Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1906-10-02
New England Homestead.)

New England Homestead9
September brings splendid promise to
the corn crop, now rapidly maturing,
and so soon to be ready for the autumn
harvest, and interest now centers in corn.
Local returns from our corps of county
correspondents in every corn producing
state under date of September l, show
marked improvement in the condition
during the month of August. This is
important not only to the west, but also
here in New England, where our own
silage crops come into play and where
also it is important that supplies OF
western corn and meal prove adequate
for dairy farmers. The present average
condition of corn is placed at 9O.3 for
the whole country, against an average OF
| IS. o on August l. The September con-
dition is thus very high, decidedly
above the average for ten-year period,
and must be taken as indicating heavy
rate of yield per acre. 1t is not often
that the condition of the crop improves
during August, records for long series
of years showing almost uniformly de-
cline in prospect for that month.
Weather conditions during the past 30
days have been exceedingly favorable
for this crop in practically every section
where the crop is one Of Importance.
As a matter of fact, the advance in
condition figures, amounting to 2.3, can
hardly be taken as meaning any actual
gain, but must rather be taken as evil
dence of fuller appreciation on the
part of observers OF the strength and
vigor possessed by the plant. Dry
weather early in the season in the
western corn states accompanied by
temperatures below the normal during
portions of May and June, resulted in
late start. All that was needed to over
come it was a period of ample moisture
and high temperatures. This needed
condition was experienced during Au-
gust.
The improvement in corn the past
month is very general, covering practical
ly every state of Importance, but espe-
cially marked in the Ohio valley and in
Iowa and Nebraska. Kansas is the only
state of Importance showing a lower
condition than a month ago, and the
decline of three points there is not
sufficient to materially affect the crop OF
that important state.
In spite of the favorable weather con-
ditions during August, which rapidly
advanced the crop toward maturity,
there was occasional complaint on Sep
tember that the crop is still sufficiently
backward to be in danger Of damage
should early frost be experienced. Com
plants of this character, however, are
not general by any means, and 1T might
L of
the part of our local observers that If
frost holds off until the close of the
second week of September, the entire
crop would be assured. This date has
now come and gone, with general free
dom from frosts.
The acreage this year was reported IN
July as something like 1,250,OOO acres
larger than last year, making it the
record area. On the basis of the present
condition, and this record breaking area,
it is a reasonable assumption to figure
that a crop of 2,750,000,000 bushels is
easily within the probabilities. OF
course, this journal makes no estimate
of actual crop results until the crop is
harvested, but unless huskiDg should
prove a decided surprise to our we'll
trained observers, it is safe to say that
the final result will not vary materially
from the suggestion above made. This
will mark 1906 as the year OF largest
corn production on record. Last years
crop exceeded 2,7OO, ,OOO, 900 bushels, and
was easily cared for by the cOnsumptive
demand; stocks of old corn now only
moderate in proportion. In fact, west
ern corn has sold at high figures here in
| New England for more than year.
| The accompanying statement shows
the average condition of the corn crop
on September 1, as reported by our cor
respondents, together with the condition
at the same date year ago:
Il cnxn,r,nS nr coRS sEprENRER l.