Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1923-03-12
PREVENTED YIELD NOW
VALUED At BILLIONS
IN IMPORTANT CROPS
Corn Crop Is Chief Sufferer;
Next Is Cotton; Then Foil
lows Wheat
A POTENTIAL PRODUCTION
What Is Most Needed-Prices
Would Have Been
Smashed

w WAoGllNGlON, Mafch lZ.-Pre-
vented production aggregated total
average value of $4,23O,OO0, 900
yearly in elevent of the country's
important crops during the ten
years. 1909 to 1921, the Department
of Agriculture estimates. Weather,
plant diseases, defective seed and in
sect and animal pests account for
this prevented production.
The corn crop is the chief suffer-
er,lts annual average prevented pro-
duction being 1,568,879, 200 bushels
which at the average December l
farm prices makes its value $1,256,-
282,00.
Next in order is the cotton crop
whose prevented production averaged
8,418 bales valued at S882,585,-
600 including seed.
Wheat follows with an annual av-
erage damage of 48,762,00O bushels
valued at $599,372, 900.
The average prevented production
and value of other crops are estimat-
ed as follows:
Oats, SOC, ,493, 600 bushels and val
"
bushels valued at $81 $4,000; flax
seed 11,777, 600 bushels valued at
$26, 600; rice II 1857, 600 bushels
valued at $14,919, ,000s potatoes 210,-
$4,000 bushels valued at S201 ,849,-
600; apples 1853, 1850 bushels val
ued at $186,946, 900; hay 34,025,00
tons, valued at $576, 6,401, 900, and to-
bacco 455,729, 900 pounds valued at
$80,774,000,
The absolute quantities of crop
production prevented by the many
uncertain causes do not indicate the
relative severity of the damage to
the potential crop. From thiE point
of view the one of these II crops
that suffers the greatest relative dam
age is the apple crop, with a yearly
damage that averages Ala per cent
of a potential crop That is to say
only about one-half Of the of the po-
tential crop of apples on the average,
is actually produced.
The potential flaxseed crop is dam
aged, on the average extent OF As
per cent, or nearly as much as the
ample crop, and the potential cotton
crop 4O.6 per cent, although in 1921;
THE damage was as high as STA per
cent In relative damage as well
as actual the rice crop is at the bot
tom of the list with 25.8 per cent, or
only one-quarter OF the potential pro-
duction.
future uncertainty OF production,
with a range between high and low
damage to the potential crop as great
as 51.8 per cent of that crop. Follow
ING in orde,, of uncertainty come ap-
nles with a range of 35.7 per cent,
cotton with a range Of 30.5 per cent,
harlev with 30.1 per cent, hay with
22.8 ner cent oats with 2l.l per cent,
corn with q per cent, potatoes with
1q.2 ner cent wheat and rice each
with i7.3 per cent, and tobacco 1ar
below with 98 per cent. AS meas
nres Of the uncertainty of the future
cron a range of damage equallng
Ala per cent with the faxseed crop
at the highest extreme, and 9.8
ner cent of the tobacco at
at 4be lowest. These are ranges for
limited States averages. Ranges are
greater in State averages and IN m
dividual farm experience.
"If the farmers could harvest a
potential production" says the de-
partment of agriculture, 'they could
greatly reduce the acreage now de-
voted to these II crops. The great
est reduction would be one-half Tor
daxseed. apples, and cotton, taking
tba average of the last two years for
cotton. The reduction would be one
tbird for corn, wheat oats, barley,
Npotatoes, and tobacco, and for two
crons-rice and hay-the reduction
would be one-quarter. -,
"Had the potential production beer
roalized on the actual acreage OF
rrons. prices would have oeen smash
I'd However, it viii not do to say
that the farmer has lost "A income
enuivalent to the value VI the PIE
vdnted production based OF the price
Of the harvest production. The tae'
is % that hat the cost of the efforts to pro
Inca cil' that portion of the potentla
@rhn which failed is part 7t th'
COST % Of producing that portion Of the
cTon Toy which succeeded, and the ec0nG
mic r necessity is that the farmer shaL sh
racoive ,lllT the equivalent of this abor
tive cost in the price of the crop ac
tually produced.