Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1905-07-20
ANOTHER "LAReEsT CROP"

The 1905 corn crop, according to the
figures of the department OF agrlcul-
ure. will be. the largest ever recorded
4 by that department, if conditions from
! now on are not so unfavorable as 10
damage the grain now in fair way
to mature successfully. While the gov
eminent does not express In bushels
it's estimate of the corn prospects, 1t
nevertheless furnishes the statistic
ians of the various grain exchanges
of the country with tangible data Tor
converting. the monthly report into
bushels. Thus the department indi-
Gates an increase of 2,0S0000 acres in
the area planted to corn and an mi
tial condition Of s73 as. against S6.4 at
the corresponding date year ago.
This increase in both acreage and con-
dition is interpreted by the accepted
system of figuring the departments
returns as an indication of harvest
of 2,651 100000 bushels of corn. At
this date last year a similar handling
of the governments figures of condi-
ten and acreage promised crop OF
2,537 100000 bushels. while the official
harvest as reported in December
claimed 2,467 100000 bushels, showing
the substantial reliability of the sys-
tenn of figuring. If the current indica-
ton is maintained-if the weather
during the next few weeks should re-
/ main favorable the 1905 corn crop
twill be the largest, ever reported by
the department of agriculture. In 1899
q the census bureau as result of actual
canvass reported a crop Of 2,666,000,-
coo bushels which was considerably
I'm excess of the department of agri-
Acultures estimate for that year, the
1atter's estimate being based on per-
centages rather than on actual farm
to farm canvass. The July report of
the department indicates a yield of
413,000,000 bushels of winter wheat,
or S0,00o,000 bushels more than was
harvested last year and a combined
harvest Of 705 100000 bushels of
spring and winter wheat, which if
spring wheat maintains its present po-
sition reasonably we'll, will give with
the exception of 1901, when the har-
vest was 74S,000.000 bushels, the larg-
est crop of wheat ever reported. These
are certainly exceptionally fine pros
poets for the material welfare of such
an essentially agricultural country as
our own, especially in view of the high
prices the farmer is able to obtain
for his product, No. 2 red wheat for
Instance selling at New York above 81
per bushel and No. mixed corn at
something above 60 cents per bushel.
This material welfare of the country
must readily be. reflected by the traffic
statements of the roads carrying these
'eaemendous harvests to market and by
tne return traffic in the form of sup
plies and luXuries which the prosperity
in the agricultural sections encourage
,.he farming element to purchase
y Although the conditions in the vi
entity Of Ottumwa have not been of
the best, it seems from reports from
other points in the state that these
conditions were purely local and that
In the state at large the prospects for
big corn crop are exceptionally
good. If weather like that of the last
Few days continues for a while. the
crops in Wapello county and the sur
rounding territory will feel the bene.
MT and their condition at the end of
the season will be most encouraging.