The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1915-12-31
1915 CROPS PASS
ALL old RECORDS
Value Of Farm Produce Reaches
Total Of S., ,56S, ,773,OOO.
INCREASES DUE TO THE WAR

American Farms Cover Greater Acre.
age Than Combined Area Of Germany
and Austria Hungary, or 4s6y57o
Square Miiss-vaIus Of Corn Crop
Greater Than Any Other Product.
The nations harvests this year have
surpassed any ever before recorded
The value of the principal farm crops.
based on prices paid to farmers Dec. 1,
was announced by the department of
agriculture in its final estimate as $5,-
I8S. 773. 600, making 1915 banner year
both in value and in production Of
crops.
The unusual situation Of extraordi-
nary production and high prices. prob
ably never before so pronounced, is
credited principally to the European
war.
With the price Of grain soaring as
the war progressed American farmers
began the season by planting greater
areas to grain. The acreage Of the
principal crops this year aggregated ap-
proximately 4S6.5T0 square miles. That
Is larger than the combined area of
Germany and Austria Hungary.
Second Largest Corn Crop.
Corn was planted ON 106, ,321 .OO0
acres, the second largest area ever
planted, and the harvest was 3O54, $685..
600 bushels. the second largest crop
sver grown. Its value was S1,755. .859..
900, exceeding that of the previous
most valuable corn crop by $33, ,OOO, 900
New records were made In produc.
ton by wheat. oats, barley. rye, sweet
potatoes. rice and hay, while tobacco
closely approached its production rec
ord, 1,103.415.O00 pounds. made In
1910. Each Of these crops in addition
established records as being the most
valuable ever grown. except in the
case Of barley and tobacco.
Production of the first billion bushel
wheat crop and the second 3.OOO!OOO,-
600 bushel corn crop were features OF
the year. Wheat acreage aggregated
SO, S93 900 acres, or 6.OOO.000 more than
ever before The yield was 1876
bushels an acre, the largest acre yield
for winter and spring wheat combined
ever attained in the United States
The final estimate of production was
1,011 ,505.O0O bushels. with a value OF
$3.50. .302O 600. The crop exceeded last
years. which was a record. by more
than 120.000.GO0 bushels and by $50.
100000 in value.
Big Tobacco Harvest.
Oats, rye. potatoes. sweet potatoes
and tobacco all were plante ION record
areas. Oats exceeded its record pro
duction of 1912 by 122. 100000 bushels
and its record value of 1914 by $56.-
100000. Barley production was b.,
record crop and was worth S4.000.OOO
more than the former most valuable
crop, grown in 1914. Rice passed the
1913 record by 3,2OO,OOO bushels and
its 1912 record value by S1,7OOOOO.
Sweet potatoes exceeded by 14.OO0,-
600 bushels the 1910 record and were
worth $3.1OO.O00 more than the 1919
value record. Hay showed l2.500.-
600 ton increase over the record crop
of 1912 and was worth $50. 500, 600
more than the value record made that
year. Tobacco. while growing on a
record acreage. was worth $26, ,000.OOO
Len than in the record value year.
The potato crop received perhaps the
most severe setback Of the year,
Farmers planted record acreage to
potatoes. but the outturn was only
359. 103. 900 bushels. That was 81. 1.5OO,-
600 bushels below the record year and
bO,S00,OOO less than last year. The
value of the crop. however. was $22..
100000 more than last year.