Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-11-07
Specific Information Fur
. nished on Choice of Seeds
as Well as Figures on Pro-
duCtiOn
BY MARTIN v. CALVIN
(Statistician Georgia Department Of
AuwinuIfurol

Agriculture
Numbers of letters are received at
the executive office Of the depart
ment of agriculture, from girls and
boys throughout the state request
ing information about the Georgia
corn crop-what is Georgia's rank
among the corn producing states Of
the Union and which Of the states
produced in 1921 the largest crop
the greatest number of bushels.
Those letters come to the desk Of
the writer hereof. 1t occurred to
him this morning that, instead Of an
swering a half dozen letters today
he would write this story and thus
communicate, through the columns
Of your newspaper, all the facts at
one writing to thousands Of girls
and boys in the state. He further de-
termined to treat the subject of corn
growing in Georgia somewhat elabo-
rately as compared with bare state
ment as to the number Of bushels Of
corn produced, etc. I prefer to deal
with the results Of 1921 for the rea-
son that the preliminary reports as
to crops for 1922 have not yet been
carefully revised.
The big Four" have always been
accorded a prominent position on the
front page. What states were at
the forefront in 1921? What was the
reported value of all crops that
year?
Here are the four leaders in all
crops:
Iowa ......... $424,471, 900
California 49,. 80. 350,519,000
Illinois ........ .. 94,914,000
New York 49,. -. 269,717 900
Georgias rank as to % crops was
number II; as to all crops, number
IA. That is on the basis of value to
which the writer does not attach as
much Importance as to the number
of bushels or pounds or tons of a crop
or all crops. The only true. measure
Of any crop is the general average
yield per acre. Why? Because on
that depends the cost of production.
Crop Value
AS a matter Of information for
| those who may be especially inter-
ested in crop values in Georgia,
give the average value Of all her
crops, 1915 to 1919, both inclusive,
$467, $4,000. In 1920 the value was
$3.50, 200; in 1921, $177,986, 900.
Prices were lower in '21 than in 1915
to 1920, hence the decrease in the
total value of all crops, 1921.
In the production Of corn, 1921,
Georgia's place in the ranks was No.
16, with a crop of 69,975,0 bushels
valued at $37,0S7,0 900, on the basis
of farm prices December /, that
year.
In order that you may compare
crops, price per bushel and the total
value of crops, [ am giving you the
figures for 1921-1919 as follows:
Year, 1919, number Of bushels, g.
| $4,000; price per bushel, $3.50; total
value, $101, 523,120.
Year, 1921, number of bushels,
69,975,OOO; price per bushel, 53c; to-
tai value, $37,0S6,0O0.
Note the fact that values in 1919
| were based on war prices. Note the
additional and very important fact
| that the dollar Of 1919 had a pur-
chasing power very much less than
the dollar Of 1913, which latter year
was what is called a normal or
| pre-war year. In other words, the
dollar of 1919 could buy at best only
81 IL cents worth of goods, while
the dollar of 1913, in it sday, bought
| NV SSAlIo WOL III VI oOOIiS' ~, WHICH
a farmer received SLIGO for bushel
Of corn it was as though he had re-
| ceived only $1.0O.
You ask: "How do you arrive at
that conclusion or declaration"
That is pertinent question. 1 will
| answer it. You see, the dollar of
1919 was worth only So IL cents;
it was off in purchasing power
| three-eigths or IL IL cents, so, if
you get three-eighths Of $1.60 and
deduct the 60 cents from $3.50, you
have 81. See?
In 1918, So cents a bushel for corn
was nearer a normal price; because
business and prices were being ad-
| justed to conditions of peace.
Supreme Importance of a Larger
Yield Per Acre
Now that you say you are Gin
terested in corn" and wish to be
| informed how many bushels a year
| Georgia produces, L call your ear
nest attention to an exceedingly i'm
portant fact, namely, the fact as
| to the general average yield of corn
per acre in Georgia in 1921. Why,
it was only IS bushels per acre.
What does that mean? IT means