Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1916-03-10
ovERPRoDUcTIoN NOT LIKELY.
Little Danger Of Producing Too Much
Corn For Consumption.

Little Danger Of Producing Too Much
Corn For Consumption.
! A study Of statistics, together with
a careful consideration of the lessons
furnished by the past, warrants the
assumption, that there is no likelihood
Of an Misrepresentation of corn in the
near future, says Greater Iowa, a
booster magazine. At least not until
the average acre yield has been boosted
to a. much higher figure.
According to government figures
! December estimate, this country pro-
duced 1854, 900 bushels of corn in
1915, a sum so staggering in it's i'm
mensity that 1t battles the mind of the
layman. The average yield per acre
for the year is given as 2S.2 bushels.
bumper crop indeed, but not rec
ord breaker. In 1912 the total pro-
duction Of the country was S,124,746, 900
bushels, which Is the high mark to
date, with last years crop running 1t
a close second for honors. The averz
age yield per acre in 1912 was 1912
bushels.
What becomes OF all this corn
There has been so much said and
written anent the ability of this coun-
try to feed the world" that it is en-
tirely possible many people entertain
the idea that a large portion Of Uncle
Sans annual, corn crop Is distributed
among the various hungry nations of
the globe. Not SO. Practically the en-
tire crop, stupendous tho it is, is con-
sumed in our own country-we eat it
ourselves. '-
In 1912, the year of the record
breaking crop, 50.7So,Oo0 bushels were
exported, which was only about one
and six-tenths of the crop, or about a
bushel and half of each hundred.
In 1913. with a total production of
2,446,9sS,000 bushels, the amount sold
for export was 10,725,0G0 bushels. or
four-tenths of 1 per cent Of the whole,
an amount a'r-o- - insignificant for
consideration when compared to the
total yield, ~. g..
Now, listen. The population of this
country is growing~at the rate of more
than 100000 souls each year. Mean
while the annual corn, crop is running
about the same as it did ten years ago,
varying slightly from year to year
according to weather conditions But
get this fact: The average yield per
acre is not growing to any appreciable
The average yield for the last ten
years Is 27.7 bushels. For the ten
year period previous, 1895 to 1906, the
average was 26.3.| While the yield
seems to be climbing to a higher notch
the growth is exceedingly deliberate
and not at all in harmony with the
growth in population. .-a1 -
4 Another thing. 1t is safe to assume
that the country is very close to the
high mark in the matter of acreage.
Twenty years ago, when there was
still a considerable amount of un7
tanned land in the middle west, the
total number Of acres dedicated to
the corn planter was right at 80, 600, 900.
with the opening of new government
lands and the final settling up of the
states west Of the Missouri river the
average acre yield. rather than of more
dred-million mark, beyond which the
growth must Of necessity be slow, ssoT
the simple reason that very little land
suitable for corn growing remains of
the once linitless stretches of public
domain. Thus it will be seen that the
problem becomes one OF boosting the
average avre yield. rather than Of more
acres. With the rapid increase in pop