The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-12-16
Final Estimate, Exclusive of Animal Products, Gives
 Total S5,56S,773,OO0
GRAIN SCARS AS THE
 WAR PROGRESSES
Nations Grain Acreage Surpasses
 That of Germany, France, Bel gium, Holland and Den mark Combined

Washington, Dcember 15.-The na-
 tion's harvests this year have sur
 Nassed any ever before recorded The
 value of the principal farm crops
 based on prices paid to farmers De-
 cember 1, was announced today by the
 department of agriculture in its final
 estimate as s5.56s,77s,OoO, making 1915
 a banner year both in value and in pro-
 duction of crops.
 The unusual situation of extraordi- nary production and high prices prob-
 ably never before so pronounced is
 war.
 | With the price of grain soaring as
 the war progressed, American farm
 CTS began the season by planting great \ CT areas to grain. The acreage of the { principal crop this year aggregated
 approximately ssS,57o square miles. That is larger than the combined area of Germany, France, Belgium, Hol- < land Denmark and Switzerland Corn was planted on 10S,321,00o acres, the second largest area ever X planted, and the harvest was 3,054,535,- 900 bushels, the second largest crop ever grown. It's value was S1,755,S59.- 8 000 exceeding that of the previous { most valuable corn crop by S33,00O,00O.
 New records were made in produc- tion by wheat, oats, barley, rye, sweet potatoes, rice and hay, while tobacco closely approached it's production rec ord, 1,103,415,000 pounds, made in 1910. Each of these crops in addition estab- lished records as being the most val uable ever grown, except In the case of barley and tobacco.
 Production of the first billion bushel wheat crop and the second three bil- lion bushel corn crop were features or the year. Wheat acreage aggregated 5S,S9S, 900 acres or 6,000,000 more than ever before The yield was 16.9 bush els an acre, the largest acre yield for winter and spring wheat combined ever attained in this country. The final estimate of production was 1.011.- 50O,O00 bushels, with value of S93O,- 3O2, OOO The crop exceeded last years, which was a record. by more than 120,- ooo.oo bushels and by s50,ooo,o0o in value.
 Oats, rye, potatoes, sweet potatoes and tobacco all were planted on rec ord areas. Oats exceeded it's record production of 1912 by 122.000,000 bush : els and its record value of 1914 by s56. .000, 900. Barley production was lS,- 0O0, 900 bushels more than the 1912 rec ord crop and was worth s4,000,o00 more than the former most valuable crop. grown in 1914. Rice passed the lsl3 record by s,200, ,000 bushels and its 1912 record value by $1,700,000.
 Sweet potatoes exceeded by 14,ooo,ooo bushels the 1910 record and were worth
 ss.1oo,00O more than the 1913 value record. Hay showed a 12,5o0,oo0 ton
 increase over the record crop of lsl2
 and was worth $55,eoo,0oo more than the value record made that year. To- hacco while growing on record acreage. was worth $260oo,000 less
 than in the record value year.
 The potato crop received perhaps the
 most severe setback of the year. Farm
 ars planted a record acreage to po-
 tatoes but the outturn was only S5s,.
 1o3. 900 bushels That was 61,50o,ooo
 bushels below the record year ana 9o'-
 S00. 900 less than last year. The vaiue
 of the crop, however. was $22'oVo'ooo
 more than last year