The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-04-06

thousand tons compared with 241 thou sand tons in January and 150 thousand tons in February Of last year. Indus trial concerns and street car lines placed extensive rail orders during February, ard the rail mill capacity of the country is now booked up to the end of October Locomotives or dered in February numbered 463 com pared with 25S in January and only 47 purchased in February of last year. Of the locomotives ordered in Febru- ary, 23S are for foreign account.
 Pig iron production in February az gregated 30S7 thousand tons compared with S1S9 thousand tons in January and 1875 thousand tons in February of last year. The decrease in February pig iron output is due to the short month, the daily production having been well over 106 thousand tons compared with less than 103 thousand tons in Jan uary. There were 312 furances in blast on March 1 with 8 capacity of nearly 10S thousand tons of pig iron per day compared with 306 furnaces in blast a month previous with daily capacity of 106 thousand tons.
 NEW, HIGH RECORD
 The unified tonnage of the Steel corporation made q new high record on February 29 standing at that time
 
 1923 thousand tons month previous and 4345 thousand tons a year pre- vious. The former record point of S490 thousand tons was reached on Decem- Der 31 1906
 Shipments of coke from the. Councils vile district in the four weeks ending with February 26 totaled 47.417 cars comparcrd with shipments of 2S,463 cars for the entire month of 1'ebru ary last year. Production of coke in the four weeks reached total of 113S thousand tons compared with 1053 thousand tons in February. 1915. On March II out of 39,014 coke ovens, S44T were in blast compared with s. SS5 on February 5, as recorded in our last report.
 Stocks of corn on farms total l. pared With 100000 bushels a year ago or 34 per cent of the 1914 crop. Wheat on farms totals 242,000,000 bush : els or "A per cent of last year S crop compared with 153, ,000 bushels a year ago, which was F per cent of the 1914 crop. Oats on farms totals 591.- 00o,000 bushels or 30 per cent of last years crop compared with 319.000,OOe bushels a year ago, which was 8 per cent of the 1914 crop. Barley on farms totals 61,0O0,O00 bushels or 26 per cent of last years crop compared with 43,- O00,C0 bushels a year ago, which was 22 per cent of the 1Jf4 crop.
 Some spring blowing is under way even as far north as Alberta and soil conditions generally are up to aver age, the principal exception being in the southwest, where the ground is too dry foi. planting, much rain being needed in Texas and Oklahoma, partic- ularly before cotton can go in the ground. The winter wheat condition is below average and the acreage to be abandoned this year will probably be larger than it has been for many years. Lower grain prices win rule for this years crops but prices will remain high enough to show the growers req sonably good profits. The average price at all markets of all farm products on January 15 was 35.0S compared with 33.6S on January ). last year
 In the seven most impnttant manu- featuring lines a recent government re- port shows that wages have increased 30 per cent within a year and the mum Der of men employed has increased l. per cent. In the case of the steel in- dustry which is the most important of them all, S5 per cent more men are em-