Mount Vernon signal. (Mt. Vernon, Ky.) 18??-current, 1913-09-12
Crop Rer'1rt
Oh Kentucky

, ISSUED SEPTEMBE : IL, 1913.
The general condition OF crops
in Kentucky as of September Isl
is anything but ell ,ouraging. On
August 1t an estimate was made
by TIL various crop IepOr. erS in
the Stat vita thu nope That rain
would fall. Scat cred raj $ did
fall du,ilg the la,i"r p IT Of Aug
INST, but they either were not
sufficient or not soon enough to
make the first OF September esti-
mateof the crops even as high as
the estimate Of Aug Ist.
! Corn has dropped to condition
OF 81 / per GET, which means but
little more thar a h hf crop,
hurley tobacco still remains at 65
per cen. but dark tobacco ba S
dropped to "a condition Of 81 per
cent Alfalfa is 70 per cent. COW
peas "a pr cent ard soy beans
- per cent Of an average crop.
The spring sOwn cover shows an
average condition of 63 per cent.
The leguminous crops have held
their own better than any othep
crop during this drouth, Blue
grass is given at 60 per cent,
orchard grass "a; 81 per cent and
pastures as whole are very in
terior.
Live stock has suffered very
materially on account Of short
pastures and scarcity OF water.
The condition OF horses is given at
90 PEI cent, cattle 81 per cent,
hogs - per cent and sheep 81 per
cent The condition Of poultry
has likewise declined. Chickens
are given as 90 per cent, turkeys
so per cent and ducks s. per
cent.
All kinds of fruits have de-
Perforated. Apples are small,
many dropping from the trees,
and their condition is shown as 81
per cent, peaches "A per cent,
plums SIS per cent and pears SO
pc; cent. Garden conditions are
dePlQ:able, dropping to "a per
cent.
Abundant rain falls would not
help anything as FIR as this years
crcp is concerned. The corn
crop would grow worse Instead of
better should abundant rains fall
now; the same is true of tobacco.
The danger in the curing period
for corn ana for tobacco is in hay
ing an excessive amount of mOis-
ture. Rains now would only have
a tendency to spoil what is left
of these two crops. Moisture is
needed very badly for fall seed.
ing, ard would benefit next years
crop III this respect. Good rains
would improve fall pastures.
Water for stock is S.riOuS prob
lem in many localities and many
fires are reported as a result of the
dry weather. A match dropped
in pastures i'll the condition in
which they are at present Is al
most like dropping a spark in a
powder magazine. The water
supply in many towns in the State
has given out, and fire losses as a
result of the droulh are bound to
be great.
One hundred and fifteen esti-
mates of the cost of growing an
acre Of corn show an average esti-
mate of SIS %. Last months es-
innate of the cost of growing an
acre of wheat was SI0.17. 1t is
interesting to no;e that the gen
eral opinion is that it costs 50 79
more TO grow an acre Of corn than
an acre Of wheat. Last wear s
corn production in KENTUCKY was
30 1 bushels per acre Thu pres
ent report would indicate a yield
OF about - bushels per acre col
this year. Corn 10uid ave tC
bring about ~ c, hts per bushe,
on the average, based on this esii
mate of $685., to pay the actua,
cost of production.
!. w NEWM IAN,
Commissioner of Agriculture
The Carnival has been to town