The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-09-25
WINTER PRICES ID
 BE MUCH HIGHER Practically All Crops Grown in U. s. Heavily Short
CORN CROP IS WORST
All Nations of Europe Facing Seri- ous Conditions on Account of Crop Shortage-Outlook for
 Consumer Gloomy

Washington, September 24-Higher prices for the winter of 1911-12 is the
 forecast of the officials of the depart
 ment of agriculture based upon the I knowledge of crop conditions already
 in hand. It is regarded by the statis-
 tcians of every bureau of the depart ment that the prices of foodstuffs gen. eraliy eor the coming winter will be even higher than those of the winter of 1oc9-l0. That those of last winter will be exceeded is already accepted. | The corn crop shortage, according to the latest figures will be not less than 400, 900. .000 bushels This is the chief item of Uncle Sams producing busi- ness.
 Corn Is the greaat fattener of meat producing animals, and the increase in the price of corn 1nust be felt di- rectly in the price of stock feed and in consequence in tho price of meats.
 The potato shortage is even more noticeable than the corn shortage, but so far as this country is concerned is not so seious in it's effect Last years potato crop was 3S9,00000O bush els This years will not exceed 252,- 900, 900 bushels. This would not be so serious a matter but for the shorta ge in the potato producing areas of north ern and western Europe Germany's potato crop-the most important po- tato crop of the world-threatens all most total failure. The normal pro- duction of potatoes in Germany is in the neighborhood of 1.5O0,000,000 bush els. This year sit will be scarcely 1,- 900, ,00o, 900 bushels. Conditions in France, Austria Hungary and Russia appear to be equally bad. The same conditions of d1 ought which exist in northern Europe and have made the potato crop a failure, have also render ed the best beet sugar crop failure. Already the price of sugar to the con- sumer has increased from 5k cents pound in July to 6.05 at present. Re ports from Austria Germany, Bohemia and the low countries indicate fail- ures. From Cuba comes an unsubstan- tiated report that there wiu.be short ago Of 300,000 tons.
 "1he conditions in Austria and Bo- Helnia cOnlu HDi worse Sdlu fToIeSSOT Daugherty. "The reports most recently received from that country give four as the condition of the sugar crop. This IS the worst ever known. The system Of marking the crop conditions in the Austrian empire is with one for 'ox- cellent' and five for very poor There is no possibility of estimating where this increase in the price of sugar will end"
 The oern crop, according to the agri- cultural departments stdtisticians, would not prove so serious if the hay crop cid not also promise 10 be short For the past 1e years the production of hay per acre has been LA tons. Last year 1t was only 1.33 tons. This year the best average promised is 1.09 tons. The total production in this country will not exceed 47,00O,000 tons as against G0,97S,000 tons last year.
 The wheat crop was good so also was the small rye crop. The Canadians have made q bumper crop of wheat, which. will compensate in some degree for other crop shortage here.
 The coming winter is bound to be a winter of advancing prices and prob- ably some new high sale records" say the governments statisticians. Tt must be a winter of economical hand ling of the supply of foodstuffs in hand and a season of careful attention to the end that waste be reduced to a minimum.