The La Jara chronicle., 1906-09-07
IMMENSE CROPS
REcoRD-RREAkIN PRODUCTION
IN ALL SECTIONS
WHEAT, COCN AND COTTON

Twenty-four Million Bushels of Wheat
Above Any Previous Years Produc-
tion-Nearly Three Billion Bushels
Of Corn.
The crop reports issued by the de
partment of agriculture on August 10th
indicated another record-breaking year,
says Golfers Weekly. Preliminary re-
turns put the wheat crop at 93,434, 900
bushels. The spring wheat crop was
estimated at 27s,s30,O00 bushels, max
ing a total probable wheat harvest of
of 772, ,264, 600. which is more than was
ever produced in any other country in
the world. about 160 100000 more than
our own average production for the ten
years preceding and nearly $4,000. 900
more than our greatest previous years
production in 1901.
Along with the greatest wheat crop
we have also the promise of the great
est corn crop on record-no less than
2,713, 900 bushels. Add this to a
twelve-million-bate cotton crop, an eX-
cellent tobacco crop, and crops of bar
ley, rye, and other minor cereals
ranging from fair TO fine, and 1t seems
evident that the farmers Of the United
States will have even more money to
spend, the railroads more freight to
carry, the merchants more goods to
Sell than last. All through the winter
wheat belt there has been remark
able increase in the yield per acre. The
gain is unbroken from Pennsylvania
TO California In Indiana and Ohio,
old states whose soil might be ex-
pected to be showing signs Of exhaus-
ton. the average yield has gone above
twenty bushels to the acre-a yield
that would have been considered good
Il few years ago for an exceptionally
favored farm. In Nebraska the aver
age has risen to 23.2 bushels. Last
year. when we had next to the largest
wheat crop ever produced up to that
time. three OF the eleven principal
winter wheat states averaged less than
ten bushels to the acre. This year
only one state has averaged less than
twelve bushels and 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 772,000,OO0
bushels of wheat of all kinds has been
produced on an acreage ten per cent.
smaller than the 1899 crop of 114,000,-
900 bushels less.
1t is a noteworthy fact that the
amount of land sown to wheat in the
United States seemed 10 reach its limit
seven years ago. In 1899 we had 81
5SS,574 acres in whcat-an area equal
to tnut of Kansas-and we have never
equaled that figure since. In other
words. the state OF Kansas, If 1t 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 de
voted to wheat growing. This years
record crop has been raised in the re-
clamation 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
greatest in the world. Our 2,713.000.-
900 bushels of corn this year would
load freight train extending two
thirds of the way around the globe.
This crop has been raised on 95,535,0O0
acres of land-about twice the acre
age devoted to wheat and the greatest
ever given to corn in our history. The
American cornfields 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 Ameri-
can farmer could go on without relapse
for three years longer he could look
back over decade and find that in
those ten years he had produced an
amount of wealth equal to one-half OF
the entire national wealth produced by
toll and composed of the surpluses and
savings of three centuries" One OF
the three years has passed. and instead
of n relapse there has been an ad-
vance This years crops alone would
pay for half the railroads of the United
States.