Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-11-14
FERTILE ACRES
JUMP IN STATE
Remarkable Showing Made by
Pennsylvania in Increasing
Its Yielding Fields


Pennsylvania fertile acres" in
creased approximately one per cent
a year in the last seven years accord
ing to a statement issued today by
the State Department of Agricul-
ture comparing reports on farm
acreage with the results of the CEN
sus taken in 1909. The increase in
acreage devoted to the five principal
grain crops in 1917 over 1903 Is
322,526, but the increase for the sew
en- main crops, which include pota-
toes and hay in addition to grain,
over 1909 is 517.116. There has
been an increase in acreage devoted
to the five cereals over 1916.
TIL statement says in part:
"The increased acreage during the
year has been marked in wheat. oats,
corn and buckwheat, while there is
a slight decrease in the rye acreage
as compared with year ago. The
increase in the five cereal crops is
2O9.159 acres over 1916 while there
has been a corresponding decrease
in pasture land of but 63,I acres.
1t would be the natural result for
the farmers to have turned their
fields that were used for pasture into
grain growing crops, but the acreage
figures show that many new acres
have been developed and that in
many sections fields that were for
merly covered with tree stumps and
underbrush have been cleared and
are now doing their share of bring
ing a greater agriculture to Pennsyl-
vania.
I'm 1916 there were 1,341,9 ,994
acres devoted to wheat growing
while this year the statistics of the
Pennsylvania Department OF Agricul-
ture show that the crop was harVes-
ted from 1,3S2,106 acres or an in
crease of 40, ,112 acres. in 1909 there
were 1,225,55S acres growing wheat
showing the increase in 1917 to be
156,54S acres.
"The corn acreage this year was
1,6OO,586 acres compared with l.
491,921 acres last year, an increase
of 1OS,665 acres. In 1909 there were
1,3SO,671 acres growing corn, show
ing an increased acreage at the pres
ent time of 219,915 acres. The oats
acreage for 1917 was 1,077,S61 COM
pared with 1,050,941 last year, gain
of 26,920 acres. In 1909 there were
1,144,248 acres devoted to oats and
this year shows a decrease OF $685.
acres Last year there were 77,144
acres>in buckwheat, but this year the
acreage is hal or an increase OF
369gS acres or almost Ia per cent.
In 1909 there were 292,72 acres in
buckwheat. Pennsylvania leads the
country as q buckwheat producing
state.
Rye Is the only cereal crop that
shows a decrease in acreage this year
over last year as well as over 1903.
There seems to be a general yearly
decline in the acreage of rye, al
though there are many sections OF
the state where 1t can be profitably
grown. This year the acreage was
263,59G as compared with 267, 1872
last year, a loss of $3.50 acres. In
1909 the acreage was 272,56O.
"The acreage from which hay was
harvested showed decrease over
last year, but by referring to the
1909 figures more evidence Is
brought to light of the increasing
number of fertile acres which are
being used on Pennsylvania farms.
In 1909 there were s,0SS,1O5 acres
devoted ta hay crops while this year
there were s,936,50a acres, This is
an increase of 148,46 acres, Last
year hay was harvested from $780,
349 acres. showing the decline this
year, owing to the increase in other
crops but 63,781 acres"