The Washington times., 1920-08-10
GREAT CROPS TO
Lower LIVING COST
With Prediction Of Record.
Breaking Harvest, Officials
Say Prices Will Drop.


breakers. according 10 the official ss-
Inmates OF the crop condition as of
August 1. made public yesterday
afternoon by the Department Of Asri-
culture.
Spring wheat alone Of the principal
food crops failed to show an improve
ment over the July forecast.
A 3.oo0. 900. 600 -bushel corn crop for
country was forecast. Inssmuch as
August is the critical month for the
crop In the great corn belt OF the
Middle West. 1t is uncertain whether
the promise of a crop almost equal
TO the enormous ones OF 1912 and 1917
will be fulnlled. Improvement WAS
reported during July in the important
corn States, with the exception OF
Illinois. and as a result a. crop fore
cast 224, 600. 900 bushels larger than
that predicted July was issued.
LOWER PRICES PREDICTED.
The Immediate effect the report will
have on the high prices of foodstufrs
Is problematical, according to the ex-
perts of the department. but that
continue for some time Is their pre-
diction. That the prices will not
reach anything like pre-war levels.
however, also is assured, according to
the expert, because OF the world
shortage of foodstuffs and the demand
which Is certain to arise In other
countries. r'
The drop is not expected to be pre-
cipitate, because foodstuns prices
usually move upward and downward
more slowly than In the case Of other
commodities. the distance from pro-
duction to consumption being grea.-
than in the case of manufactured
products, and the price question al
ways being subjected to. more uncon-
trollable elements than those entering
into other price problems.
Spring wheat was adversely affected
during July, principally by rust. and
the prediction Of the forecast OF the
crop was reduced 10000. 900 bushels
from a month ago. or to a total Of
262 200. 900 bushels. The preliminary
estimate OF winter wheat production
was 100000 bushels larger than
forecast in July, making the combined
crop OF winter and spring wheat only
IA. .O0O, 900 bushels smaller than esti-
mated a month ago. The total Of 1885,
0O0. 900 bushels was predicted in to-
days report.
POTATOES NEAR RECORD.
There was improvement in the po-
tato crop. and indica tions are that the
crop will exceed 400. 900, 900 bushels
for the fourth time in the country's
history.
The tobacco crop. which has been
promising from the start. has shown
additional Improvement and probabil-
tiles are that ii will exceed the record
crop produced in 1918 by about 2O0-
100000 pounds. Total production is
forecast at 1.544, ,O0O. 900 pounds.
This result is in marked contrast
to predictions made earlier in the
year that the production would ap-
proach the, point where a shortage
for home consumption would be had
and that there would be practically no
exportable Surplus The result as
shown today assures of a plentitude
for home consumption and q con-
siderable surplus for export
COMPARISONS
The following comparisons with the
outlook on July 1 and with the fve-
year average are given by the crop
estimate divisjon:
The following figures show in or
der. in bushels, the August estimate,
the July estimate. and the 1s14-1s1s
average:
winter wheat. 5ss. 900. 900, SIS, 900. 900.
5ss,ooo. 600; spring wheat. 2S,,ooo:ooo, .s1.-
900: 900: $4,000, 900: corn s,ooa.ooo. 600
600. 900, 1.s2e. 900. 900. i.l15. 900. 900: white
potatoes. 4o2. 900. 900. 3ss. 900. 900, So. .ooo.
900: sweet potatoes. 101, ,o0o, 900, $500, 900,
10000; apples. $4,000, 900. 200, ,ooo. 900.
eos, 900 900.
Cotton. 1850. 900 bales lI.aoo, 900 bales,
! 2, 1000, 900 bales
other forecasts were: