The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-12-21

Kansas farms products for 1917
were worth s5O7. 225.48S. or 131 mil
lion dollars more than the previous
high record of the state. In report
today ]. C. Mohler, secretary of the
state board of agriculture. not only
shows the states farm crops were
worth more than half billion dollars.
but he adds 1852. .664, ,8S3 for live stock.
bringing the states return to $685.
S90.371.
The state exceeded last years crop
valuations by more than 1856 million
dollars Live stock valuation are
more than 111a million above last
year, the record previous year. Re
turns are made in spite of a decided
slump in the states yield of the two
most important crops-Wheat and
corn.
BusheI Crop Was Poor.
First official figures were made
available by Mohler as to the Kansas
busheI crop yield The wheat crop,
considered in bushels. was one of the
poorest the state has known. Secre-
tary Mohler's reporters found but
41,479,464 bushels of 1917 wheat.
Last year the state produced SO mil
yield was 126 million bushels and in
, 1914 1t was 1S1 million bushels
nearly four and one-half times he
yield for this year
Corn yields totaled 1O6,166,517
bushels, as against 62I27191 bushels
last year But Mohler's correspond
ents reported only SIS per cent of the
corn crop marketable. The remain
inS Is per cent is soft or immature.
Kansas broke all records in the pro-
duction of oats The crop is reported
at 60,611, S49 bushels as against 29.-
ct he
highest since the Civil war
1 In spite of the slump in gross Yields
/ OF the two most important Kansas
! crops, the state is far ahead of any
former record as to cash returns.
This is the first year the state has been
in the half billion dollar class for crop
1 valuations.
| Report in DETAIL
Mothers report in detail is as fol-
lows:
The farm value of the agricultural prod
! ucts OF Kansas in 1917 amounted to the
| sum of 500, 1000. This is nearly S13I :
1 OOO,UOO more than the states next best
record, in 1911, and exceeds the values OF
stock on the farms is S352 G65 600. The
largest ever reported, exceeding the best
| prior year (1916j by 81, ga 600
Considering the state as a whole. the
| outstanding features of the years in
! ventory are; Disappointing yields of prin-
cipaI crops and the greatly Increased
| prices for all farm products Wheat was
far short of normal aggregate outpnt
/ Corn was below the states average in acre
! yield, and alfalfa and prairie hay were
under their standards of production
Wheat. however, brought $206 a bushel
/ or D cents more than the previous record
I year of 1854, and II cents more than last
I year The value of corn. given as 81 IL a
I busheI, is an increase of 30 cents over
/ last year. and ranks second highest, the
! average Of S1.a7 in 1864 only exceeding il
Prices of alfalfa and prairie hay are above
! those recorded by the board for any pre-
viz and h0r
in the past twelve months. and the values
! of livestock have never been reported sc
| high now
Farmers of Kansas, responding nobly
| to their country's call for maximum op,
! erations, devoted a larger area to crops
/ this year than at any previous time in this
! states history. The total acreage in fielt
| crops in Kansas in 1917 amounted to -
252 500 acres as against 21 .9S5 acres in
! 1916 and 19. .G6s acres in 1915. In fact
the more than % million acres reported
this year does not represent in full th'
area actually seeded, for the reason tha
| approximately 100000 acres Of land OF