The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-09-14
THE CORN CROP.
Prof Dodge Thinks 1t Will Be Nearly as
Large as Last Year.

Prof Dodge Thinks 1t Will Be Nearly as
Large as Last Year.
Washington Special.
Prof. Dodge, the statistician of the Agri-
cultural Department. is still writing on his
report on the corn crop This afternoon he
handed the following to correspondent just
as he had finished writing it: Sept the
prospect was as good as in September of last
year, except that the probabilities of injury
from frost were somewhat greater, the pres
ent crop being less mature. 1t, however,
warrants an expectation of fve-sixths of a
full crop, i. e., one produced from full acre
age with vitality unimpaired by frost, hail,
drought or insects, and medium growth.
There is always some injury from one or
more of these causes SO that 100 would never
be quite attained except by excess of growth
above medium. This standard is,
therefore, equivalent to crop repre-
senting the full capacity of the soil, under
the existing state of cultivation in an aver
age year. with favorable meteorological con-
dtions and the absence OF unusual insect
injuries For corn, as at present distributed
geographically, twenty-nine bushels will
nearly represent the standard for the entire
country, though the standard of different
States varies Immensely. The average yield
for a series of years will, of course, be less,
and in recent periods has been fully 10 per
cent less, the average yield for ten years be-
ing twenty-six bushels per acre. Seldom
does the yield average thirty bushels, and
not often does it fall below twenty-three-in
the ten years past only twice Ito 20.7 bushels,
in 1874, and 1876 bushels in the disastrous
fol nf in yiory
the prospects reported in the returns can be
fairly estimated, though there will be much
uncertainty as to the effects of future frosts
up to October"
In conversation afterward Prof. Dodge, re-
ferring to dispatches in front of him, said: II
think the corn crop this year will only be
slightly below what it was last year. The
production was 1917, 100000 bushels 1t is
barely possible this years crop will reach
that, but it will probably fall short-this too,
where there was an increase of 2 500, 900 acre
age. which should have produced 6,000,0 900
increase over that of last year, if this year IS
crop was up to the mark of the last year,
Last September" continued Prof. Dodge,
1.-The corn crop was represented by SO per
cent. of full crop of twenty-nine bushels
average to the acre. This year the average
stood upon the 1st of September at 81, but
the frosts since have reduced the average to
SO, and subsequent returns may reduce this
still lower. Besides TINS shortage there Will
be an unusual percentage of soft corn in this
years crop" Besides the late cold season.
Prof. Dodge attributes the one element of
the poorness of this years crop to inferior
seed furnished from Kansas, Missouri and
Minnesota Above the line of forty degrees
the crop planted from this seed is worthless.
He has just returned from trip of inspec-
ton covering range of 5000 miles. He
found no good corn east OF Omaha The
corn in Missouri and Kansas is good and
will do much to sustain the average What
the Professor now fears is further frost be-
tween now and the 1st of October The
storm that is now raging throughout the
country will probably be followed by sharp
frost when it comes.