The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1919-11-13

Preliminary estimates Of production for
the principal food and feed crops of
Alabama have been made by the Alabama
Cooperative crop reporting service, COM
phising the Alabama division of the fed
eral bureau of crop estimates and the
markets division of the state department
| of agriculture working in cooperation,
and the figures as confirmed by the fed
eral crop reporting board sitting in Wash
lington on November are issued from the
office of the Alabama service The sub
jects included in this report are corn,
peanuts sweet potatoes, irish potatoes
sorghum syrup and cowpeas. and the ag-
ricultural crop of apples is also estimated.
Corn-The total crop of corn grown
and gathered in Alabama is estimated
to be IS 375,o00 bushels, which compares
with total gathered crop last year of
/ 81 46t. 900 bushels. The acreage grown to
corn in the state this year was 45l5. 1850,
of which 2 per cent, or 10000 acres, were
reported to have been cut for silage. leav-
ing gathered acreage of 4425,0N COM
pared with last year acreage of 1885, 900
The average acre yield for the state this
year is estimated to he IS bushels, COM
pairing with an average last year of AS
bushels. indicating a slightly better crop
for the current season.
While no estimates by counties will he
vidual farm reports have been compiled,
it may be stated that the preliminary re-
ports indicate that the northern counties,
including the mineral section, the Ten
nessee valley and the northwestern and
! northeastern sections, have averaged
about II bushels per acre, or a somewhat
disappointing yield This is thought to
he due chiefly to the unfavorable wealth
err of the early growing season, which
prevented proper cultivation of corn, and
also to the lack of albor during the
growing season. The yield in the black
belt counties was very disappointing for
much the same reasons, the heavy rains
having prevented cultivation. as well as
| having caused more or less damage from
lack of aeration in the soil The yield
in the nine counties comprising the east
central section was only about Is BUSH
els, ranging from bushels in Russell to
III in Talladega, heavy rains and lack
of both cultivation and fertilization being
probably charged Bile with the low yield
In some of the southern counties the
yield was about up to the average, the
extreme southwest showing excellent
yields, with Coffee and Henry in the
southeast fully up to the average, while
Barbour and Bullock show marked re-
suits of unfavorable seasons and lack of
cultivation and soil fertility.
A corn crop of 66.00O,OoO bushels is not
state, although it win be sufficient for
farm requirements with careful distribu-
ton and consumption. Some counties will
have a small surplus, while most of them
will have enough to supply their own
farms for the coming season. The non
producing portion of the states popula-
ton will probably have to depend upon
importation for its supply to a large ex-
tent.
The per cent estimated as having
been cut for siiage produced, according
to preliminary reports, about 243,So0 tons
of feed 1t is not thought that this vol
ume was actually put into silos, but that
it includes a considerable amount OF
roughage cut for food in original form
1t is also estimated that IS per cent
of last years com crop still remained or
! farms on November l. This would be
equivalent to 1851 600 bushels. Adding this
to the crop of the current season, the
aggregate supply seems to be equivalen
at least to farm needs and some to spare
1t is estimated that the farms of Ala
bama consumed last season about %,
OIL 600 bushels of corn. With the sam,
consumption for the coming season there
should be about 3,7l5,000 bushels of surplus
to sell off the farms This will, of course
depend upon the needs of the farms
I, which in turn depend upon the supply
Of other feed crops 1t is quite possible
that the shortage of peanuts will make
necessary a larger use of corn for hos
feed if the production of pork is kept vi
to the standard set by Alabama the last
two years.
Peanuts-The average acre yield of pea
nuts for the current crop is estimated
at 81 bushels, which compares with pre-
liminary estimate last year of 20 bushels
and final estimate for the 1918 crop OF
&c bushels. The acreage planted this
year for harvest was estimated at $50 00oo