Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1901-07-15
CROP CONDITIONS.
July Number Of Agricultural
Bulletin Issued to Public.
"Si|os and ensi|age" the Principle
Subject Of This Issue.
Reports as 10 Crop Conditions l. ON Entire
State and kennebec.

me July builet1n oil the State Beard
of Agriculture has just been issued
the principal subject to be taken up be-
ing 'Silos and Ensilage'' a matter that
IS occupying great attention from the
farmers. at the present time. In in
PRODUCTION the. Bulletin says:
Corn is par excellence the silage crop
OF America. 1t will grow on soils not
adapted to some of our other fodder
plants. 1t will produce more pounds of
digestibie food nutrients per acre
imam any other. 1t makes q food well
relished by all animals. The Bulletin
then deals with the life history of corn
and mentions the varieties of corn to
be planted for the silo and the methods;
oi planting and cultivation of the crop.
Clover has been successfully ensiloed
put IL is secondary to corn. We have
put Hungarian into our silo with good
results except that il had q Gtrong
odor. This might have been caused hy
improper handling, however Any
plant that animals relish when green
may be cnsiloed ana some winch are
hot readily eaten when green. such as
potato leaves. apple pomacc. leaves and
twigs. hop vines, brakes, thistlcs and
weeds have been put into ailus ana
nave been readily eaten by the ami
mails
The Bulletin then speaks OF silos.
The best methods of construction and
The different kinds. II says that the
liist consideration in the building Of
s.ius is that they must be air-tight
As long as This condition is secured
il makes but little difference how il is
built. The taste ana convenience Of
the owner should regulate this.
In speaking of June crop Condi-
tons" the Bulletin says:
Preliminary reports of the spring
wheat acreage indicate a reduction of
bout 100000 acres or g. per cent.
or the - states reporting 10,GG1 acres
or upward in spring wheat. $ report
m Increase aggfeEating about 2tGUD
acres and u q decrease 2lnounting "a
about .225o0o. There is an Increase
in acreage Of 70 peT cent. in New Mex
len. . in Nevada, J in Arizona 3 in
Michigan. : in Montana ana Utah. ana
per cent. in Wyoming and Washing
Ton: while in Iowa there is decrease
cf 10 per cent. oregon \. Kansas I.
Wisconsin and Minnesota 6. Illinois.
Nebraska. South Dakota. North Da-
kpta and California, ;: Idaho 4. and
Colorado ; per cent.
The average condition of spring
wheat on june | was % as compared
with S1.3 at the corresponding date
last year and o.. on June !. 1899. The
mean of the June averages for the last
10 years is go and for the last l. years
92... The averages of the principal
states are as follows: oregon -. cali
fornil 81. Minnesota 49, Iowa and South
Dakota ~. North Dakota 81, Wisconsin
81. Nebraska IS.
The average condition Of winter
wheat declined during May G.3 points.
the condition on June | being SIS. as
against al on May l. on June ],
1900. the condition was ST. and on the
corresponding date in 1899 67.3. The
mean of the June averages for the last
10 wears of winter wheat is s12 and
for the past l. years S2.3. The princi-
pal averages by states are as follows:
Maryland l0O Virginia 9S. Pennsyiva-
MIA 96 California 81. Ohio and Indiana
90 Tennessee IS. Kansas 81. Missouri,
Illinois and Oklahoma 81. Michigan IS.
and Texas 46. The low condition in
Texas Is due to drouth and the rayaEcs
of the wheat-plant louise: in Kansas,
Okiah oma and Missouri the crop has
been damaged by the IIessian fly and
by drouth: in Michigan the HeSsian fly
has seriously injured. the crop and ii
has caused ConSdera BILE damage in
portions If Indiana. Illinois and Ken
lucky. The present averages of con-
d;tion relate strictly TO the crop still
under cultivation on June !.
The total reported acreage in oats is
smaller than the acreage harvested
last year by 3S per cent. There is an
increase Of per cent. in Wisconsin
ara per cent. in Minnesota: and de
crease of per cent. in Ohio, in New
York. 6 in Indiana. Illinois ana Kansas.
; in Iowa and Ncbras ska, and in Penn
sylyania and Michigan. The decreas"
il the larger producing states is offset
to some extent by increases in states
having smaller acreagcs.
Tho average condition of oats is 81,
q".tfrst 81 on June |. 1900. SS.' AT the
corresponding date in 1899. and ~
wear average of 80. OF the states nay
ING GOO 900 acres or upward III "ats
PENNSYLVANIA reports points ana ohia
ana Michigan points above Their ~
wear averages. while Minnesota and
New York report | point. Wisconsin
and Nebraska . points Illinois 5 points
Indiana ! points ana Kansas II points
respectively. below the mean OF then
June averages for the last 10 years
n Iowa the condition is reported as
81. corresponding with the 1O-year av-
I era &c in that state.
! The acreage reported under barley Is
. per cent. smaller than the area har-