The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1922-04-14
WHEAT CONDITION
GIVEN BY EXPERT
WINTER GRAIN ESTIMATE
BY PAUL n. KIRKE
Eighty-SeveE Per Cent OF Nor
NAL; Increase IN Number Of
Brood Sows Reported From
Almost Every County In Min
nesota; Government Estimate
On Crop Prospects.

st. Paul, Minnesota, A1Tii le.-
Acco. ding to the report CT eau IA.
Kirk. statisician for tie Minnesota
Cooperative crop reporting service.
United States Erreah CT markets
and Crop Estimates and toe Mime
sofa state department OF agneil-
ture, the condition OF winter wheat
and rye il Minnesota is very salts
] factory, and the NUMBER OF orocj
sows on hand April shows an IN
| crease OF S percent over one year
ago.
The report for Minnesota, as OF
April !, is as follows:
Condition of winter wheat per
cent of normal compared TO 80 per-
cent one year ago, last TALL, wheat
| in the greater part of the SEEDED
area was planted under favorable
conditions, except in the extreme
southeastern part of the STATE
where il was too dry. However,
there was plenty OF snow covering
and conditions this spring, outslds'
of some damage by ice covering, Is
generally reported as favorable.
The condition of rye on April
is estimated at 80 percent of nor
NAL compared to go, last year.
Generally, with possibility some
which has been smothered by ice
GOVERN and also in the extreme
northwestern part of the STATE
where the crop was seeded ratner
late. the rye, though it has made
but little spring growth, is in u
very favorable condition.
Practically every country IL the
state reports an increase In number
of brood sows compared to last
year With fairly cheap corn and
good prices for pork farmers ara
going quite heavy into the raising
of pigs this year. Ii is estimated
that there are percent more brood
! sows on farms than one year ago,
or about 443.000 breeding sows on
farms April j, 1922.
The supply of farm labor this
April compared TO the normal sup
ply is 103 percent and the need for
farm labor compared with normal
need is SO percent or the percent of
supply to demand is 1877 percent.
In 1921 the percent of supply to de-
mand was, for Minnesota, los per
cent The unemployed in this state
is not as great as in states with
larger and more industrial centers.
The demand for hired help is also
reduced by the fact that farmers
are not in a position to hire help,
as was the case a few years ago.
Many farmers intend to farm only
what they can without hiring extra
help, except at harvest time.
Report For The United States
The following reports for the
United States are based on the re-
ports to the crop reporting board of
the bureau of markets and crop es-
Inmates, United States department
of agriculture. by its correspond
ents and agricultural statisticians:
Winter wheat: Conditions 1874
percent of normal, or foresasted
production based on April / condi'
ton figure of 572,974 900 bushels.
The final production for 1921 was
5S7 ,O32 900 bushels and for the 1929
crop 610,597,000 bushels. The acer
age of winter wheat seeded in the
fall of 1921 was estimated to be IL
percent less than seeded in the fall
Rye: Condition 50 percent OF
normal or a forecasted production
based on this condition April !; OF
So, 667. 900 bushels The final produc-
ton for the 1921 crop was 59,91s.
900 bushels and for the 1920 crop
60,490,O00 bushels. The acreage
seeded in the fall of 1921 was esti-
mated to be 226 percent greater
than in the fall of 1920.
Brood sows: Number on farms
April /. 1922 compared to April
1, 1921. is 12,424 900, or an increase
of IL percent.
Labor Supply and Demand: The
labor supply was 99.5 percent of
normal while demand was 1913 per
cent of normal. Last year the sup
ply was 95.2 percent of normal and
the demand was S7.5 percent OF
normal. For 1922 the percent of
supply to demand was lila percent
while in 1921 it was 1883