The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-12-14
Gist Estimates This Year Yield At 990,00O
 Bales FARMERS ENJOY FAVORABLE YEAR Fertilizer Heavily Used And Better Grades
 Selected CROPS GATHERED
 BY DECEMBER l Auburn Expert Predicts Heavy Infestation Of Boil Weevils
 Next Year

AUBURN, Ala, Dec. 13.-(Special.) The value of Alabama's cotton crop of 1924 is about O,000O0O greater than that of 1923, according to state- ment issued today by F. w. Gist, agri- cultural statistician. Based on the De- cember 1 price of 2. i cents per pound for lint and $36 per ton for seed, the av- craze value per bale is SIPS. With an estimated crop of 990,000 bales, the total value ic approximately S127,OOO.- GOO.
 Last year the production of 5S7,000 bales was valued at about S107 ,0O0,O0 The price year ago was 3l.o per pound for lint and $50 per ton for seed.
 This years crop is the largest for Alabama since 1915, Mir. Gist points out, but was grown from practically the same picked acreage as last year. Final estimates give 3,142,000 acres planted and 3,073,000 acres picked, with an average acre yield of 154 pounds of lint Last year the acre yield for the state was only 91 pounds, on 3,079,000 acres picked.
 \ Favorable Year
 While this year was not perfect one for cotton growing, Mir. Gist says, it was on the whole very favorable one all things considered. The weather just following planting time was very unfavorabIe for awhile, and caused some difficulties in connection with chopping and cultivating. Cotton soon became quite grassy, but with a clear | ing up of the weather over the state and hard work on the part of the farm CTS the grass was soon cleared from the fields, and the crop grew off well and fruited heavily.
 The heavy freezes of last winter left a lighter infestation of weevils than usual, and the hot dry weather kept numbers. Almost perfect control of the weevil was experienced, except in a few scattered localities, until good crop had been matured.
 More Fertilizer Used
 One of the chief causes contributing to the good yield was the increased amount of plant food contained in the fertilizers used this year. Farmers used q greater tonage of fertilizers, and very many more of them were moro careful in using better grades of ferti- lizers and in applying them in q more intelligent manner.
 Less than the usual amount of money was expended for employing extra cot ton plckerS. The splendid weather which lasted till the end of harvest enabled farmers to pick their crops with their own labor This saved to their own pockets the wages which sometimes has to go to extra plckers.
 Notwithstanding the picking of larger crop with theiS own labor, the crop was almost completely picked by the first of December, only 37,000 bales being left to be ginned after that date to make the total estimated.
 Sees Weevil Menace
 The plant continued green and blooms were noted until near the end of No- vember. This gave weevils an oppor- tunity to go into Information in num- bers quite sufficient to prove dam aging next season with favorable weather for propagation. Farmers will do well. therefore. to remember that they still have a fight on their hands with their most active enemy in the future.
 The 1924 crop by counties will be published by MT. Gist. together with county figures for other crops, to- ward the latetr part of the month. It is stated at this time, however, that the increased production for this year has been fairly well distributed over the state. The south half increased it's production some more than the north half, some counties in the southern half almost double the crop of last year.