The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1909-11-23
CROP IS SHORT
Estimate of 1909 Crop 81 Per
Gent, of 1908 Production

The Acreage Was Slightly Increased
But the Crop Yielded Only Z Pc
Cent of Last Years Supply-Th'
virginia-C Carolina Crop About S,
1927 900 Bushels-Must Raise Price'
to Prevent Another Reduction.
Since 1893 it has been the custom
Of Holmes and Dawson, Of Norfolk
to issue annual reports on the peanu
crop at it's maturity. In their re
port Just completed the 1909 crop i:
estimated as Ct per cent Of last year:
production. although the creage wa:
six per cent larger. U~nfavorab1t
weather conditions prevailing at The
most vital periods Of the crops prog
ress caused the GRO shortage.
The report says in part:
The crop as a whole appears t.
be of better quality than last year
although the quality is much poorer
this yea than the average, as las
seasons crop was of the poorest quail
ity IN years.
AIIO 1Spo1S o1OW S11dI ZIG yAOAo =
bushels per acre is much under las
year, the estimate being only 80 bush.
els to the acre as compared with 8
yield Of SO Bushels last year.
While the peanut crop Of Virginia
and North Carolina can not be accu7
rately estimated yet it is generally
conceded we believe to be about g.
100000 bushels, and in order to form
a basis for calculation we WILL assume
that the 1908 crop equaled this guam
tity and by taking the yield Of sc
bushels per acre, as reported for TIM
crop, the calculation would show thai
100000 acres were in cultivation las
When we add the 6 per cen
increase in acreage for this season tc
the 100000 acres Of last season, as
we have estimated, it will give 169,-
900 acres as being in cultivation this
season. This acreage, if figured at 80
bushels to the acre., which is the re-
ported yield this season, will give a
total crop Of 5,427,2O0 bushels for this
year as against q crop Of 5000, O0O
bushels for last year.
Again, taking the 100000 bushels
as a basis for last years crop and
calculating 67 per cent. Of hat crop,
which is our correspondents estimate,
it will give a crop for this year of s.
100000 bushels, which goes to shoW
that whether figured on the basis Of
the yield Of 80 bushels per acre or
on the basis Of 81 per cent. Of last
years crop, there is only a slight va
ration in the result, which in a large
measure confirms our correspondents
estimates.
From the foregoing reports, esti-
mates and calculations, it is evident
that the present peanut crop Of Vir-
ginia and North Carolina is unusually
short when we consider the increased
acreage.
The only other sources Of supply
or edible peanuts Of n moment that
comes into direct competition with
the Virginia and North Carolina crop,
Is the Tennessee crop, which, how
ever, Is confined to g. small area in
that State, and the importation Of
peanuts from foreign countries.
The Tennessee crop, from the in
formation we have obtained, will
average about 70 per cent. Of last
seasons production, and the quality
is said to be comparatively poor with
a large percentage Of light weight
goods. It will be SEEN, therefore, that
the general unfavorable season had it's
effect on this CROP also.
A great deal has been said about i'm
ported peanuts. In order to get at
the exact facts regarding the impor-
tation Of these foreign peanuts, we
have obtained through the courtesy
of the Bureau Of Commerce and La
Dor at Washington, which are a part
OF their official records, the quantity
Imported into this country from the
year ending June Goth, 1906. to the
year ending June Goth, 1908, covering
a period Of three years, which we give
below:
Imports OF Peanuts in United States.
Year ending June Goth
1sO6-2,325,2 unshelled pounds;
Io4,9lS shelled pounds; 3,030,237 total
pounds.
19O7-10,432,S28 unshe1led pounds;
4,7S0,O54 shelled pounds; 1~5,212,S82
total pounds.
1908-6,49S,202 unsheHed pounds;
l,175,946 shelled pounds; 7,274,14S
total pounds.
Inc crop Of peanuts produced in