The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1917-12-19
Biggest Acreage Ever
Sown in History of the
United States
BUT CONDITION Is
LOWEST ON RECORD
Forecast Shows Probable
Crop of Only 100000
600 Bushels
tBy Associated Press.)

&A9&@@Ae@&~N+
Washington, Dec. 19.-Winter
wheat this year, planted on the larg-
est acreage ever sown in the history
of the country, showed on Dec. 1 tho
lowest condition on record. "A fore
cast Of a. crop Of only 540,000,O00 bush
els was made today by the depart
ment Of agriculture. The final pro-
duction, however, viii be above or
below that quantity, according as
conditions hereafter are better or
worse than the average.
Winter wheat sown this fall for
next yearsG harvest aggregated A.
I70,0 900 acres and it's conditions on
Dec 1, was 1913 per cent of a normal.
The acreage is four per cent more
than the revised estimated area sown
in the fall of 1915.
The area sown to rye Is 6,119,O00
acres, which is 36.6 per cent more
than sown a year ago, and the condi-
tion of the crop on December was
S4.1 per cent of a normal.
Need More Wheat and Rye.
Increased sowings of winter wheat
and rye, throughout the country
were urged upon farmers by the de-
partment of agriculture in order to
supply the needs OF the co-belliger-
ents of the United States In the war.
This years short crop of wheat has
necessitated adoption of methods to
conserve the supply by having con-
sumers in the United States cut
down use of that cereal. The wheat
less days and the use of corn meal
as a substitute are measures food
administration officials are urging in
order to increase the quality of
wheat that may be sent abroad.
While last years sowings Of win
ter wheat were on the second larg-
est area ever planted to that cereal,
severe winter conditions caused an
abandonment of more than 81 per
cent of>the acreage. Last fall 40,-
$4,000 acres were planted to winter
wheat. Revised figures show that
the area harvested was only 1858
600 acres, a reduction of 12,SS1,00O
acres from the area planted. The
1915 sowings were on S9,20a.u00 acres
whiIe the harvested area that season
was 34,s29,000 acres.
a. zse F.a erRaqes
B4f creage was
4hs heayiests on recdfd The aver
age abandonnrent OF acreage due 70
winter conditions Is about 10 per
cent, the lowest abandonment In the
last fifteen years being 2.S per cent
in 1903 and the highest, excepting
last wear, was 20.1 per cent in 1912.
early growth of this years crop have
not been the best. Dry weather de-
layed termination of late sown seed
and i'm some sections prevented plow
ing and seeding. IL was one OF the
driest Novembers on record in Kan
sas, the principal winter wheat
growing state Rainfall during that
month was less than 25 per cent of
the normal from eastern Kansas
eastward across Iowa, northern
Missouri central and northern
Illinois, Indiana and Ohio which
states form the principal winter
wheat growing belt. The department
of agriculture, however. says the
yield of winter wheat is not deter
mined entirely by the rainfall during
the late summer and fall.
The condition of winter wheat on
Dec. / compares with S5.7 per cent
of a normal on that date last year,
S7.7 in 1915, and 1913 the ten-year
average.
The December / rye condition
compares with SS.S per cent Of a
normal on Dec. / last year, 91.5 in
1915 and 92.2 the ten-year average.