The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1930-02-28
Crop Work to Start in
Short Time in Mid West
and South.
JoBLESS TO GET RELIEF
Migratory Clan Keeps Eye
on Wheat, WeatherVane
of Employment.
BY MERRILL E. COMPTON
United Press STAFF Correspondent


KANSAS CITY, Mo, Feb. 25.-
With an early spring forecast, the
army OF 100000 workers that an
nually harvests the nations crops
wheat. corn, Strawberries, cotto1s
potatoes, sugar beets and scores
Of other foodstuffs-is beginning to
appear in the southwest.
Like a swarm of bees that fol-
lows the queen bee, laborers fol-
low the harvest season now about
to open In Louisiana and Mississippi
They will end their migratory march
in the northern wheat states late
in the fall.
Where they go during the winter
is a problem. Many thousands
have homes in the south, where
living is cheaper and where winter
weather does not tax their re-
sources. Others, like leaves before
a windStorm, disappear after the
last bushel Of grain and barrel of
apples has been stored away. to APP
pear in the Southlands in the early
spring.
Demands upon this migratory
horde are tremendous.
Thousands Are Needed
Louisiana needs 10000 persons to
harvest it's berry crop, harvesting Of
which will begin near March Is.
Other southern states, exclusive
of Texas, will demand 100000 cot
ton pickers. Texas, the second
largest agriculture state in the
union, will need from $50, 900 to 300.-
900 persons to handle its crops this
year, government farm labor ex-
perts predict
Missouri, with 10000 acres OF
strawberries to be harvested, will
call upon $4,000 workers. The same
number will be needed in Arkansas,
where the acreage is about the
same.
Kansas, shortly after June l, will
start it's grain harvest, using APP
proximately 10000 men. They will
come from Oklahoma, where the
harvest is earlier.
Nebraska calls upon 5000 TO
10000 harvesters and the northern
states demand ss many If not more
than Kansas.
The situation on the Pacific
coast states is similar, government.
experts said. The laborers there mi
grating from California and Oregon
to end the season in Washington
Workers who start from the gulf
states will end their journey in
Montana, Idaho and Washington.
Watch Wheat Closely
Watch wheat" has been the slo-
gan of the i1arvesters for decades.
And now, with the market expe-
riencing severe setbacks, they are
watching it as closely as the spec
ulators. If wheat goes down and
the prospects for the year are bad.
these workers know that thousands
of acres of Kansas wfeat-already
planted-will not be harvested.
They know, too, that hundreds OF
farmers in other northern states
will not plant spring wheat II the
outlook Is gloomy.
Manipulating this army for the
government is George e. Tucker, q
Kansas cattleman and farmer, re-
cruited to manage the United States
farm labor division eight years ago.
The main Office is located here.
Tucker said the labor question
may become acute this year. Farm
ers, he said, are demanding fewer
men than heretofore and the num-
Der of unemployed farmer workers Is
increasing. If the wheat market
causes farmers not to harvest their
1880 crop. he forecast a bad year.
other Work In Sight
Relief, he said, may come from
other lines of business. River work
on the Missouri, which will open
early in March and which is fore
cast to employ 10000 men, will
probably remedy The situation. he
said. Road work planned In the
southwest and northern states
also will use a good percentage OF
the harvesters. he said.
Other employment Offices here
showed like conditions.
Fewer farm workers will be de-
manded, they agreed, with other
branches of industry calling upon a
slightly larger percentage.