The Oskaloosa herald., 1917-07-19
IOWA on THE JOB
IN FOOD CRISIS
CROPS THIS YEAR SHOW LARGE
INCREASE OVER ANY YEAR.
WILL BE. MeBTH .ss7;7s5oo,ooo
An Increase of $4,000, 900 over Lasy
Year and of $500, 2S2, 900
over Average of the
Last Ten Years.

Ames, Iowa, July Iowa Is on
the job in the present food crisis and
Is producing and conserving as never
before. So affirm men who are in
close touch with the food production
situation in Iowa.
G. M. Chapel, state crop reporter
and the field men of the agricultural
extension department at Iowa State
college say that Iowa's crops this
year win show large increase over
she has ever produced if
favorable weather conditions prevail
from now until the crops have ma
tured. Figuring prices conserva.
lively as the same as last year, Iowa
promises to produce crops worth
$677, 500, 900 this year or an increase
.of $80,000,000 over last year and of
1904 $4,000 over the average for the
last ten years. This takes no ac-
count of the value of the livestock,
dairy, poultry and honey production
of the state.
. Add to this some 100000 quarts
of canned stuff worth $10,000,000 as
the, bit donated by Iowa housewives
which is really a war food contribu.
tion since 1t releases other food for
export and this gives a fair idea Of
Iowa food production activity.
Iowas largest increaSes this year
will come in corn, oats. potatoes and
eyay lon
weather conditions she should pro-
duce 400,000,00O bushels of corn or
an increase of $4,000 bushels over
last year, 2OO.OOO,OOO bushels of oats
and 100000 bushels of potatoes.
There will be decrease in winter
wheat. hay and alfalfa crops.
The acreage of corn planted this
year is 10,242,000 or 1,04S,000 more
than last. The condition is 2 per
cent higher than last, so with good
weather a. 4O0,0OO,O0O bushel crop is
really assured. 's #
Conditions and prospects are favor
able for bumper crop of oats Rust
is practically absent this year, say
Ames authorities. With an in
creased acreage of 169, 900 acres this
means at least 100000, 900 bushel
oat crop or an increase of 10000, 900
bushels over last year.
Probably one of the largest in.
creases will come in the potato and
garden crops. Reports give the, 20
tato crop 8 per cent margin in quail.
tty and an 1900 acre increase over
last years crop. A 100000 bushel
crop then is almost assured or a g..
100000 bushel increase over last
year. ....
Reports received at Iowa State col
lege indicate 800 per cent increase
in garden acreage in Iowa this year.
Forty thousand persons in the three
groups of Volunteer food producers,
boys and girls clubs and high schools
have planted gardens this year. This
represents but a small fraction of the
gardens planted in the state. OF the
total 10000 are enrolled in club
work, 1900 as volunteer food pro-
ducers and $4,000 represent garden
ers from about half the high schools
of the state. The positive indication
of 800 per cent increase lies in the
fact that about 5000 of the 1000
boys and girls in club work are plant
ing a garden for the first time; prac.
tically every one of the 1000 food
volunteers are garden beginners and
$1,000 of the $4,000 high school stu,
dents. have never had a garden be-
fore. .....
Iowa is literally sprinkled with
top notch gardens this year." says r.
X. Bliss. head of the agricultural ex-
tension department at Iowa State
college, who has recently made many
trips in and out of the state. "In no
state have + seen gardens to com
pare in number and quality as have
seen in Iowa." he says.
Des Moines authorities estimate
that there is 400 per cent increase
in garden acreage Of that city alone.
In FIT. Dodge 500 gardens are being
cultivated By school children alone.
VIA OguOu lC" SllOo CICIlCu
summer, Iowa farmers will put up at
least billion additional pounds of
silage. Practically 80, per cent of
the livestock feeding value of the
corn crop is wasted when the stalks
are left in the field, which means
that one-third of the billion pounds
represent absolute gain. The total
of 5000 silos in the state will con-
serve 100000 tons of silage worth
perhaps $15,O0O.OOO and enough to
carry million head of beef cattle
through To-day feeding period.
With favorable weather continu-
ing, interested crops are, also in sight
for spring wheat, rye, flax and fruit.
There will be heavy crop of sum-
mer and. fall apples and about a nor
NAL crop of winter apples, extension
men say. AS whole, the fruit crop
at present stands in condition / per
cent better than last year. The
apple crop shows 90 per cent better