Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-11-12
Practically No Allowance Made for the
Soft and Immature Condition of the
crop-Less Than Forty Per Cent of
the Crop Marketable, According to
the State Reports.


among grain dealers, said: "The re-
port is to the effect the average yield
per acre in Iowa will be thirtytwo
bushels Probably it is true the yield
at present weight will be up to this es-
innate, but the estimate Is deceptive.
No allowances are made for soft and
immature corn.
"The corn acreage in Iowa this year
is S,69S.000 acres. II the government
figures are correct the yield will be
27S 600 bushels or 51,156,000 more
bushels than we had last year in Iowa.
Now the acreage this year is practically
the same as last after making reduct-
ions. Last year the crop was injured
by hot winds and was 115,000.000 short
345, 100000 bushels and was the bumper
crop in the history of the state. The
trouble this year is that the frosts
caught the crop and probably not to
exceed 40 per cent of it will be market
able. The rest is soft corn, suitable
only for feeding purposes. The result
will be that there will be little or no
corn put on the market this year from
Iowa. The government report is at
fault because it does not tell of this
condition. 1t conveys the impression
that the Iowa crop is normal and prac-
tically an average crop in quality.
Now, take the government report as
a whole. If it is correct the corn dis
tricts will yield total of 2.562,000
bushels. Any one who is at all famil-
lar with the conditions that have pre-
vailed in two-thrds of Iowa, all of
South Dakota, the north half of Illinois
and part of Wisconsin knows that this
figure is excessive and not to be de-
pended upon"
j. NJ Brown, state agent for Coun-
selman & Co, said: "The figures of
the government report are absurd. 1t
is not worth the space it has taken in
the newspapers as an index of the size
or condition of the crop. Especially
is this true of Iowa. We will probably
have an average yield of corn at present
wet weight, but the actual condition,
as nearly as we can get at it, is about
GO per cent. The crop in over two-
thirds of the state is soft and unmar-
hStdple ana CdH VIC uSSu oIiy lcl lCSo~
ing purposes. We have made expert
ments with the corn and find that in
drying it out it runs from 16 to is per
cent short of the standard bushel in
weight. That means that in the mar
kets of the World the Iowa crop will
be 16 to Is per cent short of the gov,
eminent reports"
M. McFarlin of the Des Moines Ele-
yator Company said: Il consider the
government report extremely bearish.
One would think from reading it that
Iowa will have normal crop of mar
ketable corn. No explanation is made
of flood and frost damage in the state.
would not venture an estimate on the
amount of marketable corn the state
will produce, but it won't be a great
deal The report is also at fault be-
cause it does not detail the conditions
in the entire north half of the corn
belt. The crop in half the belt will be
soft and suitable only for feeding pur-
poses. But such incompleteneSS is lit
tie more than we have come TO expect
OF government reports. do not be-
lieve the fault is with the local re-
porters, but believe that the authorities
at Washington are careless in it's COM
pilation and in conveying to the pub
lie the knowledge impaired to them
by their correspondents. In Iowa we
have come to look to Professor Sages
state report for information instead
OF to the government report, but, I'M
fortunately, in the big grain centers
the government report is the authority
The fellows who sell corn for future
I,AIt &f1.~ l.,, Il.
report are apt to have day of reck-
oning.'
Professor Sage, in charge of the Iowa
crop service report, when approached
by a reporter would not discuss the
government report. He said that it
would be bad form for him to criticise
the report. Continuing. Mr.. Sage said:
May / we had 9,20S,000 acres of corn
in Iowa. In May and June we had a
deluge such as the state has not expe-
rienced in fifty years. so that on July
/ decided to ask my township CORE
spondents to revise the figures on acre
age. Their reports showed S,693,7S0
acres of corn still standing. The condi-
ton at that time was anything but ia
yorable and 1t has continued bad up to
this date. / am preparing to issue re-
port shortly after Dec. l showing the
acreage, yield and condition by coun-
ties, but as yet have not compiled it.
From reports l have received on acre
age and yield / would say that the total
for the state in all kinds of corn will be
somewhat larger than the government
reports would indicate, probably close
to 300,000,000 bushels, but the quality
will be away off as compared with our
average crops. Last year we had 227,-
600 900 bushels of splendid corn, but the
year before we had 345.000,O00 bushels
Of corn nearly as good, so that you will
see that my prophecy of 3O0,000,00O
bushels of such corn as we have is not
out of the way for this season.
"The bulk of the crop fed will yield
an average return to the farmer, but
the trouble is going to be to get the
stuff to feed. / have letters saying that
feeding has already commenced and the
general verdict of1She feeders is that the
soft corn Is putting on fat tho of course
not as quicklg as would good hard
corn"
w. r. Morgan, another buyer. when
asked what he thought of the govern
ment report in SO far as it related to
Iowa, said: "It's rotten; it's worse than
no report. It ought to sicken the grain