Omaha daily bee., 1921-07-03
Anxiety As To. .-..-
Crops Caused by
Excessive Heat
Temperature of 100 Degrees
Damaging to Wheat in Mis-.
souri, Valley; Fine Pros.
pect for Corn Reported.

Following is the weekly crop bull
1etin of the Omaha Chamber of
Commerce:
No week of the season has given
so much anxiety about production as
the past The excessive he;t and
general absence of rain until. NE close
of the week in large and important
producing districts was reflected in
wide fluctuations in prices i'll all grain
markets, and gave rise to anxiety
among all commercial interests.
Interest centered mainly on the
western part of the winter wheat belt
where the crop normally should not
ripen before the middle of July and
the spring wheat country where the
crop is in bloom. In both districts
temperature close to or above 100
degrees each day could scarcely fail
to effect the crop adversely. 1t is
impossible to forecast the effect of
such weather conditions with any de-
gree of assurance. Market manipu-
lators have made the most of the
uncertainty, and judicious minded
persons will withhold estimates OF
crop yields until a period of greater
certainty. 1t is very unfortunate
that the July estimate of crop pro-
duction will be made under such con-
ditions, and the tabulated crop esti-
mates which will be given out by
the United States Department of Ag-
riculture from observation on this
date will call for extensive revision
later in the season.
Center of Heat Wave.
The center of the extended heat
wave which embraced the entire
country. except the area from cen
tral Kansas south to the gulf and
from the Mississippi river west to
the crest of the mountains where
food conditions have prevailed for
three weeks, was the upper Missouri
valley. Pierre, S. D., had maxi
mum of l04 degrees on Thursday
and other stations in South and
North Dakota and Montana reported
90 to l02 degrees. Showers at the
close of the week, some of which
were of generous amount, may serve
to repair in a degree the damage
from such excessive heat, but that
there has been serious damage to all
crops in the upper Missouri country
may not be concealed.
The eastern cotton belt has had
light and scattered showers, but by
no means relief from the severe
drouth that has prevailed for several
weeks. In some districts insects
are destructive. Georgia reports the
worst condition, but the yield of all
crops in the cotton states east of the
Mississippi river give promie of be-
ing coniderably below normal.
The New England and north At
lantic states have had local showers.
They have secured light crop of
hay in fine condition. Field crops
are backward and pastures are poor.
1t is thought the rains at the close of
the week may break the prevalent
drouth, if followed by cooler weather.
| Corn Prospect Good.
Much anxiety has been felt for the
condition of the corn crop and many
rumors of injury have been set afloat
to affect market interests. But the
critical time for corn has not arrived,
except in the southern states. Near
ly all the important corn states have
had showers during the past week.
Kansas, Missouri and states south
have had too much moisture in
places. Nebraska and South Dako-
ia had rather hard corn week, but
upon the whole the crop is an unusu-
ally fine prospect.
The mountain states where har-
vesting and fruit picking are under
way had prosperous Week. There
is abundance of water for irrigation,
aand while conditions for dry farming
were unfavorable in parts of Califor-
MIA and in the interior of Washing
ton and Oregon, generally the sea-
son is developing very iavorably for
the western states.
The live stock interests have rare
.ly had better grazing and general
conditions than this season, except
in the limited territory along the
Mexican border where severe drouth
has prevailed since early in the sea-
son. Very few reports of live stock
diseases come from any quarter, and
with the abundant feed conditions
and win low prices of grain live
stock production seems to be on
fair business basis.
XT.a. D.