Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1906-08-30
MORE RECORD CROPS.

The crop reports issued ny the depart
mcnt of agriculture on August 10 indi-
Gated another notwithstanding year. Pre-
iiminary returns put the winter wheat
crop ut iH}, "A. 900 bushels. The spring
wheat crop was estimated at rs, ,000
bushels, making a totai probable wheat
harvest Of ~, 2G4. 900. which is more than
was ever produced IN any other country
In the world, about 100. 0Qjtog more than
our own average production iur the ten
years preceding. and nearly 2i.N, 900 more
than our greatest previous years produc-
uon. IN 1901. 1".
Along with the greatest Wheat crop we
have also the promise or the greatest
corn crop on record-np less lnSl lib
l9+. 10 bushels. Add to this Il tWciNe-Inil-
lion-haie cotton crop. an excellent tobdc-
co crop. and crops of oats, barley. rye,
and other minor CercaI~ ranging from fair
to fine, and il seems evident that the
farmers of the United states Will have
even more money to spend, the railroads
more freight To carry, and the merchants
| more goods to sell this year than last.
All through the winter wheat belt there
has been a remarkable increase in the
yield per acre. The gam is unbroken,
from Pennsylvania to California. In In
diana and Ohio, old States whose soil
might be expected to he showing signs
of exhaustion. the average yield has gone
above twenty bushels to the acre-a yield
that would have been considered good a
few years ago for an exceptionally favor
ed farm. In Nebraska the average has
risen to 23.2 bushels. Last year, when we
had the next to the largest wheat crop
ever produced up to that time, three of
| thu i.,r. rt,,DtNn utfntpr lh.lt Stata
averaged less than ten bushels to the
acre. This year only one State has aver
aged less than twelve bushels II only
two less than fourteen, Last year only
three States went above eighteen bushels;
this year three have gone above twenty.
This years gigantic crop of 772, 900, 900
bushels of wheat of all kinds has been
produced ON an acreage ten per cent.
smaller than the 1899 crop of ia, COO, 900
bushels less.
1t is a noteworthy fact that the aplount
of land sown to wheat in the United
States seemed to reach its limit seven
| years ago. In 1899 we had Boss, 51i acres
in wheat-an area equal to that of Kan
sas-and we have never equaled that
figure since. In other words, the state
of Kansas, if it were all good wheat land,
could produce all the wheat we have ever
raised in the United States in any one
| year. While we have over three million
square miles of land in all. it appears
that only about eighty thousand or less
than three per cent. of the whole. can be
devoted to wheat-growing. This years
record crop has been raised on less than
seventy-fve thousand. The only prospect
of a material increase Is found in the re-
ella of arid lands by irrigation.
The corn crop is one Of vastly more
Importance to the United States than the
wheat crop. although that Is the great
est in the world. Our 2,7l3, 900. 900 bushels
of corn this year would load a freight
train extending two-thirds of the way
around the globe. This crop has been
raised on %, 535, coo acres of land-about
twice the acreage devoted to wheat and
the greatest ever given to corn in our
history. The American corntields are
about equal in extent to the japanese
empire, and their yield in a single year
would pay off the national debt Of the
United States.
Last year Secretary Wilson said in his
annual report that If the American farm
er could go on without relapse for three
years longer he could look pack over q
decade II find that in those ten years
he had produced an amount of wealth
equal to one-half OF the entire national
wealth produced by the toll and compos-
ed of the surplus and saving of three
centuries" One of the three years has
passed, and instead of a relapse there
has been an advance. This years crops
alone would pay for half the railroads OF
United States.
From Golfers for August %, 1906.