The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1923-03-16
CROPS IN COUNTRY
REACHH|GHF|G
Record Shown For Period
Thirteen Years
CORN HEADS LIST
Cotton Ayeraged8, 418, 900 Bales
Valued At 1892, 5S5 In
Guiding Seed

Washington, ID. c., March IL
Prevented production aggregated "a
total average value of 230.OOo,oOO
yearly in eleven of the counrys I'M
portant crops during the thlreen
years, 1909 to 1921. the department
of agriculture estimates. Weather,
plant diseases, detective seed, and
animal pests account for this pre-
vented production.
The corn crop is the chief suferei,
it's annual average prevented pro
duction being 1,56S,S79,000 bushels
which at the average Decembes
farm prices makes its value sl,2o6,-
sS2.00o.
Next in order is the cotton crop
whose prevented production aver
aged S,4IS.0oO bales valued at SSS@,
5S5.00O including seed.
Wheat follows, with an annual aN-
erage damage of 44S. 49, 900 bushels
valued at $685. 600
Average Estimates Given
The average prevented production
and value OF other cops are estim >
ated as follows:
DdtS, Dgb,fgO,JUU buSHtfS anu va
tie s2S0.277 900 barley. i0S,Jp3,oV0
bushels ,alue,i AT Sl.3lS,vUu: haA-
seed 1l.777.O00 bushels valued at
SLABS, 900: potatoes 2lO,92l, 900 val
ued at s2l0.S49. 900; apples l63, 456,-
600 bushels valued at S1S6,9i6,OoV;
hay 34.O25. 900 tons. valued at 1910
4ol 900, and tobacco i55,I2s,Ovu
pounds value at sS0,774,00o.
The absolute quantities of crop
production prevented by the many
and uncertain causes do not indicate
the relative severity of the damage
to the potential crop. From this
point of view one OF these ii crops
that suffers the greatest relative
damage is the apple crop. with a
yearly damage that averages 1870
of a potential crop. That is to say,
only about one half of the potential
crop of apples, on the average, Is
actually produced.
The potential fiaXseed crop Is
damaged, on the average, 10 the ex-
tent OF 1917. or nearly as much as
the apple crop, and the potential
cotton crop of 1860 although in 1921
the damage was as high as $40.
In relative damage as well as actual
the rice crop is at the bottom of the
list with 1850, or only one quarter
OIL the pOtenIldl pIOuuCtioH.
Flaxseed Leads All Crops
Flaxseed leads all OF these crops
In future uncertainty OF production,
with a range, between high and low
damage TO the potential crop as
great as SIS per cent Of that crop.
Following in order Of uncertainty
come apples with a range or 80.
per cent. cotton with a range OF 300
per cent. barley with 30.l per cent,
hay with 22.S per cent, oats with 2l.l
per cent, corn with 81 per cent, po-
tatoes with 1872 per cent, wheat and
rice each with 1913 per cent, and to
bacco far below with 80 per cent:
As measures OF the uncertainty OF
the future crop, a range OF damage
equaling Ais per cent of potential
production goes with the f1aXseed
crop at the highest extreme and 9.s
per cent with the tobacco crop al
the lowest. These are ranges for
United States averages. Ranges are
greater in State averages and in in
dividual farm experience.
IF farmers could harvest poten
tial production. says the department
of agriculture, they could greatly
reduce the acreage now devoted t.
these eleven crops. The greatest re-
duction would be one half for flax
seed, apples, and cotton, taking the
average of the last two years foI
cotton. The reduction would be one
third for corn, wheat, oats, barley
potatoes, and tobacco, and for two
crops rice and hay the reduction
would be one quarter.
Had the potential production been
realized on the actual acreage O.
crops. prices would have been
smashed. However, 1t will not do Il
say that the farmer has lost an in
come equivalent to the value OF the
prevented production based on the
price of the harvest production. The
fact is that the cost OF the efforts tc
produce that portion of the potential
crop which failed is part of the
cost of producing that portion of the
crop which succeeded, and the eco
nomic necessity is that the farmer
shall receive the equivalent of this
abortive cost in the price of the cror