Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-12-16
STATISTICS ON
THE CORN CROP
CENSUS BOARD SHOWS coMPAR
"a lsoN OF CONDITIONS FROM
1899 TO 1909. T.. =
IOWA RANKS SECOND
illinois Maintained Lead in Decade
With Kansas Third; These Three
States Have one-fovrth OF
= the Total Crop.

Washington, D. c.. Dec. 15.-Statis
tics relative to the corn crop for tht
United States, collected at the thir
teenth decennial census, April Is, 1917
are contained in an official statement
issued today by. Director Durand, o.
the bureau Of census, department o.
commerce and labor. It is based or
tabular summaries prepared undel
the direction of DR.. LeGrand Powers
chief statistician for agriculture In
the census bureau. .--
The statistics presented cover acre
age, production, and value for the
crop year 1909 as compared with 1893
General Summary the United States
The area of corn harvested increas'
ed from 94,913,673 acres in 1899 to
98,3s3,033 acres in 1909, a gain of 81
4e9,360 acres, or 81 per cent. Not
withstanding this expansion in acre
age, there was a decrease in produc-
ton, which fell from 2,666,324 900
bushels in 1899 to 2,552,190,000 bushels
in 1909, q decrease of over 100, 100000
bushels, or 4.3 per cent. The average
j production per acre, doubtless by rea-
son of temporary weather conditions,
fell from .2S.1. bushels to 25.9 bushels.
On the other hand, the value Of corn
: crop increased enormously, from
1928, 1872, 900 to $1,43S,554,000, a gain OF
over $500, 100000 or 1877 per cent The
average value of corn per bushel thus
advanced from 81 cents to over 56
cents, or about 80 per cent.
The increase in the acreage of corn
from 1899 to 1909 was very much less
than in either of the two preceding
decades. The area in corn rose from
62.36S,5O4 acres in 1879 to 72,OS7, 752
acres in 1889, to 94,913,673 acres In
1899. and to 1888, O33 acres in 1909.
The corn acreage in 1909 exceeded
that of 1879 by about So per cent, |
whereas the population Of the country
during the same period increased q
little over 80 per cent. The produc-
ton of corn in 1879 was ,754,692, 900
bushels as compared with 1852, $780,
600 bushels in 1909. g." =,
Distribution of Acreage.
OF the total 9S,3S3,0 acres in
corn in 1909 the two north central
divisions contained nearly three-fifths,
21,91O,559 acres lying in the eastern
section and 35,945,297 acres lying inl
The western section. About one-fourth
Of the area planted in corn is found
In the two south central divisions;
the south central states lying east
Of the Mississippi river having an
acreage Of 11,s2s.2es and those lying
west Of the Mississippi river having an
acreage of 14,912,O67 There is also
acreage, 11,3S6,9S4, in the
south Atlantic division, while the four
remaining divisions England,
middle Atlantic, Mountain and Paci-
fic-aggregate only 2,S99,S5S acres.
Production by Divisions.
OF the total productionsof corn In
1909, ,552, 1s9,6SO bushels, the west
north central division, consisting OF
Iowa, Missouri, North and
South Dakota, Nebraska and Kansas,
contributed nearly one billion bushels.
and, together with the east north cen
trail division, produced 1,S41 ,657, 1882
bushels, or nearly three-quarters OF
the crop of the United States. This
latter division consists Of Ohio, Ind
lana, Illinois, Michigan and Wiscon-
sin. ..'