The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1923-04-10
~ i bss4ss 1e'.t-s&.
Prevented CROPS
SPELL BIC LOSS
Weather, Pests and Disease Halt
United States Production.
AVERAGES q BILLION A YEAR

4 Prevented production aggregated q
yearly in IL OF the cOuntrys impOr
tant crops during the 13 years. 1903
to 1921, the Department Of Agricul-
ture estimates. Weather, plant dis
| eases, defective seed and insect and
animal pests account for this pre-
vented production.
The corn crop is the chief sufferer,
ton being 1868, $4,000 bushels, which
at the average December farm
prices makes it's value 81 ,256, 2S2, 600
Next in order is the cotton crop,
whose prevented production averaged
8,418,OO0 bales, valued at 1882. $780,
600, including seed.
Wheat follows with an annual aver
aged damage of AS, 762, 900 bushels
valued at 99,372, 600
The aevrage prevented production
and value Of other crops are estimat-
ed as follows:
Oats, 500, $4,000 bushels and value
$2SO277, 900; barley, 1O8, O63, 600 BUSH
els, valued at $S1, 318OOO; faxseed,
11,777, 900 bushels, valued at $26, 1884,
600; rice. 11,267,O 900 bushels, valued at
S14, 900; potatoes, 21O, 921 600 BUSH
els, valued at $201, $40, COO; apples,
1853, $4,000 bushels, valued at 1885,
$4,000; hay, 34O25, 900 tons, valued
at $576, 4O1 900, and tobacco, 455, 49,
600 pounds, valued at SSO,774, 900.
Apple Crop Suffers
The absolute quantities of crop pro-
duction prevented by tie many and
uncertain causes do not Indicate the
relative severity Of the damage to
che potential crop From this point
Of view the one of these II crops
that suffers the greatest relative dam
age is the apple crop, with yearly
damage THAT averages 47.4 per cent |
Of 81 potential crop. That is to say,
only about one-half OF the potential |
crop of apples, on the average, is ac-
-ually produced
The potential fTaxseed crop is dam
ICED, on the average, to the extent
II As per cent or nearly as much as
he apple crop, and the potential cot
on crop 406 per cent, although in,
921, the damage was as high as 574
Ter cent. In relative damage as we'll
$ actuar the rice crop is at the botr
ON of the list with 25-8 per cent, or
My one-quarter Of the potential pro-
uctfon
Flaxseed' leads all Of these crops ia
uture uncertainty Of production, with
range between high and low dam.-
ge to the potentfaf crop as great as
rs per cent Of THAT crop. Following
7 order Of uncertainty come appleS
18th a range Of 35.7 per cent, cottons
18th range Of 3O.5 per cent, barley )
18th Boil per cent, hay with 22.8 per
INT, oats with I'll per cent, corn
18th 21 per cent, potatoes with 1922
er' cent, wheat and rice each with a
7.3 per cent and tobacco far below il
It'll 9.S per cent AS measures of l. f,
re- uncertainty of tire future crop, q, TX
rnge of damage equalfng Alb per- a
mt of a potential production goes e
It'll the f1axseed drvp at the highest "a
rtreme ana 9:S per cent with the \
bacco' crop at the lowest These are :.
Inges for United State averages 4,
nhSCS oiC SiCdtcl fu SIdtc dFcId SSH "
I'd in individual farm experience Id
Reduction Of Acreage. tt
IF farmers COULD harvest a poten4- Il
MI productTen," says the Department. tn
2 Agriculture" they could greatly 81
duce the acreage now devoted to-
csc eleven crops. The greatest re- - -
letion would be one-half for flax =
ed, apples and cotton, taking the -
'erage Of the last two years for cot n
n. The reduction would be one S.
ird for corn, wheat, oats, barley, po-- Of
toes and tobacco, and for two crops, d;
rice and hay-tfre reduction would IL
onequarter. tt
Had the, potential production been &C
alized on the actual acreage Of -
ops, prices would have been =,
lashed. However, 1t will not do to n,
y that the farmer has lost an In hi
me equivalent to the value of the
evented production based on the ju
Ice of the harvest production The &C
ct is that the cost of the efforts to sc
oduce that portion of the potential pl
op which failed is a part of the. cost
producing that portion Of the crop Is
Itch succeeded and the economic is
cessity is that the farmer shall re-
We the equivalent Of this abortive IL
st in the price of the crop actually VIC
oduced.- lis