The Washington herald., 1918-01-29
CORN is KING,
: ASPECT SAID
Holland Shows How Maize
HAS Outstripped Cotton
in Crop Value.

= In the early years of the war be-
IWeen the States much popularity
Eas secured throughout the North
tor something which was called q
Poem.
: Its only justification of that de-
scription was found in the fact that
It's meter was correct. its grammar
.good. and its rhymes not over
strained. 1t was appropriate, how
ever. for the time. for the writer
or the poem. so-called. attempted to
show that the prestige which cot
fpn had for years maintained as a
sprince among the American crops
was lost and corn had captured that
distinction.
The poet asserted that corn had
-secome king. He read the poem in
many parts OF the North. and IT was
S=ef such length as to occupy the best
part of an hour in the delivery OF it.
There was. however. nothing but
war time sentiment attached to 1t
and many persons were confident
Ihat when the war was ended and
.agricultural activity restored, cot
Ton again would secure its prestige
as prince among the American
crops.
= Now. the Department of Agriculture
ut Washington. officially designates
-sorn as king Of the American crops
both with respect to the money value
of the harvest and also the quantity
OF It, Indian corn has passed cotton,
although 1t should be said that no
small part of this prestige. recently
gained. is due to the activities of the
farmers of the South, who have in
fecent years been able to cultivate
great harvests of Indian corn and
who in the future will undoubtedly in
Srease those harveSts. In fact, 1t was
-the Southern harvest in 1917 which
made IL possible to make good the
falling or in the corn harvest in some
parts of the far West: a falling OF
N hieh was due to climatic conditions
Ii all of the money which was re-
ceived for the corn harvest of 1871 had
been set aside for the purpose of aid
ing in the sale OF the second liberty
bonds the amount would have been
almost sufficient to equal the entire
subscription. The Department of Agri-
culture at Washington reports that
the value of the corn harvest of 1911
had been set aside for the purpose
Of aiding in the sale Of the second
liberty bonds the amount would have
been almost sufficient to equal the
entire subscription. The Department
of Agriculture at Washington reports
that the value of the corn harvest Of
1917 was a little over $4,000. 600. 900.
There is probably no harvest in the
= world that yields as great an amount
of money as this.
In the Northwest.
- Had it not been for unfayorable
Climatic conditions in the Northwest
the probability is that the money
q value of the corn harvest Of 1917
g would have been approximately ST.
59o.O0O.OO0 The magnitude of the Amer
lean agricultural industry, represented
by dollars. Is something which in times
j. Of peace would undoubtedly concen-
trSte the attention of men of finance
and industry in every one of the great
nations Of the world. The harvests
show that this is a billion dollar
country in more senses than one. For
- me cotton harvest was a billion and
half in money terms. the wheat
la vest 81 zee coo eco the hay harvest a
little over $1,000. 00o. 900. Here then are
. Tjyse products of the soil in the United
= + ees .ecch one. Of which brought new
lth TO the country in excess Of
sl.C0O,CC0.O0O and one OF them new
wealth in excess of $4,000. 10000
Cotton and Hay.
q T,,c cotton industry has always pos
E-5Ci scng thing of a romantic or SEN
4 rental interest. and the cultivation
% Gotten has been since Slater esta5-