The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-12-11
ALABAMA's CROPS


 F. W. Gist, field agent of the federal bureau of crop estimates. issues the following comments regarding farm conditions in Alabama for the week end ing December 6:
 The beginning of the twelfth month Hound considera proportion of the annual harvest yet incomplete, The weather continued favorable, but the scarcity of farm labor, and it's high price forced the farmer this season to accomplish all the harvest work pos sible for himself. The result is delay in gathering, which only good weather makes safe.
 A very considerable amount of cot ton remained in the field in the north ern counties, especially in the Tennes- see valley, some corn remained to be gathered: peanuts were not all picked: syrup-making was not completed, and the picking of velvet beans was only partially accomplished.
 Reports indicate that an unusually small proportion of the velvet bean acreage will be gathered for beans, and that the yield will be less than half ton per acre.
 Only enough soy beans will be picked for seeding purposes another year, and in fact the amount picked will not seed more than the acreage grown this sea son
 Cowpeas have not been expensiwefy picked. and the yield was disa appoint- ing.
 A larger crop of sugarcane syrup was made than usual, but the amount of sorghum syrup made was much less than heretofore.
 careful revision of acreage esti- mates indicate that the volume of pro- duction will have to be revised down ward in most crops except cotton.
 Information at hand points to a seri- ous situation regarding seed peanuts for another crop. Spanish peanuts were harvested unusually early in an at tempt to preserve the grades against rain damage. Very small yields of most excellent grades resulted. and also the acreage gathered was cut down to much below the proportion of the past two seasons As a consequence of the small supply the excellent grades. and the heavy demand for confectionery use, prices scared to new high levels. This has induced the producers to sell a very large proportion of the harvest ed crop. It is feared that already an insufficient amount remains for seed ing the next crop. and that farmers will be forced to either pay back high price for seed or forego the planting of what promises to be profitable acreage another year. Spanish peanuts for seed purposes have been shipped to the Carolinas and sold for s210 per ton. A larger proportion of the run ner type of nuts has been harvested than usual and these seed will prob ably be sufficiently available The SUI periority of the Alabama and Georgia nuts of Spanish varieties has been ac- knowledged by the trade and the de- mand will probably be good for an other season. About 8 per cent of last seasons crop of peanuts was used for seeding purposes. With the smaller production of this year, it is believed that at least IF per cent of the crop will be needed next season if a suff- cients acreage is planted to supply the demand Something of the same situation ex ists regarding cotton seed. An addi tonal danger is present that seed from the later pickings may be drawn upon for planting with consequent poor ger imitation.
 Little or no blowing has been done. even for grain seeding. Harvest work and unfavorable weather have combined to prevent farmers from en- gazing in this class of effort and very few fields have been broken.