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Show " WINTER WHEAT IS BEera AVEOAGE Even With Larger Acreage, Poor Weather Cut3 Down Prospects. TVASHTXGTO.W De". 15. American farmers, foreseeing a continued heavy demand on them from the warring European Euro-pean nations for v.-'neat, planted an acreage acre-age of that grain this fall second in point of si it in the nation's history, but poor weather conditions sent the crop into winter dormancy 2 per cent below the rendition of last December n nd 4.5 pir cent be low the ten-year average. In summarizing its first report on the winter win-ter wheat, r-rojj. issued today, the department depart-ment o: agriculture said: "The I ail plantings of winter wheat are reported to be 2.3 per rent greater than in thejautumn of IU1F,. The present area seeded, 4". OS 0,000 acres, is the greatest ever planted, with the exception of the 40,452.000 acres seeded two years ao, . and is more than 10 per cent greater W than planted in any: year prior to the fall of 1914. "The hi:rh price received for (he present pres-ent year's crop had encouraged an intention in-tention to plant a largely increased acre-ace, acre-ace, but the unusual dryness at seeding time throughout practically the entire wheat-producing territory largely prevented pre-vented these intentions being realized. "Increases of between 5 and 10 per rent were general in the south Atlantic states. Iowa increased 10 per cent; Nebraska Ne-braska and Michigan increased 8 per cent; Illinoi:-;, 5 per cent; Ohio, 4 per cent, and Kansas, 3 per cent. In the western group of states, Colorado and California show increases of 5 per cent over last year. Montana remained the same. Utah is f6; Idaho, 95; Washington, Washing-ton, 87, and Oregon, SO. "The condition of winter wheat is S7.7 per cent of a normal at this time. It Is 2 per cent lower than last year at this time and 4.5 per cent lower than the ten-year average, ranging slightly under 90 in most of the eastern states and between be-tween S3 and 03 in l lie central states. In the weft the condition is 90 or slightly slight-ly above in most states, excepting Washington Wash-ington and Oregon, where it is 72 and 78, respectively. "The low condition is almost uniformly uniform-ly ascribable to the lateness of planting, which has prevented wheat from attaining attain-ing its usual growth at this time, and in some instances late seedings have not vet germinated. Little mention is made of the Hessian fly. although it is in evidence evi-dence to some extent, particularly in Kansas." |