Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1926-07-03
The Situation
In Agriculture

Ordinary conditions of crop sea :
son are fairly we'll defined by this
time of year but this season. the
weather has been so backward and
varied that cotton, or potatoes, and
even wheat are largely a spec aAaA on
at this date. This carlot movement. of
early vegetables has been fully as
heavy as last year, however, partly
due to the early season in the far
west. The fruit prospect appears to
be for an abundant crop. Haying is
under way over much of the coun-
try Hay is apparently short crop.
except in the far west, and stocks of
old hay are low also.
Wheat harvest is in full swing.
Not the least significant item is the
increased number of combines" in
use this summer-a major factor in
the growing efficiency of wheat pro-
duction. Where threshed, wheat has
turned out unexpectedly heavy yields
over parts of the Southwest, though
dry weather has hurt it in sections
from Kansas northward. Spring
wheat had very poor start but has
benefited somewhat from recent
rains throughout the Northern Belt.
Grain is headed on very short straw
over much of the North. The gen
eral indications appear to suggest
less spring wheat than last year but
a substantially larger total rrop.
World stocks of wheat, however.
were estimated on June !, as about
30,000,000 bushels below last year,
with stocks in this country I'M
usually low.
The pig survey, made as of June
1, shows one half percent fewer pigs
saved in the corn belt this spring
than last. This means no increase
in supply hogs for slaughter before
next spring, and presumably well
sustained prices for a year yet 10
come. The number of sows bred or
to be bred for next fall narrowing,
however, is reported as thirty-six
percent larger than the number far
rowing last fall. This strongly sug-
geSts a market reversal of the hog
supply and price situation abont
the winter of 1927.
Hog prices have advanced so that
their exchange value is considerably
above last year-the index of pur-
chasing power of hogs one year ago
being ninety-four while now it is
one hundred seven Give pre-war
years being considered as one hun
dred). The general exchange posi-
ton of farm products as a whole has
been practically stopped for nine
months, the index showing eighty
seven percent of pre-war purchasing
power.
The movement of farm products to
market has shown the usual end
Of the-season changes, with new
wheat coming in. hog receipts re-
latively light, cattle about like re-
cent years, sheep and lambs re-
latively heavier, butter receipts
somewhat below same months of the
last two years. The picture of ex-
port movement has continued to
shoY relatively light flow of grain
and pork out of the country but a
heavy export of cotton.
With the stage set for strong hog
prices we'll into next year, with pros
poets for wheat growers moderately
good. with cattle Coming Back" in
the West and Dairy Industry picking
up in the East, it appears that this
may well prove to be another season
of improvement in Agricultural con-
ditions. An inquiry Just COMPLETED
by this Bureau, covering 1880
farms in all parts of the country. in
dicates net financial return last
year of $1,297 per farm, as against
S1,2O5 in 1924, $1,000 in 1923, and
1917 in 1922.
w. o. FRASER,
Local Representative. U. S. Dept. Ag.