The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-10-07
FARM AND
GARDEN
INTERESTS
The Yield of Cereals.

Review of Reviews.
Cereal crops for the year of 1902 have
not all been gathered, but experts have re-
ported upon their yield. and these ap-
proximate reports, submitted several
months ahead of the government reports,
have proved very nearly exact in the past.
approximately stated, the yield is as fol-
lows: Wheat, 700, SOC, 600 bushels: corn, g.
$50, 951, 900 bushels; oats, S6O,OOO.00 bushels;
barley, 100, $50, 900 bushels, rye. 30,35O,OO
bushels. Thus a total of 4,351. S5l 900 bushels
Of cereals were produced on S41, 600, 600 acres,
to say nothing of the farming land used
for other crops and for pasture land, barn
yards, etc. Prices obtained by the farmers
for the cereals differ every year. Last year,
for instance, there was a shortage In corn,
and 1T sold for 60 cents a bushel on the
farm. The history of corn has been that
the average price is 30 cents per bushel-
At that rate 1902 corn will bring to the
farmers SITS, 9S5, 300. Wheat prices are gov
erned accordingly. All other things consid-
cred, wheat will bring 50 cents to the farm
er during 1902-that is, he will have realized
that amount by general consideration OF
wheat on hand, the shortage. etc., and at
this figure the wheat crop will net $3.50. lOO,-
600 to farmers Oats, IL sold at the present
market price, will bring $3.50. 500 600; barley,
$50. $50. 600; rye, s15.9 O9.0 900, or a total OF 81
is worth this year about $500, oOO. 900, while
the hay, including alfalfa, Is worth the
same amount to the farmer. Potatoes Will
sell for 500, 0O0,0 600, while the buckwheat
crop is valued at $S,000,0 There have been
other years when cereals sold for more;
last year the corn crop, though one-half
as large as In 1902, sold for $921, $50. 1853. But
the farmers did not hold much of 1t when
ii went to IS cents, so they were not bene-
flied. The selling price at harvest time can
generally be accepted as the farm price.
approximately the earnings of the hve
and two-thirds million farms of the United
States was. in 1902, ive and one-ifth billion
dollars. This is far in excess of the total
income of the farmers at any other time
for 1899 sold for "a, 739, lis, 752. The cereals,
save corn, are about equal to the crop OF
1899. This year, 500, 100000 bushels more
corn and several hundred thousand head OF
placed on the markets And one should
also remember hat the number of farms
is continuously increasing at a rate of from
fifteen to forty thousand annually.
The corn crop of the world for 1900 was
States for 1901 was 1,522, 5lS, 600 bushels.
1902 is slightly in excess of the 1900 crop of
the entire world. This year 94.S69, 92S acres
were planted in corn, principally in Illinois,
Iowa, Missouri. Kansas and Nebraska. illi-
nois exports more corn than any other
State. or 5000, 900 bushels in 1901. On March
l Of the present year much OF the crop OF
1901 was held and sold during the spring
at 50 and 70 cents per bushel, excessive
prices indeed. When the first corn was
being gathered In the West the market
price in Chicago was 81 and 10 cents.
The average yield ID! per . acre ,h IN 1901 Tss
wholesale price of corn on Dec. 1, 1901, was
Y cents, and in May II touched the high
water mark at so. There was a corner in
corn in July, but this did the farmers little
good. Their bins were sold bare before that
time.