. the cost of equipment and the overhead charges have deterred some oi 1.-the operators. who say thai the gold which they are taking out of the mines does not equal the cost of producing Il partly because the purchasing power o1 s~'d has been reduced by nearly one Hs-