Democratic Sentinel, Volume 14, Number 34, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 September 1890 — THEY ALL WANT WHEAT [ARTICLE]

THEY ALL WANT WHEAT

MILLERS UNABLE TO GET ENOUGH OF IT. They Are Buying Freely, but Owing to the Short Crop Are Not Able to Get Enough to Last Long—Condition of crops —Potatoes Are scarce. [Chicago dispatch.] With the exception of the little rain, If any, has fallen during the present week either in the com or win-ter-wheat belt. While' in one sense of the word the drought has been broken, yet the areas just referred to stand today greatly In need of good, soaking rains, something that they have not yet had. Pastures and meadows are in need of rain. Stubble fields ought to have it to enable farmers to plow and put the land in good condition for seeding wheat. The oat crop is now all thrashed and secured. Country elevators report the receipts from farmers as exceedingly small. Taking the winter wheat belt as a whole there has been no time since harvest when millers from Texas to Michigan have boon as free buyers of winter wheat as during the last ten days. Central Kansas reports that millers are buying all tho wheat they can get; that the demand for flour Is good and that they are pretty well stocked up for the time being. Potatoes are scarce. l Selling now at 31.50 a bushel and will be shipped in from Utah or Colorado. Central Missouri reports that millers are buying all the wheat they can get hold of. Stocks of old wheat ail gone, and orders for wheat are coming in from lowa and also from Illinois. In Southern Illinois millers are generally buying all tho wheat that Is offering. Farmers, however, have not boon selling freely. Millers are generally stocked up with wheat to keep them running from sixty to ninety days, . In Central Illinois mills are fairly well supplied with wheat, but few of them have more than a ninety days’ stock. There is a steady Southern demand, and some Ohio and Indiana mills are in the market for wheat at St. Louis prices. Southern demand for wheat is an unusual thing at this seasou of the year.? ' Potatoes have not shown any improvement since the late rains and the crop will not be sufficient for home wants. As a rule the millers in Northern Indiana at present uro all buyers of wheat. So far they have no stocks ahead and are grinding their dally receipts. In Southern Indiana millers have been buying wheat freely at 81. The stocks are generally light. There is a good demand from other States both for seed wheat and for grinding. Millers generally have enough on hand to keep them going for sixty days. Good progress has been made with plowing the ground and seeding will soon commence. Potatoes are practically a failure. In Southern Ohio, most of the mills have no stodk to amount to anything; hence they are buying all tho wheat they can get. Farmers are not selling freely, and will not unless 81 becomes the general price. Good progress has been made in plowing for wheat, but the ground has been so dry that more rain would be beneficial. In Southern Michigan millers have’ been buying considerable wheat within the last ten days.. There has been a good demand for flour, and many of tho mills have sold ahead for a mouth. Mills are not generally heavily stocked with wheat. The land Is dry; nevertheless farmers have been plowing, and the prospects point to an increase of acreage over last season. All things considered, it has been a good week for maturing corn, and the prospects are now that within ton days a largo proportion of the corn crop will bo out of the way of frost. Nebraska reports that there is yet no corn in that State out of the way of frost. Recent rains have improved tho condition of corn in sections where there were fair prospects before tho rain; but in a large portion of tho State the damage done to the crop was too extensive for rains to be of any material benefit. Taking the State as a whole, the prospects now point to about 40 to 45 per cent, of last year’s crop. The local price of corn during tho past week was 40 cents a bushel. This price was based upon Western markets and local feeders. Tho price has declined to from 38 to 35 cents, and is getting down to a shipping basis to Eastern markets. There is about 10 per cent, of old corn In farmers’ hands. The potato crop will be extremely light, with none to ship out of the State. In Southwestern lowa no corn is yet out of the way of frost. The recent rains have had the effect to stop further damage to tho crop caused by tho dry weather. The cars will fill out better, but it will not make any more ears or any longer ones. The Improvement is more in appearance than anything else. A small percentage of the corn In Central Illinois will not be hurt by a light frost.- The remainder of the crop will require from fifteen to twenty days. Southern Illinois reports half a crop to a total failure and farmers are using new corn already for seed. Reports from North Dakota are that wheat that was cut with bindersis being thrashed. The quality Is poor and the yield light, averaging six to fifteen bushels per acre Rains have put the grounds in good condition for plowing. Few cases are reported where the wheat has turned out much more than one-half as much as was estimated during harvest. This is owing to the shrunken condition of the berry and the heads not being more than half full. The straw was heavy, more so than last year, and this is the reason why so many are now disappointed in the final outcome. It is thought that farmers will be free sellers at present prices, and heavy receipts at Duluth and Minneapolis are looked for in the near future. Reports covering stations on the Milwaukee and St. Paul Road through Wisconsin, Minnesota and Dakota say the spring wheat crop has now been secured in fairly good shape. Tho quality is fully one and one-half to two grades lower than last year. An early and free movement is looked for.