The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1907-12-21
BY Fl. e. BLAKESLEE. JACKSON.

SbS 1NBeA ~
Commerce of the agricultural products
of the State for the year 1906 is about
complete, and the result will be pub
lished in the Bulletin of January. The
facts thus obtained are interesting and
valuable, although possibly not abso-
lutely correct, nothing of the kind ever
having been attempted before. 1t lays
the foundation for a more complete
enumeration in the future and makes a
comparison possible.
Cotton being the principal product, it
is interesting to know that from the re-
turns made that a number of counties
average more than one-half bale to the
acre, despite the general impression that
it takes three acres in Mississippi to pro-
duce a bale. Adams county shows the
largest average production, II acres
being required to produce a bale. Frank
lin, Jefferson, S%unfower, Tallahatchie
and Wilkinson require 1.S acres to pro-
duce a bale. Lee and Warren require
10 and the 2-acre class is large, being
composed of Calhoun, Choctaw, Goa
lioma, Copiah, Covington, Holmes, Lin
coin, Pearl River, and Smith. Bolivar
produces more cotton than any county
in the State, and it requires 81 acres
to make a bale. Jackson only raised 40
bales, and it required 1.9 acres to the
bale. 1t is to be borne in mind that
these figures are for the 1906 crop, and
the storm and its attendant damage
must be allowed for. The general aver
age for the whole State is % acres TO
the bale.
Corn being the second crop in import
ance, figures concerning it would no
doubt be valuable. The total yield as
shown was "a, ,795 bushels. If these
figures fall as far short of the actual
amount raised as does the cotton crop,
the yield was approximately 35,oOO,OOO
bushels, which estimating at 60 cents
per bushel, was worth $4,000, 00C.
Quitman shows the banner production,
23.2 bushels to the acre. Jackson comes
oSNOAu 4 oh oftAoSS u %~'c riS
per acre, while Lee is third with an
average of 22.2. Union shows q yield
of 2&.3, Tallahatchie s1.2 and Sunflower
2O.2. The other counties come along in
punches, the general average for the
State being approximately 16 bushels to
The acre.
Contrary to recently published reports
the hay acreage proved to be 109,S76
acres instead of $4,000, and the yield as
returned 1894 tons. The approximate
value of the hay cut was $2,500,000.
Lowndes county reports the largest
acreage, 500, with Washington a close
second with 5,319.
Of greater Importance than was gen
orally considered proved the pork pro-
duction, 6O,929,66 sec pounds, being killed.
This product alone was worth fully S4,-
100000. The banner hog killers were
as follows: Calhoun, 1,586,166 pounds;
Tallahatchie, 1,461 ,626; Pontotoc, l.
4O5, $50; Alfalfa, 1,394,O1s; Lafayette,
1,3S3,sS1; Newton, 1,360,4S9; Lee, l.
34s,196; Carroll, 1,323,9s6. Thirteen
other counties went over the million
pound mark.
The acreage in oats was S4,174, with
a production of 1,11S,562 bushels, or but
little over Is bushels to the acre. This
is probably accounted for in the fact
that in many Instances oats for pas
ture were included in the acreage given.
Wheat, SCI acres and 7,1S3 bushels.
Barley, 81 acres and 1,141 bushels. Rye,
20 cares and 26s bushels. Rice, 63 acres
and 473 bushels.
The statistics with reference to sheep
and wool was gratifying, indeed. There
we're reported 9s,3O2 sheep with a clip
of 259,615 pounds of wood. Almost
500. 900 worth of wool, to say nothing
of the mutton killed.
Parties desiring copies of the bulletin
for themselves and friends containing
this information in detail can have same
by writing a card to the Commissioner
at Jackson.
The proposed law for the supervision
and inspection of commercial feedstuffs
does not mean that the people of Mis-
sissippi will nave to pay more for what
they buy. They are already paying the
price without the protection such a law
would give. Other States around us
have the inspection and condemned feeds
from those States are dumped into Mis-
sissippi. It means that feeds must
come up to the guarantee printed upon
the label and would be worth thousands
to the people IN better feed. and at the
same time place several thousand dol
lars of hard cash in the State Treasury
each year. 1t would be the same pro-
lection to users of feedstuffs that the
present system of inspection and tag
cling is to the users of fertilizers.
It is a little d~iscouraging to know
that the average corn production of Mis-
sissippi is only about is bushels to the
49, ,xLor ~ 10 Lpnwp thaf ae hioh