The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-12-07


 greatest farm waste of our times.
 There is great promise in the fact that whole classes of graduates of agrieul- tural colleges go back to the farms, hav- ing learned how to make them proht- able.
 Our foresters are learning by eXperi- ments how to reforest 5000 acres in a year; 10 times as much must be plant ed annually to cover all the bare acres In a generation. It will be done.
 There should be publicity regarding the cold storage of foods. through monthly reports 10 some federal authority that would give them to the press, to the end that the people might know to what eN- tent foods were being withdrawn from consumption.
 Crop Production and Value
 In the discussion of crop production and values the secretary states that the ch- rnatic conditions of the early part of the growing season of 1911 were adverse 10 agriculture throughout the country east of the Rocky mountains in a degree that exceeds all records. For a period of 60 days, beginning early fin May, series of hot waves of marked severity so early in the season followed one another in rapid succession, and the weather bureau is quoted as declaring that it Is probable that during no previous similar period  continuously and largely above the aver age over so extensive a region in the last half century, At the same time there was a large deficiency of rainfall that added to the crop damage.
 The secretary declares that while the total values of the crops in 1911 are not so high as in 1910. there is great abun- dance for all purposes" For the first time in many years the total value of "a lacliped that Of the preceding year. The estimate for 1911 is based on the census items, and is $, 7,Oco.o00. or s277, ,000o 600 under the total for 191o The loss is ehargeable to the general classes of animal products and animals sold and slaughtered. Dairy cows are the only farm animals for which increase of price is indicated. Eggs, wool, butter and poultry have suffered in farm price during the year. In consequence of the decline of prices of farm animals and their products, this group is estl- mated al having produced a value of s2,913,000000 in 1911. or sS2l ,o0a,oo0 below the amount for 191O
 On the other hand, the crops are worth more than those for 1910. the estimate of their farm value being S5,504.OO0,00o, a gain of $44, O00,O ,O0o over 1910. Farm prices of all crops are higher than for 1910 ex- eept for cotton. cotton seed and flaXseed,
  the other general fact that production was low, makes about 10 crops of 1911 the most valuable ones of the same kinds that the farms of this country have ever produced.
 Interesting comparisons are made with official estimates in other countries of the value of products produced by the farms In those countries. An estimate of $1,551,- 0Oo.ooo is quoted for Italy, of 900 for To of fOr Australia of s9O0O00,00O for Canada.
 With value more than twice that of the cotton crop this year and but little less than the combined values of the cotton wheat and oats crops corn is by far the leading crop as wealth pro- ducer. The estimate of 2,776,00o,0o0 bush els indicates a production that has been exceeded in only two years. The farm price of corn is now higher than it has been since the records of the department began in 1866. except in 1883, and this establishes a total value for the crop that reaches 8, TOO, ,00o,000 and breaks the rec ord.
 So pre-eminently is corn the leading crop of this country that about three- fourths of the worlds crop Is grown here. But the exports of corn con stitute one one-third of the worlds exports of corn.
 That large crop may be worth less to the producers than a small one is exemplified by the cotton crop of this year. Commonly supposed to be the largest one ever grown, this crop has reached a price that is , cents pound of lint below that of last year, when the crop was much less in quantity and for the same reason the price of seed has declined. Apparently the value of the fiber and seed of this year g crop will not exceed S775,000. .0O0-an amount that is below that of two for mer crops, although above the aver age of the preceding five years
 Cotton Crop
 There Is no crop that this country produces that excites such world wide interest as cotton, for the reason that the crop of the United States is about three ffths of the worlds production, contributes two thirds of the worlds exports, and has fiber of a sort that has no direct competition in other countries.
 A low production of 100000 tons of hay is far below the five year aver age yield of 63,500,000 tons, and was exceeded by the crop of 1894 and eY- cry year since 1888. Notwithstanding the low production the price has not correspondingly advanced for the req sons, probably, that there was good
 
 farms have great deal of roughage 10 take the place of hay. The value of hay is placed at a little less than $70G,- GOO GOO, and this is $50.0O0,000 more than the estimated value of the cotton lint produced this year and $1000 900 more than the value of the wheat crop.
 Wheat is the crop fourth in order of value and is worth 00.000,000. The estimate of the department places the production at 656,000,0 900 bushels an | amount that would have been much ex- ceeded had weather conditions been ia vorable.
 1 This country produced one-fifth ot the worlds wheat crop during the las. | five years and contributed about one | eighth of the worlds exports. The yield of the oats crop is esti- mated to be S74,000,000 bushels, a low amount caused by adverse weather. lis value is placed at $3S0,000,0 900, or pei l cent more than the five year average About one-fourth of the worlds oats l is grown in this country
 The potato crop of 2s2,000,000 bushels 1 is about 90 per cent of the avera SC production, but the farm price has ia- creased to such an extent that the total value of the crop Is the highest of rec ord and amounts to $21S,O00,000. Barley is another crop deficient ir production. The 146,0o0,00o bushels arc F per cent below the five year average but the total value of the crop is about | S125, ,00O, ,0O0 and much above the record value of 1907.
 The tobacco crop is estimated to be about S0O0o0,O00 pounds, or per cen under the five year average, and to be worth about $76,00o,00O or 5.3 per cent under the five year average. The tobacco grown in this country during the last | ..-a ,Af1f of tIe T 1s,