Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 34, Number 92, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 18 July 1902 — CROP Reports [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

CROP Reports

ll Government Statistician TELLS OP Acreage and Conditions.

Preliminary returns to the statistician of the Department of Agriculture on the acreage of corn planted indicate an increase of about 3,520,000 acres, or 8.9 per cent on the area harvested last year. Of the twenty-five States and territories with 1,000,000 acres or upwards in corn harvested last

year, lowa, Nebraska and Michigan report an increase of 1 per cent; Pennsylvania, Indiana, Virginia and Louisiana, 2 per cent; Georgia, Arkansas, Wisconsin and Missouri, 8 per cent; Ohio, Illinois, Mississippi and Indian Territory, 4 per cent; Kansas, Kentucky and Tennessee, 5 per cent; North Carolina and South Carolina, 6 per cent; Texas, 7 per cent; Alabama, 8 per cent; Minnesota, 9 per cent; South Dakota and Oklahoma, 11 per cent. The average condition of the growing crop on July 1 was 87.5, as compared with 81.3 on July 1, 1901, 89.5 at the corresponding date in 1900, and a tenyear average of 89.2. The condition in Illinois was -91, in lowa, Nebraska, Indiana, 90; in Kansas and Oklahoma, 99; in Missouri, 102; in Ohio, 87, and in Texas, 41. The average condition of winter wheat improved during June nine-tenths of 1 point, standing on July 1 at 77, or 11.3 points below the condition on July 1, 1001, 3.8 points below that at the corresponding date in 1900, and 2.4 points below the "ten-year average. It fell off during June 4 points in Kansas, 2 in California and Oklahoma and 1 point in Illinois, and improved during the same period 2 points in Pennsylvania and Ohio, 7 in Indiana and Nebraska, 10 in Michigan and 3 in Missouri. Special field agents report a decline of 4 points in Indiana and Illinois sihce July 1. The average condition of spring wheat declined 3 points during June, standing at 92.4 on July 1, as compared with 95.0 on July 1, 1901, 55.2 at the corresponding

date fa 1900, and a ten-year average of 85.8. The decline during June amounted to 5 points in Minnesota 6 in South Dakota, 8 in lowa and 4 in Washington. On the other hand, there was an improvement of 9 points in Nebraska, with no appreciable change in North Dakota. The condition of spring and winter wheat combined on July 1 was 82.9, as compared with 91.1 on July 1, 1901', 69.8 on July 1, 1900; and 76.2 at the corresponding date in 1899. The amount of wheat remaining in the hands of Armers on July 1 is estimated at about 52,440,000 bushels, or 7 per cent of the crop of last year. The average condition of the oat crop on July 1 was 92.1, as compared with 90.6 last month, 82.7 co July 1, 1901, 85.5 at the corresponding date in 1900, and a ten-year average of 87.3. The acreage of potatoes is 3.5 per cent, or about 100,000 acres greater than last year. Of the forty-eight States and territories reporting, forty show increased and eight decreased acreage. The average condition of potatoes on July 1 was 92.9, as compared with 87.4 on July 1, 1901, 91.3 at the corresponding date in 1900, and a ten-year average of 92.3. Wisconsin shows a condition one point above the ten-year average, Ohio 5, lowa 8 and Illinois 9, while New York, Minnesota, Michigan and Pennsylvania show conditions 1,3, 5 and 10 points, respectively, below such average. Reports of the hay crop are very favorable, an improvement in condition being noted during June in nearly every important hay-producing State. The rains of the past two months have been very beneficial to pastures and their present condition is excellent, nearly every important State reporting a condition considerably above the ten-year-average. _L While there hag been a general decline in the condition of apples and peaches as compared with last month, reports of these fruits from almost every important State indicate that more than an average crop of each of them will be harvested. The condition of grapes, is very good and it is quite probable that the crop will be as large as that of any ordinarily good year.