Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 38, Number 85, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 July 1906 — HIGH TIDE IN CROPS. [ARTICLE]

HIGH TIDE IN CROPS.

GREAT RICHES FOR THE AMERICAN FARMER. —— L v Grain. Thl* \cnr Bid FAIr to Eclipse Kecord—Total Yield of BtllloW' Wheat of Beat Qualify—Corn Pro*peela Brilliant. Bushels. Total indicated grain yie1d..4,291,444,000 Indicated yield July 1, 1905.4,283,673,000 Actual yield last year..... .4,518,2G7,000 Acres. Area of gra in fields 177,772.000 Area planted in wheat 47,612.000 Area planted in c0rn........ 95,535.000 Area planted in oats 27,678,000 Indications that American farmery this year will harvest the largest grain crops in the history of tile country are given in the government report on condition as of July 1, and nothing tunv seems in the way of unprecedented prosperity throughout the farming regions. Not only is the prospect for a bountiful harvest most bright, but market quotations show that the farmer will get ,g fair-Juiee for his grain, while reports from Europe are that the wheat crop will be 150,000,000 bushels short of that of 1905, indicating that the export demand will he large, and that America will have to fill a good share of it. It uas thought when last year's bountiful crops were harvested that the high-water mark for production In the United States had been reached. The percentage estimates of condition of the Department of Agriculture this year, however, indicate that even that record' will be-surpassed in spite of the fact that the oats crop bids fair to fall short by 80,000,000 bushels. Crop* I'p In Billions. . The total crop of all grains this year promises' so tie 4,291,444.000 bushels, using the July 1 condition as a basis of calculations. This is about

8,000,000 bushels above the indication at this time last year, but 2171,000,00<T below the final figures. The weather in all the great grain-producing States, however, since July 1 has been all that could he desired, and the prospects are that the final figures will be as much, if not more, above the July promise this year as they were last. JEhe fields upon which these immense crops are growing, or from which they already have been harvested in some instances, aggregate more than 177,000,000 acres. The following table shows tlie number of acres devoted to each grain, with comparisons with last year.

Acreage li>o6. 1905, Winter Wheat 20.023,000 20,723.000 Spring wheat ..... 17,080,000 -17,013,000 Porn 0r.,r>3r.,000 04,011.000 Oats 27,078,000 27.040.000 live 1,720,000 1.730,000 barley 5,220,000 5,005,000 Enrly Stage. The corn crop, of course, is In an early stage of development, and between this timg and harvest last year gained an aggregate of 175,000,000 bushels, while oats gained 00,000.000 bushels. Corn is now nearly 00,000,000 bushels ahead of the July 1 Indication of a year ago, although it is not as far advanced and its general condition is a little lower. It is, how-, ever, making great strides, the present hot weather in the big corn States being ideal for bringing it rapidly forward.

Oats started July with a prospect about 80,000,000 bushels below that of a year ago, but the acreage this year Is a little larger and it is barely possible that the shortage may yet be reduced. Wheat Quality Good. It is a significant fact that the government was compiled to raise its winter wheat crop estimate of a month ago by. about 12,000,000 bushels. The short straw proved very deceptive. The threshers hare laid bare the deception by turning out plump, heavy grain from well filled heads. On the question of quality alone the winter wheat of the United States can go Into the markets of the world unchallenged. The department is being deluged with supplemental reports from its agents showing out turns from the thrasher far above the original estimates as made up previous to July 1, from which statistics this report was compiled. r The rye area of the United States is small, and the present promise Is a tgD fie short of last year's. The barley crop Is a large one. and shows expansion in area. It is rapidly nearing harvest with a yield of recordbreaking proportions. The average condition of the growing corn crop on July 1 was §7.5, as compared with 87.3 on July 1. 1906, 86.4 at thg corresponding date in 1904, and a ten-year average of 80.4.

The following table shows for each of" the States having 1,000,000 acres or upvfard in corn the acreage compared with that of last year, on a percentage basis, and the condition oh July 1 of this year, with the respective tep-year July averages : Acreage com- Tenpared with Condition year last year. July 1,1906. av-ge Illinois 100 90 8-S lowa 103 96 88 Nebraska 101 84 88 Kansas 101 85 88 Texas 106 73 77 Missouri 100 86 86 Indiana 101 86 89 Georgia 101 89 84 Kentucky 100 '■ 91 90 Tennessee ....... 98 91 88 X)hio, 101 SO 85 Alabama ........ 103 4)1 * 85 North Carolina 101 91 90 Arkansas 101 “89 84 Mississippi 105 91 82 Indian Territory. 107 90 88 Oklahoma 105 93 . 01 South Carolina ' . —IOB 86 84 Virginia 100 91 UT South Dakota ...• 108 87 87 Minnesota ...... .99 , 80 84 Wisconsin 99 87 80 Pennsylvania ... 100 91 87 Louisiana ....... 107 79 82 Michigan y 102 90 83 L’niled States 101. C 87.5 8C.4 Wheat -Conilmdn Highi The average condition of winter wheat on .Tfrly 1 was 85.6, as compared With 83 last month, 82.7 on July 1, 1905, 78.7 at the corresponding date in 1904, and a ten-year average of 79.4. The following table shims for each of the States having 1,000,000 acres or upward in winter wheat the condition on July 1 of this year, with the respective ten-year July averages:.. July T, Ten year 1900. av. Kansas 75 80 Indiana 90 - 70 Missouri 86 77 Nebraska 87 - Illinois ....... 89 70 Ohio '.. 89 72 California ..... ......... 90 77 Pennsylvania . 93 84 Oklahoma 86 83 ■ r.. ... S3__ T 8 Michigan .. 70 72 United Statoe 85.6 79.4 The average condition of spring wheat on July 1 was 91.4, as compared with 93 last month, 91 oil July 1, 1905, 93.7 at the corresponding date in 1904, and a ten-year average of 88.2. Spring; Wheat Figures. The following table shows for each. of the five principal spring wheat States the condition on July ! oththis

year, with the respective ten-year averages : July 1, Ten-year 1006. av. Minnesota 89 87 North Dakota 93 86 South Dakota 91 89 lowa 94 92 Washington -100 94 Cubed Staes 91.4 88.2 The average condition on July 1 of spring and winter wheat combined was 87.8. as compared with 55.8 on July I, 1905, and 84.5 at the corresponding date in 1904. The amount of wheat remaining in the hands of farmers on July 1 is estimated at about 40,053,000 bushels, equivalent to about 0.0 per cent of the crop of last year. Loss Shown in Oats. The average condition of the oats crop on July 1 was 84., as compared with SO last month, 92.1 on July 1, 1905, 89.8 at the corresponding date in 1904, and a ten-year average of 59.4. The average condition of barfey on July 1 was 92.5, against 93.5 one month ago, 91.5 on July 1, 1905, 85.5 at the eorresiKmdiivg date iu 1904, and a tenyear average of 58.2. The average condition of winter rye on July 1 was 91.3. as compared with 92.7 on July 1, 1905, SS at the corresponding date in 1904 and a ten-year average of 90.1. The acreage of potatoes, excluding sweet potatoes, is less than that of last year by 38,000 acres or 1.3 per cent The average condition on July 1 was 91.5, as compared with 91.2 on July 1, 1905, 93.1 at the corresponding date in 1904, and a ten-year average of 92.1. The acreage of tobacco is less than that of last year by about 40,000 acres, or 5.2 per cent The average condition on July 1 was 80.7, against 87.4 one year ago.