VOL. XXVI
m
INDIANAPOLIS, IND., JULY 18, 1891.
NO. 30   ^
THE WHEAT CROP.
Notes From  our Correspondents,  Etc.
I have threshed my wheat and I have
the boss crop yet. From seven acres I
threshed 200 bushels, by measure. My
wheat is Fultz. Wm C Jenkins.
Floyd Co., June 6.
Mongan county wheat averaged 25 bushels to the acre, and is selling at 80 cents.
The first wheat of the '91 crop in Madison county waa threshed July 8th. A
field 10 acres averaged 28 bushels per acre,
and the grain is pronounced excellent,
being hard, flinty and full. Madison
county contains 450 square miles, and
the'91 wheat crop is estimated at $200,-
000 bushels.
- Wheat threshing in Vermillion county
is progressing finely, and reports indicate
a yield of 30 bashels per acre on bottom
land and 22 bushels on upland. The quality is fine.
Wheat threshing commenced in Crawford county July 7th, and it is yielding a
higher average than known for the past
20 years.
LaGiange county is shouting with glee
over its enormous yield of wheat.
Harrion county estimates its wheat
yield in excess of 400,000 bushels.
*• Threshing here in Boone county is now
in full blast. Wheat is better than expected, some having reached 37 bushels
per acre and of fine quality.
Threshing begun all over Claik connty,
July 3d, «nd the wheat turns out far beyond expectation, despite the aphis-scare.
The grain is firm and large. It starts at
85 cents per bushel, the best price for six
years.
Wheat threshing is the order in Jackson
county, and the * yield is from 18 to 35
bushels per acre. The grain is remarkably
fine and plump. Prices for new wheat
ru_;from 80 to 90 cents.
The wheat crop in Knox, Daviess and
Gibson counties is in shock, and such a
tremendous yield was never before harvested in that section of the State. The
yield in|Knox county alone is estimated
at $1,500,000 bushels.
The flrst new wheat of the season was
brought into market at Columbus, July
3d, and sold for 85 cents per bushel, and
was as fine grain as ever marketed.
Threshing has begun all around, and the
yield is by far the largest and best ever
known—both in quantity and quality.
All Crops Except Oats, Better Than for
Years.—Increased Acreage of Corn.
The July report of the Department of
Agriculture makes the average, as compared with breadth harvested last year of
corn, 108.3; potatoes 102 3; tobacco, 102 0.
Condition of corn, 92 8: winter wheat, 96.2;
spring wheat, 94 1; rye, 93,9; oats, 87.6; barley, 90.9; potatoes, 95.3; tobacco, 91.1.
The heavy increase in corn acreage is
more apparent than real. The- comparison is with the breadth harvested last
year, when there was a loss of 6,000,000
acres by abandonment on account of
drought. The crop is late in all sections
on accountof droughtandunfavorable conditions at the time of planting and cool
weather during May; but June was warm,
"With abundant moisture, and the crop was
coming forward rapidly on July 1. In the
Ohio and upper Mississippi valleys the
progress during the month was especially
gratifying, but in Kansas and Nebraska
considerable damage resulted from excessive rainfall. In many districts the June
rain prevented proper working, leaving
fields foul, but a few days of sunshine will
remedy this.  The general average is a
fraction below that of 1888 and 1890, and
slightly above that of 1889. The averages
of the surplus States are: Ohio, 93; Indiana,
95; Illinois, 96; Iowa, 94; Missouri, 88;
Kansas, 82; Nebraska, 90.
Tbe condition of winter wheat is returned practically the same as in June.
The crop is harvested, except in its more
northern habitat, with a condition the
higest reported since 1879, with one exception. So far as can be judged at the time
of harvest the grain is reported generally
plump and in keeping with the heavy
straw, but occasional mention is made of
short heads. The averages of the principal States are: Pennsylvania, 98; Ohio,
97; Michigan, 89; Indiana, 99; Illinois, 98;
Missouri, 98, Kansas, 94; California, 98.
The condition of spring wheat improved
during June, the advance being in Minnesota and the Dakotas, where the month
was exceptionally favorable. State averages are: Wisconsin, 77; Minnesota, 93;
Iowa, 96; Nebraska, 96; North Dakota, 98;
South Dakota, 97; Washington, 98.
Oats have improved during the month,
but the general average is the lowest reported since 1879, except in 1887 and last
year, when a July condition 81.6 was followed by a practical failure of the crop.
The first return of potatoes shows a condition higher than the average of recent
years, while that of tobacco is higher than
in any year since 1886. The fruit prospect
is very flattering in New England and the
North Atlantic States, and west of the
Missouri river to the Pacifio coast.
A special cable.from the European agent
indicates a heavy deficiency in the European rye crop.
Sixty Million Bushels.
Nine-tenths of Indiana's energies are today devoted to the handling of the wheat
crop. There is no word of exageration in
the remark that the wheat crop is now the
biggest thing in the State. In the conntry
every farmer has all he can attend to in
caring for his crop, and in the city grain-
dealers, bankers, hardware merchants,
millers and dealers in threshing machinery
are about as busy. An enormous amount
of cash is required to harvest, thresh and
put the crop upon the market. The farmer, to meet this demand, draws upon the
bank or in advance upon the local grain
dealer to whom he will sell his crop. The
grain dealer, to meet this demand, and
later to pay for the wheat bought, draws
upon the bank while he awaits returns
from the big city dealers and exporter to
whom he in turn sells.
In all these necessary transactions the
banks play an important part. Persons
who go to the bank to borrow money
now will find that it is hard to get. The
banks are hoarding it for the grain men.
Grain is already moving to market in
strong, steady streams, and tbe cash is
consequently, flowing countryward by
thousands. But in two or three weeks
more, when the great bulk of the crop is
ready to move the demand for cash will
reach a climax and the vaults in the banks
will run dry. Money then will go out
from every bank in the State by tens and
scores of thousands. The Indianapolis
banks, with their hundreds of thousands,
yes, with their millions, will be drained
to their lowest ebb. Already great sums
are going out every day, but the demand
is now only begun. Last year one bank
in this city sent out . 105,000 in cash in a
single afternoon, and it all went to move
the wheat crop. This year the crop is
twice as large as last.
The new crop is far enough along toward
market now for some figures of its amount
and value to be estimated with reasonable
accuracy. Instead of first estimates, made
before harvest, exceeding the actual crop,
as is often the case where the promise is
all good, the realization is actually exceeding the estimates.   An instance of this is
shown in the case of John Worrell, of
Clayton, Hendricks county. lie had a
large acreage of wheat and it looked fine.
Everybody agreed that it was fine. Mr.
Worrell has more than a local reputation
as a fine judge of what wheat will yield by
looking through the field before harvest.
After carefully examining his own crop he
estimated that it would average 22 bushels
to the acre. The other day he threshed it
and the average was 28 bushels per acre.
This is one case out of many similar ones
which might be be easily cited
Indianapolis grain dealers are already
doing the largest business they have ever
done. One firm had up to this morning
already bought 500,000 bushels. F. P.
Rush <_ Co., is that firm, and others are
doing all they can manage. Fred P. Rush
said this morning that he has within a
few days had reports from all sections of
Indiana and from other dealers who buy
largely from Indiana shippers. On these
reports he bases the prediction that the
wheat crop of this State in this year, 1891,
will not fall short of 60,000,000 bushels,
and he will not be in the, least surprised
if it exceeds 70,000,000 bushels. Several
other dealers gave their estimates of the
crop and not one placed it below 60,000,000
bushels. The greatest wheat crop which
Indiana ever had before was in 1882. In
that year this State led all the States in the
Union with 53,000,000 bushels.
Of equal importance to the size of the
crop is its value. Here, too, the farmer
finds great cause for rejoicing. In Indianapolis the price of wheat is 85 cents per
bushel. In the States outside of this city
and not near the markets of the great
cities in adjoining States the prices of
choice wheat is from 78 cents to 80 cents.
Wheat that grades as No. 2 is what brings
these prices. Here is another great feature of the crop this year: Nearly all the
wheat grades high. That which grades
No. 3 is of so good a quality that it commands a price close on the heels of No. 2
wheat.
Now at the opening of the season there
is an immense demand for wheat for immediate delivery to fill up the vacancy
left by the exhaustion of last year's crop.
This demand is for No. 2 wheat entirely,
and that causes a wider gap in price between No. 2 and No. 3 grades than will
exist in a week or two more when the im
mediate demand is satisfied. This will
probably mean a falling oil'of three or four
cents in the price of No. 2 wheat. After
that decline, however, dealers agree prices
will hold strong and steady, and purchases
for future delivery now being made sustain this judgement.
Now to make a conservative estimate ;of
the value of Indiana's wheat crop this year
taking 60,000,000 bushels as a safe basis and
78 cents per bushel as a fair average price,
the cash received for the total crop will be
510,800,000. There is little doubt that §50,-
000,000 would be a juster estimate. This
sum distributed would give to every man,
woman and chield in the State from ?20 to
$25 each. (Do you want yours now, spot
cash?) H this year doesn't witness a general wiping out of farm mortgages in Indiana, and a great wave of prosperity which
will be manifested in better homes, better
stock and better living than heretofore,
the best judgements are far astray.
Large fields that average 35 bushels to
the acre are actually not uncommon; and
may be found in almost any good wheat-
growing community. Forty bushels per
acre is more common than half that yield
was ten years ago, and such figures aa 45
and even 50 bushels per acreare not unknown in this remarkable year.
There is one difficulty which has arisen
to vex and delay. Thatis a scarcity of
threshing machines. That in itself is a noteworthy tribute to the magnitude of the
crop. Manufacturers of the threshers
have been running night and day with all
the men they can work, and ye* cannot
fill their orders. While delays on this
account are not likely to cause any loss of
crops, they are an aggravation and may
cause considerable money loss by keeping
farmers from putting their wheat on tbe
market at the most advantageous moment.
In some portions of the State there is
complaint that the Chicago grain buyers
are beating the farmers out of their
money by garding the wheat lower than
it deserves. Then, it is charged, these
dealers sell the same wheat as a higher
grade, and thus cheat the farmers out of
several cents on each bushel, while increasing their own profits by so much.
In Hendricks county particularly this
complaint has been made and a great deal
of indignation has been aroused in consequence. Other markets are being sought
and wheat which would have gone otherwise to Chicago is being shipped to Toledo
and Baltimore.
Several Indianapolis grain men spoken
to upon this subject were unanimous in
declaring this impression, concerning Chicago a mistake.   The grain inspectors of
Chicago are State officers,   they said, and
are in  no  way responsible  to the  grain
dealers.   The Board of Trade has the fixing  of  the standards,  however.    These
standards  are very strict in Chicago, St.
Louis, Toledo and New York, the dealers!
here said,  and  that fact  causes  farmers
sometimes to believe  that they  are being
imposed upon.   Of 325  cars of  wheat delivered in Chicago last Saturday, 290 werej
grade No. 2.   It was also said that one day1
last week of 45 cars of new wheat shipped
to Chicago, 44 cars were graded No. 2.
Local millers are paying all the way
from 85 to 90 cents for choice No. 2 grades.
The whole outlook for grain-raisers, dealers and millers is simply magni_cent,and
as business men well_know, that means
prosperity for the whole people.—News,
July 13.
Forestry   Bulletin.
The United States Department of Agriculture will presently issue, through the
Forestry Division, a 50 page bulletin (No.
5), entitled "What is Forestry," a compilation and enlargement of several addresses on this subject delivered by Prof.
B. E. Fernow, Chief of the Forestry Division.
It treats the subject in three chapters.
The first presents briefly the important
part which our forest resurces play in the
national economy. The second shows the
principles which underlie a rational system of forest management in a wooded
country, giving especially and sufficient
technical detail the considerations involved
in the practice of "thinning." The third
part treats of forest planting in the treeless
country, discussing the rationale of forest
planting in so far as it differs from mere
tree planting, and giving in detail rules
for the selection of various kinds of trees in
"mixed" planting. Two letters from tree-
planters on the Dakota plains, giving the
results of actual experience with the methods commonly pursued, form an interesting appendix.
The bulletin is designed to present the
question of forestry plainly, divested of
the scientific terms which must necessarily
accompany a technical discussion, and to
serve not only for the information of the
owner of timber lands, of the farmer
whose farm contains a certain area of
woodland requiring intelligent treatment
or who desires to devote a portion of his
farm to timber, and to the settler on the
western plains, but to the citizen to whom
forestry and the management of our forest
resources is simply an important economic
question. In view of its general character
a large edition of this bulletin will be published. Copies are to be had on application to the Secretary of Agriculture, Washington, D. C.