Evening star., 1920-04-04
REDUCED ACREAGE
IN WHEAT AND RYE
% Per Cent Less of Both
Crops Expected in
Harvest of 1920.

Harvest OF 19ZU.
| Copyright. 1920. by The Washington star.)
Reduction of % per cent in the
acreage OF winter wheat for the 1871
| harvest from the amount sown for
! the previous year is indicated In es-
| Inmates Of the Department of Agri-
! culture, the shortage amounting to
no less than 11.710.0oo acres. which
Is 1890 square miles, or an area
about the size Of New Hampshire and
Vermont. A reduction Of about the
same percentage is expected in the
rye acreage.
Startling as these figures may seem.
| the fact remains that the loss no
acreage stimulated by the war. and
that the harvesters next summer Will
cut 3S,770,000 acres Of winter wheat.
compared with 36.704,000 acres in
1918, 27,257.O00 in 1917 and 34.s29,oOO
! in 1916. The war crop" of 1919 COW
| cred 50,4S0.000 acres.
What is true of the winter grain
| crops will be true of the cereal crops
| planted or sown this spring. in the
opinion of Secretary Meredith Of the
Department of Agriculture. who,
while admitting that the shortage OF
present a serious problem, refuses
to believe that another year viii hnd
the nation with not enough bread
and bacon to supply it's needs.
Increased Food Crop Area.
The demand of a war-torn world
for food. combined with guaranteed
price for wheat, increased the food
81, 600, 900 acres last year. With the
winter grain fields reduced by 49,
100000 acres this year. 1t will be
possible for other crops to be cut
down 1s.500,000 acres before the sit
luation becomes abnormal. 1t is de-
such reduction Will be made. for. with
millions Of acres lying idle in Rus
sia, Germany and other countries
where internal strife is rampant. for
eign trade is sure to take a con
siderable share OF whatever TINS
Reports from hundreds Of field work
,ers lead Secretary Meredith to dis
credit all rumor to the enect tnat
American farmers have combined to
hold down production.
I'm no case have the farmers taken
concerted action to restrict crop acre
age or to curtail the food supply OF
the nation" said the Secretary. ASIDE
from the principle involved. he is loo
good q business man to 90 sueh u
thing. Farming is his livelihood and
he can prosper only In proportion 70
his Industry. Idle land Is idle capital
and that is something the farmer can
not afford"
One circumstance that 10 making the
farmers conservative. however, IN
planning their 1920 operations. Is the
very general feeling that prices OF an
within the next twelve months. the
farmer, representing more than ~
per cent Of the consuming puoiic'
would be very glad to see an AA-
round decrease on the cost OF nSns
but he fnds himself facing the possi-
bility Of raising high-priced crop TO
sell on q declining market
when a farmer in the corn belt ouys
n niow or a planter this spring ne
must pay a top-notch price for II. n
him a price that in some cases Is Al.
most prohibitive. his seed, his 1eee
and whatever else he may nave 70
purchase il quoted at q war-ume ns !.
ure. and to come out even on the year
operations he must sell his pleaucs Sore
for more than a peace-time he
next fall or winter. "a r
fsn..t.r That Haunts Farmers. q
Labor, or rather the lack OF 1t, Is the
snecter that haunts the farmer In MS
sieep those days. and 1t will have no
little influence on the nature OF crops
raised in different sections OF the
country, the tendency being to grow
whatever requires the least attention.
aubject. Of course. to climatic ana sou
Dor than corn. corn can pc grown
easier than cotton and tobacco re-
ouires more labor per acre tnan Al
most any other crop.
Much Of the labor that made pos
sibse a billion -bushel wheat crop last
nYOnOTIlOn
not going into the fields In 1sIo'
women, old and young. In many IN.
stancee accustom themselves to neld
labor for the first time. Men whose
incomes did not require them to 90
manual labor took hand for pa
This year tho emotional appeal" is
largely lacking and the business OF
farming will be left more to the farm-
TO counteract these influences is the
steady increase in the yield OF food
crops. due to numerous influences.
which Secretary Meredith recently
summed up in the following words:
Increase in Yield.
Notwithstanding the fact that we
have placed under cultivation great
deal Of new land. that we have taken
deserts and made farms out OF them.
there has been a gradual increase IN IN
the AVSEA8c yASA0 PC 49,
per cent since 1880. Corn. for exam
ple, has Increased 10 per cent; oats.
"a per cent: potatoes. S3 per cent. and
other field crops. 16 per cent. Better
methods, the introduction Of improved
machinery, the development and
planting Of larger producing varieties:
the elimination of plant diseases and
insect pests. are some of the factors
Giving this happy result. And yet
some ask whether the farmer is lying
down-whether he Is doing his part?"
One thing that should act as an in.
centive to the landholder to get all
possible out of it by using every acre
is theAhigh price at which farms have
sold i'll almost every agricultural COM
munits, during the last year. One
acre oil good corn or wheat land today
represents as much invested capital
as did several acres a few years ago.
Leaving It idle is much the same
proposition as letting expensive ma
chinery In q factory gather dust. or a
cargo vessel remain tied up at the
dock for q season. Which brings the
question back to the proposition of
Secretary Meredith that the farmer is
a business man and he is not going
out OF business.
Live Stock Markets.