Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-10-11
Phenomenal Harvest of Cereals in
Iowa This Year.
YIELD OF CORN ESPECIALLY LARGE.
Harvest of 100000 Bushels in Elk.
cess of Any Previous Year-131 ,o00,-
600 in Excess Of Average for Ten
Years.

Des Moines, Oct. 10.-The year 1900
will be remembered as the most SEN
sational in the agricultural history of
Iowa. All previous records have been
broken and new mark set.
Director Sage of the Iowa weather
and crop service has issued the pre-
liminary estimate of the crop yields
for the year. The estimate, which is
subject to revision when the final esti-
mate is made, December l, shows that
the total of all cereals for the
year is 531,349,020 bushels. This is
100000 bushels in excess of the larg-
est previous crop in the history of the
state and 100000 in excess of the
average for the last ten years.
Reports from Nearly Every Township.
The estimates are compiled from
reports received from farmer cores
pondents in nearly every township in
the state, and that there may be no
over estimate they are scaled down.
For example, the corn area this year
| is S,61S,660 acres. The reports from
correspondents indicated an average
yield forty-three bushels per acre.
To make allowances for overstate-
ments and for unreported losses, Di-
rector Sage deducted two bushels per
acre from the average of the reports
and bases his estimate of the total
corn yield at forty-one bushels to the
acre. This gives total of 353,365, 060
bushels, figure probably less than the
actual yield, but, withal, one of the
most sensational ever announced by
the service. The average yield is
three bushels in excess of the highest
average in any year for the past ten
years. The nearest approach was in
1896, when the average per acre was
thirty-nine bushels. The 1900 aver
age is about nine bushels in excess
of the average yield per acre for the
past ten years, which was 1922 bushels.
Enormous Totals.
But the enormity of the figures for
1900 is the more apparent when totals
are used. The 1900 corn crop is 49,
100000 bushels in excess of the biggest
previous corn yield in the history OF
the state-in 1891, when the total yield
was 335, 031,59S bushels. The average
yield in the past ten years was 252,-
664,170, or 100,700,S90 bushels less
than the yield for 1900.
1 Corn is not the only crop that shows
an increase. The wheat yield has
gained about 100000 over last year.
Oats and flax show slight decrease.
AS compared with last year the corn
crop shows gain of 43,000,000
| bushels.
Mr.. Sage's Report.
The report as given by Mr.. Sage is
as follows:
Corn-The reports indicate an aver
age yield of a little more than forty
one bushels per. acre for the state
The area planted was 8,61S,660 acres
and the total product will be 1885,
O60 bushels, or 1S,000,000 bushels
above the heaviest yield heretofore
harvested in Iowa. The figures are
conservative, making due allowance
for recent damage by winds and wet
weather.
/ Wheat-Yield of winter wheat, six
teen bushels per acre; spring wheat,
fifteen bushels. Total product, 22,465,-
$50 bushels, as against 10 ,574,792 bush
els last year.
oats-Yield per acre, thirty-five
bushels; total for the state, 139,707,-
$50 bushels.
Rye-Average per acre seventeen
bushels; total product 14,04S,720
bushels.
Flaxseed-Yield, eleven bushels per
acre; total, 1,197,350 bushels.
Tame hay-Average yield Id tons
per acre; total 3,568,470 tons.
Potatoes-Yield per acre, seventy.
two bushels; total output 10,776,96O
bushels.
Value of Crop.
With current prices. which are bet
ter than they have been for several
years, the value of the crop this year
will be close to $215 100000. Last year
the crop was worth $194,605,7O6. The
highest value in the preceding years
was reached in 1891, when it went to
$207, $4,000. The average value in
the ten years last past was $172,35O,.