Elbert County tribune and Elbert County banner., 1920-12-31
COLORADO'S CROP
REPORT FOR 1920
State Crop Service Bulletin Shows
Greatest Production in His
tory Of State.

dvation, according to compilations
made by the State Cooperative Crop
Reporting Service from the reports of
county assessors, was 5,635, ,339 acres,
compared with 5.65o,951 acres in 1913.
The total farm output for the season
just ended far exceeds that for the pre-
cedIng season. One example will IL
| lustrate this. The area devoted to
wheat in the state in 1920 was 1,471, PAP
acres, compared with 1,524,594 acres
the preceding year. The 1920 output,
however, was 27,11T 600 bushels, COM
! pared with only 1S,435,000 acres in
1919.
But the value of the 1920 crop was
more than S30,0OO,O00 less than that
/ of the 1919 crop, the result of a very
sharp falling off In the prices of all
I farm crops since harvest time. The
value of all Colorado crops, including
fruits, for 1920, based upon prices pre-
vailing on or about Dec. 1, was $751;.
553,934 compared with S199,947 900 for
the 1919 crop at prices prevailing on or
about Dec. that year. While the
1920 wheat crop was more than 9.000,-
600 bushels greater than that of 1919,
its value was only S36, COS, 600, com
pared with a value of $37 ,240. 900 for
the 1919 crop. The 1920 potato crop
was only about 100000 bushels less
than the 1919 crop, but the value of
the former at prices prevailing on Dec.
was only SS895,000 compared with
value of S1S,ST0,O00 for the crop OF
the preceding year.
Yet the value of the 1920 farm out
put was greater than that for any pre-
vious year except 1910. The 1918 crop
was sold at war prices, but its total
value was only about S151, ,00O, 900,
while the 1918 crop, which was mar
keted before the World war began,
was worth considerably less than half
as much as that of 1920.
Wheat was Colorado's leading crop
In 1920 both In acreage and value.
Most of this crop is winter wheat, the
area devoted to the winter grain show
Ing rather substantial Increases each
year, while the acreage of spring
wheat remains about stationary. Win
ter wheat Is grown chiefly without ir-
rigation, while the reports of county
assessors to the State Immigration De-
partment show that about 80 per cent
of the spring wheat irrigated.
Corn is the second crop in the state
In acreage and fourth In value. Re
ports of assessors show l 1,203, 702 acres
devoted to corn in 1920, of which 20
per cent was harvested for grain and
the remainder cut for silage or fodder
or fed in the field. The total value of
the crop was little in excess of $780,
100000, of which $12,21O,000 was the
value of the grain harvested. This crop
is growing rapidly in popularity in the
state, the corn area as reported by the
census bureau in 1909 going only ABOUT
$4,000 acres. 1t is grown chiefly in
the eastern part of the state, Yuma
county being the leader, with about
12S,O00 acres.
Alfalfa is the third crop in the state
In both acreage and value. Reports of
assessors showed about 724,O00 acres
devoted to alfalfa in Colorado in 1920,
and the production was 2,173,o0O tons.
This was worth at prices prevailing on
Dec. / about S26,000000. The total
area devoted to tame hay is about l.,
100000 acres, other varieties being
timothy, red clover, timothy and clover
mixed, sweet clover, millet, sudan
grass, field peas, other tame grasses
and grains cut green, chiefly rye, oats
and barley. The total production of
tame hay in the state in 1920 was about
2,S03, 900 tons, worth approximately
S33, 637 900. There Is also about 254,-
900 acres devoted to Wild hay. with
production of 294 900 tons, worth about
$4,115,500.
Sugar beets Is the second crop in
| l.. k..lss To-
age. Reports of the sugar companies.
operating In the state. show that about
221, 500 acres of sugar bcets were har-
vested in Colorado in 1920, producing
2,369, ,907 tons, worth to the farmers
S27, ,135, ,135. This crop is grown almost
exclusively under irrigation and has
proved to be one of the most remuner-
ative crops grown in Colorado. Re
ports of sugar companies indicate that
the average price paid farmers per ton
for their beets In the state in 1920 was
S11.45.
The potato crop was fifth in value
among the states crops in 1920, rank
ing next below corn. Last year, how
ever, 1t was fourth In value, surprising
corn by about S2,00O,00O and ranking
only slightly below sugar beets. 1t
comes far down the list In acreage, be-
ing surpassed by oats, barley, rye,
grain, sorghums and wild hay.
The sorghums rank fourth in acre
age in 1920, with a total of about 49,
900 acres, consisting of 29S,720 acres
of grain sorghums, 112,79S acres of
sweet sorghums and 23,329 acres of su-
dan grass. The total value of all
sorghums for 1920 was above sS,o00,-
600.