The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1923-05-18


eggs, in the opinion of poultry mar
keting officials of the department.
The department has given extensive
study to the question OF eggs stan
dardization, and is offering the sug
gested grades to the egg industry
for trial.
DAT PRODUCTION MAY DECLINE
+ AS TRUCKS AND TRACTORS
INCREASE
1t is probable that the production
of oats in the United States has
reached its highest point and the
acreage of this crop may be some
what reduced, during the present de-
cade. Thus, the discussion of the
situation and outlook of the oat crop
in the United States is summed up IN
the 1922 Yearbook just published by
the United States Department OF
ing use of motorized transfer and
trucking in both the city and coun-
try are markedly reducing the com
mercial demand for feeding oats,
and the quantity of oats required for
horse feed on the farm may be
slightly reduced by the use of farm
tractors Notwithstanding the rapid
development of the farm tractor,
most of the farms OF the United
States will continue to be titled
wholly or in large part by the use OF
in demand as one of the principal
horse feeds. Certain industries will
continue to use horses rather than
trucks. and these will supply some
market demand In addition, con-
siderable quantities OF oats are used
each year for human food, in the
making of prepared livestock and
poultry feeds and for export. Oats.
usually are not considered a cash
crop but are important because of
the rather unique place they occupy
part of the United States. While
they are valuable as feed for
horses, young stock, and breeding
animals, they are grown largely to
complete the rotation system in
which corn, wheat, and hay crops are
grown There is no other crop that
fits in as well as do oats between
corn and wheat or corn and grass,
utilizing land and labor that might
otherwise be unproductive. In some
sections barley and soy beans may
be substituted with good results, but
under most conditions these crops
make oats the most satisfactory in
termediate crop. Economy of labor
in the production of oats also is i'm
portant. Usually no blowing is nee
Iessary in preparing the seed bed,
particularly where the crop follows
corn. While oats rank fifth among
all crops in total cash value and
further increase in acreage is pro-
blematical, the crop is nevertheless
important because OF its place in the
general farming system. While oats
western Europe, Russia and other
countries, the United States leads in
total production with slightly more
than one fourth of the world crop.
Russia, according to the average pro
duction for the five year period end
ing in 1914, was very Glose second,
with "a per cent of the total. Other
countries of large production were
Germany, Canada, France, Austria
Hungary, and the United Kingdom,
in the order named. During Nthe
twenty year pre- war period from
1896 to 1914, inclusive, the annual
States averaged, in round numbers
969, 100000 bushels, in Russia 901.-
100000, in Germany 523,00O,000. i'm
France 317,000,000, in Austria Hun
gary 221 100000, and in the United
Kingdom 176,000,000 bushels. Oats
enter much less into commerce than
wheat, because they are too bulky in
relation to price to bear the cost of
long distance transportation. There
fore, the greater portion of the crop
always is consumed in the county
in which it is produced. Acreage
and production of oats in the United
States hovo innrooc ronid1u ond
consistently since annual estimates
became available in 1866 Produc-
tion has naturally shown some f1uc-
tuation, due chiefly to low acre
yields in poor oat-years and high acre
yields in good oat years. The peak
of production occurred in 1917, when
the United States produced 1892
100000 bushels of oats. The largest
acreage up to the end of the World
War was grown in 1918, when a.
$4,000 acres We're grown, from
harvested A heavy drop In acreage
in 1919 was followed Immediately by
a rise to 42,491 900 acres in 1920. and
"a still further increase to 45,495, 900
acres in 1921, the greatest acreage
ever grown. The average acre yield
in 1921 was only 1917 bushels, the
lowest since 1890. In 1922, a decided
drop IN acreage again occurred when
only 40,693,000 acres were grown. ON
the average, the acre yield has in
creased rather steadily since about
1890. The oat crop is not as import
ant commercially as wheat and corn.
According to the census data, slight
ly less than a third of the national
production of oats in 1919 was sold
off the farm by farmers. From con-
sumption apparently absorbed the
remainder of the crop. OF the part
sold by farmers a larger proportion
goes to terminal markats than in the
case of corn, much of which is sold
by one farmer to another for feeding
and thus never reaches the termin-
ais. The United States grain stand
ards act requires oats offered for
sale in interstate shipment to be in
spected and graded by licensed in
spector in accordance with the Of
fetal standards for oats. These
standards divide oats into classes
and grades which designate their
kind 0Ilalifvts and r0pAtf;1y,