Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1917-09-15
NAMES CROP
Present Some Rather
Astonishing Figures
Her Grain in 1916 Totalled in valua-
ton $500, 900, While Her Corn Was
Worth S7es,ooo and 6uekwheat s3,s..
ooo-Even Her Barley Brought $780,
900 to Her Farmers.

a grain crop in 1915, the total valua-
ton of which was s5,601, 900, Maine is
entitled to some consideration as a
cereal producing territory. These are
the figures of the national department
of agriculture, so must be correct.
But the significant fact is that if other
grain growing states had developed the
science of intensive farming and get
ting the most out of an acre of culti-
waited land that it can grow. as has
Maine, the chances are that it would
have been unnecessary for Congress
to have established minimum price
of So per bushel on wheat after this
year; likewise there Is great question
as to whether Mr.. Hoover would have
been called upon TO make the official
price of 1917 wheat s9.17.
To those who have never seen the
figures that may sound a wee bit far
fetched. They think of the stories of
enormous grain production of West
ern states and say: why it can't be
true" 1t is true. This is on the say
so of the best authority in the world,
as previously cited.
The reason for this statement is the
fact that the average production per
acre in Maine is in most grains higher
than that of any other state, while in
all it is one of the highest avera ges
Take the matter Of wheat. for illus
tration. With total acreage 5000
devoted to wheat in 1915, the State
produced a total crop of $4,000, with
an average yield of 27 bushels per acre
Kansas. the biggest producer of wheat
in ntrxy
acres and harvested, in round mum =
bers, 9S,000,000 bushels of grain. This
was an average of II bushels per acre.
Had her farmers been able to equal the
acreage production of Maine of 27
bushels to the acre Kansas in 1916
would have furnished the world 210,-
$4,000 bushels or more than twice
what she did.
But that isn't all. The price which
the Maine farmer received for his crop
in 1916 was, average. s1.S7 per bushel
whereas the Kansas farmer got only
$1.64 per bushel for his crop. But one
state in the country got a larger price
per bushel for its wheat than Maine
and. oddly enough, that was not one OF
the Western wheat growing state, but
South Carolina, where the farm price
was $3.50. Names average Yield OF
wheat for the past 10 years has been
PSI bushels per acre and the average
price S1.l4.
In the great production of Maine
oats rank first. Last year their total
farm value was 100000. The total
acreage of the State was 10000 as
against 1880 in 1915. AS a natural
hA
, that the total production was buts6.
10000 bushels, whereas in the
previous year it topped the seven mil
lion bushels figure. But oats were
worth much more IN 1915 than, in rs
so that the farmers received that wear
as said. s4,100,000. as against $3.50 0OC
! in 1915, an increase of $950OO0. Here
again was the State up among the
singers In the matter of high produc-
ton. The average was So bushels tc
the acre. which was exceeded by bit
10 states. The Maine oat growers re-
ceived 81 cents a bushel, whereas this
was equaled or exceeded by but sever
other states
Corn Is always a reliable Maine
product. No doubt the average Maine
man figures that 1t is the most yalu
, able grain crop the State produces. vet
1t falls below oats. In the matter O,
corn in 1916 the acreage as with oats
fell off from 1916. being but $4,000
| acres, decrease of a thousand. The
production fell off 1900 bushels te
! 645, 900, but the value to farmers was
I $76S,000. jump of $4,000 over the
amount they received for their 1917
corn.
Here. too. Maine farms had a fine
yield, the average for the year being
AZ bushels per acre, which was ex-
ceeded by but one state. New Hamp.
shire, and equaled by but two, Con
necticut and Vermont, so that New
England holds the championship SC
far as Intensive farming in corn goes
1t will probably cause much surprise
to many to know that Names third
grain crop is buckwheat but such I,
is and her production per acre is the
largest in ehe country and the average
price per bushel to the farmers is the
greatest of the nation Last wear or
$4,000 acres the State produced 1885,
900 bushels and her farmers received
for 1t the modest sum OF $4,000.
The same year Maine grew barley or
5000 acres and harvested a crop OF
$4,000 bushels, worth to the farmers