The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-04-08
RECORD BREAKING. WINTER WHEAT
 CROP ESTIMATED
Yield May Exceed 551, ,OOO,, 900 Bushels, According to Government
 Figures

Washington, April IA record breaking winter wheat crop is in prospect this year, the department of agriculture esti- mating on conservative basis that the yield may exceed 55l, ,o0o,o0 bushels. The condition of the crop April was a56 per cent of normal or 11.5 per cent better than the average April l condition for che past 10 years.
 The area planted last autumn was 36 5a6,- oOO acres and with a comparatively good winter 1t is believed the percentage of acreage abandoned has been somewhat { less than s.6 per cent of the average aban- an unusually big acreage will be nar- vested if conditions continue favorable throughout the season.
 In statement today concerning the crop, the department said:
 The condition of winter wheat on April l, viz, 95.6 per cent of normal, is 1l5 per cent higher than the average of the pa st 10 years. The yield per acre in the same 10 years averaged 15 bushels: an in- crease of 11.5 per cent to this average would be 16.7 bushels.
 Acreage Estimated
 int dcItdBe pidHieu last 1dlf was eSti- mated at S6,5o6,000 acres percentage of 167 bushels applied to this acreage gives 6os, 65o,0o0 But there always Is some of the planted area abandoned before har- vest; the average of such abandonment in the past 10 years has been about 9.6 per cent of the area planted. If this average of abandonment be deducted from the estimated planted area, and 16.7 be applied to the remaining amount a pro- duction of about 661, ,o00,0o0 would be indi- cated.
 The wheat plant wintered unusually we'll and it is not to be expected that the l0-year average of abandonment has oc- cured this year. On the other hand a crop that is in very high condition on April l, as is the case this year, is mere susceptible to depreciation later in the season than a crop having a lower cor dition of Aprdil 1.
 "The final estimate of production of winter wehat in 1913 was 523,561, ,O00 bushels (the largest ever recorded), and in 1912 it was 399, ,919,0o0 bushels"
 as these institutions themselves are con cerned. Yet it is spoken of as almost in- credible that in the entire district which is made up of New England not one state chartered institution has applied for
 
 York district and the Philadelphia dis trict contain each only one state-c char tered institution which has made applica- ton for membership in the new system, and the official statement from Washing ton reports that in the entire country only 73 state-chartered institutions have sent in applications for membership. Some of these institutions may do tlNs later, but apparently state-chartered in- ora in the national banking sysem as were similar institutions immediately after the enactment of the first national banking and currency laws in the administration of President Lincoln.
 What the Reason Is
 There does prevail a suspicion tha t managers of state-chartered banking in stitutions look for special advantages which will result in enIarged business if they are not limited in sneir business by the operation of the national banking statute. One of the largest of state-bank- ing institutions in this city, after due consideration of the provisions of the new national banking law, come to the con- clusion that the institution would be better off if 1t operated exclusively under the authority of New York state. It's resources are very large, it's credit is very high and its officers have intimated to state banks, at least in New York state. that 1t would be prepared to give them just as good facilities as they could receive were the institution included in the membership of the national banking system. The suspicion is strong that the privelege which is to be accorded to the New York state banks of accepting com mercial paper will lead to a very large increase in business. It will make it pos- sible for the state banks profitably to utilize some portion of their credit with small labor and with small risk
 It may be that by and by when the new national banking organization is perfected and good test has been made of its provisions, the state-chartered institu- tions will be ready to make application for membership, although 1t should be re- ported that there Is considerable doubt in this city about the association of many of the state banks in the United States with this system. It was, however, ex- pected that larger number than B out of the total number of state bank ing institutions would ask permission to be associated with the national banking system