The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-06-24
SLUMP IN WHEAT
June Crop Report Shows De-
crease of 100000 Bushels.
Yield of 112,914,O00 Bushels Is
MOhler Forecast.
RAISES GOVERNMENT REPORT
Crop Will Be Fourth Largest
State Has Known.
Cent Perfect.
RAISES GOVERNMENT REPORT

In spite OF a showing OF more tnan
I 100000 additional acres of wheat for
harvest the June report of the state
board of agriculture today shows
slump of 2,40O, 900 bushels yield as
compared with the May report. ]. c.
Mohler, secretary of the state board,
removes a bit of sorrow from the de-
preston, tho, by forecasting a yield
Of ten million bushels more than pre-
dicted in the last government report
Gates wheat yield of 1921 1000
bushels from 10,149,500 acres.
Last month the Mohler report
showed an average yield of 1858
bushels from a total of 9,092, 900 acres
planted. Late assessors returns in
reduced average yield to 11.12 bushels.
Fourth Largest Crop.
The 1921 crop will be the fourth
largest the state has known, but the
smallest since 1911. 1t is 2S.0O0,0OO
bushels below last year. Sudden ripen-
ing of grain in all sections of the state
hastened harvest and added to trouble
in saving the crop.
Corn conditions are 85.7 per cent
on a total of 4,5S0,000 acres planted.
The crop shows an improvement over
last month, but is small and back
ward.
43,OOO,OOO Bushels of Oats.
At total of 43.OOO,O 900 bushels of oats
will be harvested, Mohler estimates,
due to greatly improved conditions;
Barley will probably yield 16,OOO,OOO
bushels and the state will dig $4,000
acres of potatoes, or II, 900 more than
last year.
Mohler's report in detail is as fol-
lows:
Winter Wheat.
This years Kansas winter wheat crop
will amount to IL, 914 900 bushels, accord
ing TO the present summary of correspond
ents estimates. This yield is less by P
boards May report, but is more than the
June 1st estimate Of the U: S. department
by about 100000 bushels The Pros 11 50
bushels on 10, 149, 500 acres for harvest, as
compared to 1858 bushels on 9092, 600 acres
Is due to receipt of official assessors
returns showing much more wheat sown
than correspondents had previously esti-
than offset by the decline in wheat pros
poets.
Fourth Largest Crop.
While the total yield indicated now is
about 2S,OO0,0OO bushels less than last
years production, it is the states fourth
largest crop, and is 100000 bushels more
than the ten-year average, altho the acre
yield is probably the lowest since 1911
Depreciation was rapid for ten days or
two weeks following the May report, Late
wheat here and there made some recovery,
but evidently it did not possess its usual
recuperative powers owing doubtless to
the damage by severe spring freezes and
dry weather. To these causes are at
tributed the failure of the heads to prop
erly develop and fill. which accounts for
the decline of 1.56 bushels in the prospect
i've acre-yield. The heads vary greatly in
size and weight, lacking the customary
There has been very little complaint of
insects, outside. of several counties In the
eastern part of the state, where chinch-
h11er flies TeDOrted.
former have been most troublesome In the
southeast, particularly in Chautauqua,
spicnous in the northeast, as in Atchison,
Brown and Nemaha. Red rust. altho quite
prevalent, has not been considered as
specially damaging factor, altho dis
| ease said to be black rust is reported as
| having blasted wheat in few fields in the
Floods Hurt Crop.
Further abandonment of acreage was
caused by the -overflowfng waters of the
! Arkansas river, severe hail storms, particu-
i larly in Cheyenne and Jackson, destroying
| perhaps 20 per cent of the wheat in the
| former, and lack of timely moisture in
several of the west-eentral counties. The
| total abandonment for the year will
| amount nearly to 10 per cent OF the entire
! acreage sown.
ern part Of the state, Chase leading with
IS bushels and Lyon and Morris next with
II. OF the more impoEta23tt 3t- wheat eat, pro- 9e
| bushels, followed by Marion with u
| bushels, and Harper and Harvey with IA.
While nearly every county records fall
| ing off in the month, the heaviest decrease
| in prospective acre-yields are in the north
western counties, as Thomas, Sheridan
| of II, II, IL and II bushels, respectively
but now reporting z, Z. and bushels
while Lane, west-eentral county, indl-
Gates a so per cent reduction, to 6 bushels
Largest aggregate yields are in the the
south-central counties: Sedgwtck first
Sdsbels S5th saSGO aS@ s1mner Ps25s
! Nine other counties, Barton, Ford, Harper
Kingman, Mcpherson, Pawnee, Reno
Receipt of official assessors. returns
from 81 of the states 1o5 counties makes
it necessary to revise upward the the acres
sown for this years crop. Last fall CORE
spondents, always cautioned to be CON
%5eat seenf at s sere
tuting the assessors returns in the 81
counties, raises the total to II, ,261 900 acres
/ on which the present report is based.
Should the remaining IS counties main
| tain the same ratio of increase, the acreage
sOwn last fall would aggregate 114l3,OOt
acres, or S.14 per cent greater than for tht
year preceding. and take rank as the sec
ond largest for the state, the record acre
age of 1919 exceeding it only by about 20,
Wheat harvest has been finished II
Montgomery and several neighborint
swing elsewhere, except in a dozel
counties or so in the northwest, where 1
will begin June to July i. Rams nav
interfered somewhat in the south -centra
part and in the upper end of the Kansas
river valley, but in other portions weathe
conditions have been generally quite favor
able for this work. which has been Sc
riousiy hampered. however, in the ma
jority of the wheat belt counties becaus
of a shortage of harvest hands.
j Spring Wheat.
This years crop may amount to 1900
| bushels, nearly third Of which is credite'
to the one county Of Sherman. in tn
| northwest.
| The 4,5S0000 acres probably planted :
corn is the third smallest in the pas
: 81 years. and less than last year b.
: nearly $4,000 acres. The present averag
CONTINUED on Page Two.l