Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1915-10-12
BILLIONS FROM
GRAIN RARvESTS
Most Valuable American Crops
Ever Grown.
CORN is STILL KING
But Wheat Yield viii Exceed a Bill
lion Bushels-Potatoes Badly
Injured BY Wet
Weather.

Washington. American harvests
this year win be the most valuable
ever produced With the wheat crop
exceeding a billion bushels, the largest
ever grown in one season by any
nation, and corn crop, which also
may prove to be the biggest ever
grown, the Governments October crop
report. just issued, announced pre-
| liminary estimates which indicate rec
ord harvests of oats, barley, rye, sweet
potatoes, rice, tobacco and hay.
Corn still is king of crops, with in
dications of 3,O26, $4,000 bushels.
While that is 9S,O00,0O0 bushels below
the record of 1912, the final produc-
ton, when the harvest is finished and
all statistics compiled, will more than
make up the difference. The higher
prices this year assured the most valu-
able corn crop ever grown. At prices
to farmers prevailing October l the
corn crop is worth s2,133 100000.
Wheat prospects improved as the
growing season progressed and the
Governments early season forecasts
moved up month by month, so that to-
days preliminary estimate of produc-
ton was placed at 1902, 029.000 bus
hels. Wet weather at harvest time,
however, reduced the quality of win
| ter wheat, SO that much of it will not
be available for milling purposes and
will have to be used for feed. At prices
I hx 1f
the crop is $910,s44 900, considerably
more than ever was paid for a wheat
crop before.
September weather was particularly
destructive to potatoes, causing re-
duction of 37,758, 900 bushels, or 10 per
| cent, in the forecast of production.
Tobacco also suffered from unfavor-
able conditions, which caused a de-
crease of 21,190,000 pounds in the pro-
duction forecast. Tobacco, however,
promises to exceed the record crop of
1909 by 100000 pounds.
Oats will exceed the record crop of
1912 by almost 1O0,O00,0 900 bushels
Barley will exceed its record by 49,
100000 bushels; sweet potatoes by s.
| 100000 bushels; rice by 100000 bus
hels, and hay by 100000 tons.
Last years potato crop was esti
mated at 406,00000 bushels, and the
average at the preceding five years
357,000.000. The crop is seriously af
fected by blight and rot generally in
the principal potato sections east of
the Mississippi river. Not only will
the crop be short, but the keeping
qualities probably poor.
THE barley crop, like the other
small-grain crops and wheat and oats,
has overrun early forecasts of produc-
ton and exceeds that of any previous
barley crop, the estimate being 237,-
100000 bushels, which compares with
last years estimate of 195,000.0 900 and
the average of the preceding five years
of 1S2,000,000 The quality is very
good for feeding purposes, being plump
and heavy, but much has been badly
stained by rains after harvest, reduc-
ing the quality for mailing.
THE apple crop forecast is 1882
600 barrels (three bushels), which is
$4,000 barrels larger than the Sep
TENDER l forecast, but 12,768,000 bar
refs less than last years estimate of
production. This estimate refers to
total farm production Census basis)
only portion of which represents the
so-called commercial crop.
Altogether, the season of 1915 has
been favorable for crop production"