The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-12-16
AVERAGE YIELD OF
 91 POUNDS TO ACRE
Gist In Illuminating State ment, Says Very Little Ef-
 fort Made On WeeVils
STATE CAPITAL BUREAU
 THE AG GE-HERALD z Montgomery. Ala. Dec. IS


 Bad weather and boil Weevfls ae- count for the short crop of cotton in Alabama this year, according to a statement made public today by F. W. Gist. agricultural statistician In May prospective yield was 150 pounds to the acre and this prospect continued to be decreased until it reached yield of only 91 pounds December 1. While other elements entered into the crop shortage, Mir Gist said the main trouble resulted from weather and weeVils.
 Very little effort 10 poison the boil weevil was made" said Mr. Gist and many farmers say that the rainy weather prevented success with the efforts made. Fertilizers were used heavy throughout the state, the az gregate bill being some $S,oO00p0 more than last year. Many farmers also complain that rains leached out their fertilizers in light sandy soil."
 MT. Gist said the crop in Alabama. considered from all standpoints. is disappointing. Although the acreage was much greater than last year, the total yield was only about three fourths of the total for last year. Government reports indicated the total for this year to be 600,000 bales. Blame Weather And WeeYiIS.
 Mr. Gist's statement follows:
 "The story of Alabama's 1923 cot ton crop may be told in two words, weather and weevilS. Starting ont in May with prospective yield of around 150 pounds per acre, it wound up the first of December practically all picked with an average yield or about 91 pounds. On May p it gave promise of 70 per cent crop. June 25 it showed 6S per cent, and July 25 1t still gave promise of a 66 per cent yield. During August the pros pect dropped off IA per cent another 10 per cent in September and the last condition report as of October p was 39
 May was a very wet month. the state averaging rain at 35 per cent of the weather stations for each day in the month, or, to put it the other way around, 30 per cent of the days were rainy all over the state. June experienced 23.3 per cent of the same kind of interference with work and sunshine, July 25.6 per cent and Au- gust 29.I per cent. This brought the cotton crop fro ma fair start with good stand and healthy plants to a condition of large growth, shedding fruit and heavy weeYil lnfestation. The harvest season after August was good, and picking progressed steadily after 1t started a little late.
 | "Insome sections morning rains after blooming began did more harm than the weevil, through weevil damage was heavy over nearly entire state. An outbreak of leaf worm oc- cured in August and recurred in September. Some damage was done in northern counties where the worm struck the cotton at an early stage, while the southern counties the worm, coming a bit later, destroyed some weevil food and acted in the place Of an early frost"
 Just Bad Year.
 Tn the language of an old time farmer, it just wan no good cotton year. One large planter, who last year produced 12s bales on 12o acres,> on the same land this year. with the same force and the same methods. produced only 56 bales. The average yield was the lowest on record for this state, except for the season of 1916, when the average for the state was only 7S pounds. The yields this year were very spotted" to use n common expression. Two counties in the southeast corner of the state made 122 and 115 pounds, respectivelX. while others in the same section got out with 56 to S5. Two counties iiI. the western part of the black belt made an average of 105 and 110, respectively, while the rest of the black belt made from 40 to 75. pounds. Five counties in the Tennessee Valley made. Fertilizers were used heavily mainder made 130. The Sand Noun, tain counties produced the best cot ton with yields from 120 to 15N, pounds. The northern part of west Alabama made from GO to go pounds to the acre, while the east centra | section made from 100 to 11z."
 Very little effort to poison the boil weevil was made, and many farmers say that the rainy weather prevented success with the efforts made. Fertilizers were heavily throughout the state, the aggregate bill being some SS,000,000 more than last year. Many farmers also cons plain that rain leached out their fer tilizers in light sandy soils"
 Altogether the crop was dis appointing one, not withstanding the high price A heavily increased acre., age produced only about three-fourths of last years crop, and the aggregate value at the prevailing prices will not. equal that of last year.
 "It will be interesting to compare the aggregate and net results of. farming in the state this year with those of last, which will be possible in the next few days" z