The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-08-01
REGIONS FOR SUN DRYING
FOR LIBERTY WHEAT HARVEST

A national plan for a great libertv wheat harvest in 1919 has been an nounced by the United States department of agriculture. Ameritan farmers are asked to SOW to winter wheat this fall not less thar 45,000,O00 acres-an increase of z per cent over last years sowing and the department suggests that an even greater area, approximately 47,500,o00 acres-an increase of more than F per |cent over last year-could be sown If conditions are especially favorable in all the states and would better meet the needs of the allied nations at war.
 From the smaller acreage harvest of 3S,0O0,0J0 bushels might be expected, 1t
 is estimated, and from the larger acreage 66l ,G00oC0, based upon an average yield of 15.7 bushels an acre and an abandon account of winter kill. The plan fixes definite acleages by states, and in q campaign to be launched immediately by
 the department and the state agricultlrdl colleges and leading farmers throughout the country, growers will be asked to make good their state quotas. The rec concentrations regarding the planting of spring wheat and other spring crops and regarding live stock will follow later.
 In some states where large in- crease of winter wheat acreage is sug- seSted, It Is planned correspondingly to reduce the spring wheat acreage. Win
 ter wheAt is safer crop and produces a larger gield per acre, so the exchange lis desirable in sections where this is prac- ticable. The unusual weather conditions of the last two years are responsible for the increased acreage of spring wheat this year in some sections where winter what usually is more extensively grown.
 In annouhcing it's wheat production programme the department considers the growing needs of this country and it's allies for this essential food. The last crop report forecast 1918 harvest of S90, ,930 3O0 bushels of winter and spring wheat.
 Although this forecast is gratifying, it is pointed out that the reserve supply or carry-over of wheat this year is prac tically exhausted and is the smallest on record. The need of building up reserves of wheat is evident. It is pointed out that although this country produced small wheat crop in 1917, the total exports of wheat in excess of imports incluc- ing flour in terms of wheat amounte: to approximately 100000 600 bushels for the year ending June 30, 1918. This is in comparison with 17S000,000 bushels ax- ported in 1917, 236, 00.000 bushels in 1918, and 3s1, ,0lG, ,004 bushels in 1915. It was only possible for the United States to ex- port wheat in large quantities in 1915 and 1916 because of the large wheat crops of 1912-13-14-15 which gave this country an accumulation of stocks on this grain The 1916 and 1917 crops both were smaier than any crops since 1911 and besides this. there was a greater demand for seed wheat and an increasing population.
 Moreover, it must be borne in mind, says the department, that the carry-over in all the 1O importing countries of Eu- rope was practically exhausted this year before the new harvest that the normal consumption requirements of the export ing countries are increasing with the growth of population instead of diminish ing. that some losses in storage and tran-