The Medina sentinel. [volume] (Medina, Ohio) 1888-1961, 1921-04-15
WHEAT CROP OUTLOOK
is REPORTED BRIGHT
PLENTY OF FARM HELP u
AT WAGE REDUCTION
A Decline Of % Per Cent. Over a
Year Ago, While Farm Demand
for Labor is II Per Cent Less Than
in 1921.

\ : t g. i /
Prospects for better than average
wheat crop in Ohio are good for this
year, according to the State Federal
Crop Report Of April l.. The condi-
tion Of the crop on April / is report
ed as 81 per cent. of normal, an in
crease Of 6 per cent. since December
u. This compares with a 81 per cent.
condition Of wheat in the United
States as a whole. The ten-year av-
verage condition for April is "a per
cent. In 1916 an April l condition OF
81 per cent was followed by a crop
of 40,OO0,O0O bushels and the acreage
for this year was reported last De
cember to be materially higher than
for the 1915 crop.
It appears that the damage to
wheat from winter-killing will not
exceed 9 per cent. in Ohio. The
heaviest damage from this cause
seems to be in the Eastern and North
eastern parts of the State. Carroll
County reports as high as 80 per cent.
winter-killed and Cuyahoga reports 2S
per cent. but in not more than third
of the counties is the damage greater
than 10 per cent.
The State damage from Hessian
fly is placed at per cent. with prac-
tically all the counties reporting some
damage but with the highest damage
not much above Is per cent.
The condition Of rye in Ohio is re-
norted at SO per cent, an increase Of
6 per cent. over the December report
This condition compared with 80 per.
cent. for the whole United States
Last year the Ohio April l condition
was 81 per cent. and the ten-year av.
erage is 81 per cent. The acreage re-
ported last December was $1,000.
The numbeEsof breeding sows or
Ohio farms April ! is estimated from
the reports to be 95 per cent. of The
corresponding number last year, or d
decline of 5 per cent. In the UniteG
States as a whole the decline was
per cent. The decline in Ohio com
pares with the larger decline Of 5 PEI
cent. during the preceding year ii
Ohio, and 10 per cent. for the United
States, during the preceding year.
Wages for farm hands average SAX
a month and board, while a year ags
1862 a month was paid, a decline off,:
tper cent. The reports show that thl
total supply Of farm labor Is is per
cent. greater than last April, whil'
the farm demand for labor is IL per
cent. less than a year ago.
In the majority of counties wage.
are between $38 and $42 month witt
!, a range of from $29 in Brown ant
Highland Counties to $54 in Perry
County and $50 in Cuyahoga. Th'
average for Franklin County is $40
the same as the State average. Ii
general the. greatest reduction il
farm wages is apparent around tn,
larger cities.
The supply Of farm labor is report
ed less than last year in only clever
counties and these are for the mos
part not close to the larger cities
Portage and Trumbull Counties re
port an increase Of more than so per
cent. and Scioto County reports an in
kcrease of n per cent. in the supply o;
labor.
The further employment of mach
inery perhaps accounts for part O.
this decline in the demand for labol
on farms. A larger part is doubt
less due to the prevalence Of the feel
ing among many farmers Of the Stat
that present prices for farm product
do, not permit the employment O.
labor at present prices, even afte
the pronounced decline in wages o
| the last year. They feel that farm
prices have declined more than farm
wages and that a still further re
\ duetion in wages must take place be
| fore they can profitably employ labor
In the meantime they are trying i
Icut down their farming operations t
a point where they can do most Of tn
work themselves. The reports ais
4 indicate an attitude Of unwillingnes
1 to hire men from the cities hecaus
such labor is considered to be unskill
| ed in farm. work.
| Farm wages in Medina county las
lyear averaged $50 month. SO ia
! this year the average shows $43.