The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1927-05-27
Wheat, Corn and Flax Crops
Bring Millions In Returns
Year After Year.
BY M. J. HoLMBERo

MINI. Commissioner Of Agriculture
Despite an unfavorable year, Mime
sofa during 1926 ranked as the seventh
state In the Union In the gross value
Of all farm crops. In the year 1925.
Minnesota ranked fifth.
The 1925 crop season was consist
emily unfavorable for growth, yield
and production of almost all crops in
certain sections OF Minnesota. From
the southeastern corner of the state
to the northeastern part, with no.
ticeable spread in the central part,
weather conditions were most unfav-
orable Early in the season there was
a lack of moisture and heavy wind
storms. The dry weather continued
during the greater part of the growing
season, severely damaging almost all
crops, especially pasture and the hay
crops. In the northeastern and south
western parts of the state conditions
were much more favorable, and till.
ers Of the soil reaped fairly good grain
crops. Hay and pastures were below
the average in most of these districts
However, rains In the fall, except in
the northwestern part of the state,
damaged the quality Of the crops not
yet threshed.
Minnesota is an important agricul
tural state. In 1925 she was first in
the production of barley and fax, Sec
ond In oats and rye, third in spring
wheat and potatoes and fifth in corn.
Few states can show such high rank
in the production. of the major crops,
10 I'M hot "a
versiication is being practiced In
Minnesota.
The aggregate acreage Of corn,
wheat, oats, barley. rye, buckwheat,
potatoes, fax, all hay and beans for
Minnesota in 1926 was 17,940,000
acres, compared with 17,923,000 acres
in 1925 and 17,S99,000 acres in 1924.
The total farm value of the princi.
pal crops produced in Minnesota, based
on the December 1 farm price for 1926,
was s290,969, 900, compared with $780,
$4,000 for 1925. The value of all
crops produced, based on the Decem-
Der l farm prices, was estimated to
be 1927 ,00S,000 for 1926. compared
with S372,062,00e for the year 1925.
A brief summary of each important
crop will be given, and table pub
lished elsewhere will show the state
totals for the past three years for
acreage, yield, production, December
1 farm price, total gross farm value
and value per acre.
CORN: The 1926 corn acreage Of
4,343, 600 acres shows slight increase
over 1925, but is below that Of 1924,
which was the largest area ever
planted in the state, being 4,595,000
acres. The acreage planted to corn
In 1867 was only 100000 acres. The
acreage did not reach over a million
acres until the year 1894 when 1t was
reported to be 1,028,9S0. Due to an
unfaverable season in some Of the i'm
portant corn districts the yield this
year was somewhat lowered, being
"a bushels, compared with SO bushels
in 1925. The lowest yield ever re-
ported was in 1894, when 1t was 1874
bushels, and the highest yield was in
1921 when it was Al bushels. The to-
tai production for 1926 was 147,662,000
bushels with a farm value of $S2,691,-
900, and an acre value of $19.04.
WINTER WHEAT: While the win.
ter wheat acreage in Minnesota Is not
large, being $4,000 in 1926, it has
been rapidly increasing, for in 1913
it was only $4,000 acres. The season
was fairly favorable for the crop in
1926, because the greater part of the
acreage is in the southeastern portion
of the state where general weather
conditions were favorable. The yield
per acre was IT'S bushels with total
production of 3,272,0O0 bushels, farm
value of $685. 900, and an acre value
of $21.e0. 1t would appear, from a
study Of yields and acre value, that
winter wheat is more profitable than
spring wheat. However, 1t must be
remembered that all sections of the
state may not be as favorable for its
production as the southeastern Sec
tion.
SPRING WHEAT: The acreage of
spring wheat was not large in the dry
districts Of the state, so the yield per
acre and total production did not suf-
fer as much as some other crops like
oats and barley. The acreage of
spring wheat in 1926 was 10000
acres with an average yield of 1875
bushels, and total production of a.
5SS,000 bushels. The farm value was
$30,243,0e0 and the value per acre
$15.3S. From a study of the table
showing Minnesota crops, 1t will be
seen that the production is less than
for either OF the past two years. 1t
would appear that the growing of
spring wheat is gradually declining
and losing favor with the farmers of
Minnesota. Whether 1t is advisable
to deplete the acreage is a debatable
question, at least, where soil condi-
tions are favorable. In 1857 the acre.
age of spring wheat in Minnesota was
100000 acres, so that the acreage in
1925 is only about two and one-half
times as much as in that year. The
largest acreage ever planted was In