PLENTY OF WHEAT IN UNITED STATES

Rotorua Morning Post, Issue 5279, 16 December 1946, Page 7

PLENTY OF WHEAT IN UNITED STATES

NATIOfrS BUWBR CROP THlS YEAR'S .PRODUCTION AN . ALL-TIME HJGH. 3 Wheat in such abundance that it makes bread rationing ltfolc fbolish, is ponring from the threshers throughout this region, adding to the nation's bumper. crop for 1946 1 states an American newspaper. Washington and Oregon together will hit a record in the production of 116,914,000 bushels, according to a United States Bureau of Agriculture crop survey. The four states, Montana, Idaho, Washington- and Oregonwill total more than 188,800,009 bushels. The United States total is about 1,130,000,000 bushels. Excellent- growing weather has been largely responsible for thi s record growth and another factor was that growers, this year, in view- of the world dernand for wheat to relieve famine conditions, planted wheat where they had formerly grown other grain erops such as oats, barley and rye. The^problem of storing this huge crop will not 'be too great ■ as there was scarcely any carryover of wheat this year. Literally, and for the first time in years, the storehouses and elevators were just about empty. It is still overflowing in some instances and in the Big Bend, where fortunately there is little rainfall, the grain is being piled on the ground. Straight Into Trucks. Harvesting of this great crop has dominated the scene all during July into August with the wonder-working combines that out and thresh and clean the grain as they mpve about the fields, and if r/eeded also sack it. • Mostly though, as bulk storage is the common practice here, the combine pours it into waiting trucks. Some of the combines are self- propelled but many are tugged about by tractors. In the Palo-uise hills and the Walla Walla and Umatille areas extending to the foothills of the Blue Mountains tractors clim'b the steepsided hills with such dexterity that mid-westemers won't believe it, even when they see it done. Trucks are still hauling the clean, fragrant grain that means so much to a hungry world, to the bigv warehouses, grain elevators or individual storage containers, to be stored until it is shipped out. Elevators rise above the surrounding countryside and along the banks of the f Columbia River like castles to house the monarch of this coentry, King Wheat. Half a Million Bushels. Some of these elevators have a capacity of 100,000 bushels, while others can taka on 500,000 bushels-. From these elevators the grain is literally poured into waiting freight cars or into the cavernous river boats on the C.olum'bia. The cheering part of this bumper wheat crop to poiultry and livestock producers is that other grains also are abundant, here -and including the corn crop of the Midwest. Only a few montte ago when wheat exportation had greatly reduced' the feed supply, there was gloom throughout the farm world at which time docks of chickens and turkeys were greatly ou.rtailed. The turkey supply in Oregon alone is reported as l'educed by 40 per cent. But the "aft year" of wheat, both winter wheat and spring, has heartened the poultry and livestock grow--ers, the flour milling concerns and brightened the prospects for supplying the hungry people of the world with bread.