The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-07-25

Baltimore, ulJy 24.-(Spe ecial. l--Sta- tistics of the past forty years of the production of corn, wheat and oats in the South are the basis for an inter- esting exhibit of progress. made in this weeks Issue of The Mannfacturers' Record, of a general increase in south ern grain productivity. It says:
 "The actual production of grain is handy a safe measure of the advance. The average yield per acre gives the real cue to the productivity. While not eaualing in average yields per acre the average yields of the country, the South as whole has nevertheless, more than kept pace with the rate of in- crease in the whole country. In the forty years between 1866 and 1908 the average yield per acre of ccrn'had an indicated increase from 25.3 to 3O.5 bushels, or 19.7 per cent, in the whole country, and in the South from 1e.5 to 20. .S bushels. or 26 per cent; the aver age yield per acre of wheat had an in dicated increase from 9s bushels to IS.5 bushels, or 56.5 per cent. in the whole country, and from 6.5 to 12.S bushels, or S9.2 per cent, in the South, and the indicated increase in the av- craze yield of oats was from 3O.2 to 31 2 bushels, or 3.3 per cent, in the whole country, and from 1923 to 24 Il bushels, or 24.s per cent In the South.
 The acreage in corn in the south increased from 16,Sl1,le3 to 35,O02,00S acres, every State sharing in it, but the most notable advances being from 7so,610 to s,sS4.657 acres in Texas; from 4S2,722 to 2.2s7.3s7 acres in Arr kansas; from 150,30S to 625.000 acres in Florida from 4oe,47$ to I,624,2s1 acres in Louisiana. from S21,6Sl to E. 204,822 acres in Mississippi, and from 1,021,397 to 1,935.347 acres In South xffa1A QnFA increased in all the States except Ar kansas, Florida and Texas
 Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi were the only States showing a de- crease in acreage devoted to wheat, the great increases being from 15s,S94 to l,22s,s64 acres in Texas; from 136,76S to 3iS,2S4 acres in South Carolina: from a17.427 to s1S.624 acres in Kentucky; from S9, ,S67 to 177,33S acres in Arkan- sas, and from 451,92s to So6,40f acres in Maryland. The total increase of wheat acreage in the South was from s,S24.40e to 6,s45.s14 acres. All the States except Texas increased the av- craze yield per acre. One typical ef- feet of this Is indicated by the fact that while in 1866 Alabama raised 657.- 960 bushels from 115,4s2 acres, or an average of 5.7 bushels to the acre, in 1906 1t raised 1.0S5.029 bushels from | e6, 639 acres, or an average of Il bush els to the acre, and that Georgia. which raised 1,272,456 bushels in 1866 from s1s.114 acres, or { bushels to the acre, in 1906 raised 3.1s1,070 bushels from | 316,1O7 acres. or 10 bushels to the acre.
 'The acreage in oats in 1906 was nearly 50 per cent less than in 1886, | hut the increase between 1886 and 1906
 was from 1,6S2,S16 to 2,679,11S acres.
 The most marked decreases were from
 2sS, ,2ss to s1,s34 acres in Maryland; {;
 from 512,25S to 260,s13 acres in the two
 virginias, and from 20s,2os to 1s5.ss2 l acres in North Carolina. The average
 yield per acre fell off In Florida, Ken
 lucky, Maryland and the two Vlrginias, | but nevertheless the advance in the
 average yield for the whole South was much beyond the advance for the whole country.
 Southern experience in this respect
 Is matched by the experience in the older grain-raising States of the Middle | West Ohio. the oldest of them, raised thirty-eignt bushels of corn to the acre In 1866 and 42.6 bushels in 1906 Tn | the forty years 1t increased It's corn acreage from 2,625,443 to 3,325,00O acres. and it's production from 99.766,- | S22 to 141,645,000 bushels. In wheat 1t 1 increased its yield per acre from 3 to 20.4 bushels, and in oats from 3A2
 
 one of the five States-Illinois, Indiana. Iowa. Kansas and Ohio-indicating an increased yield per acre of oats in the forty years, All five of the States save Kansas had an indicated increase of yield per acre of corn, and Iowa and Kansas were the only ones of the i've l indicating a decrease in the average l yield per acre of wheat.
 "A glance at the figures of grain 1 production in 1860 and a comparison of them with the figures for last year suggest, however. that. with all it's ! progress. the South Is not doing in grain raising what it's natural abilities
 would permit. In 1860 the South pro- l duced 25s,153,56s bushels, or 43.1 per cent of the total production of s30.451.- 1 TOT bushels of corn in the country, A, | ss5,1s5 bushels, or 26.2 per cent of the | total production of 171.1s3.3sl bushela of wheat i0 the country and 2asAes. 7sE