Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1928-03-02

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Building materials when pur-
chased in quantities probably will
be lower in 1928 than in 1927.
Wholesale prices Of building ma
terials declined during 1927 from an
index of 179 in January to 161 in
November, due largely to the de-
cline in building activity. Retail
prices have declined less than whole
sale prices.
Field Crops.
Corn:
The corn acreage in 1927 was
$4,000 acres or $4,000 acres less
than in 1926. On account of the ia
vorable weather during midsummer
and at the time of maturity the acre
yield for the State was five bushels
above the five-year average and only
slightly less than in 1925, the banner
year. Corn yields were high in the
southeastern and southern counties
and about normal in the central and
western counties. The central and
western counties which usually have
a surplus supply will have ample
corn for home use but greatly re-
duced supplies for the market. The
acreage should be increased to about
$4,000 acres in order to replace the
shortage during the present season
and also to insure sufficient produc-
ton for home use. Farmers are
urged to pillow early and to use SUI
perphosphate (acid phosphate) to
supplement the manure applied to
corn land. On most soils an addi-
ton of some potash is also advisable.
Wheat:
The area seeded to winter wheat
in the United States is 10 per cent
greater than in the fall of 1926 and
IA per cent greater than the FIVE
year average. If yields and aban-
donment in acreage for the entire
country equal the ten-year average
then the increase in soft red winter
wheat supplies will be about 100000
900 bushels. This increase may be
sufficient to destroy the favorable
price level which soft red winter
wheat has held since 1924. The
Maryland acreage planted in 1927 is
about 5.5 per cent greater than in
1926 and the condition of the wheat
on December /, was 92 as against
so in 1926 and Sc for the ten-year
average. If good growing condi-
tons prevail during the early spring,
fields having heavy growth should
be pastured lightly. Fields having
thin stands due to late planting
should not be abandoned but should
be given top dressing of fertilizer
having a high ammonia content.
Oats and Barley:
About 2.5 per cent Of the i'm
proved land area of Maryland is an
nually planted in oats and barley.
Almost the entire oat acreage is
spring sown but nearly all of the
barley is fall sown. The average
oat yield is 30.6 bushels and the
average barley yield is 1926 bushels.
On the basis of these averages for
the overlapping ten-year periods
since 1907 the required relative acre
values with wheat at 100 would be
as follows: Corn, 10; oats, 100; bar
ley, n. Hence, for oats to return
as much profit per acre as barley,
the average yield would have to be
more than 81 bushels. On the same
basis it would require yield of
more than % bushels of wheat to be
as profitable as a 1926 bushel barley
yield. From the standpoint of feed
ing value per acre a 1926 bushel
yield of barley is approximately
equal to 60-bushel oat crop.
Hay and Pasture:
The situation with respect to the
red clover crop is better this year
than it has been for decade. A ia
vorable season and seed of good
quality are responsible for this situa-
ton. Farmers should make greater
use of either the disc seeder, the
rotary hoe, or the spike tooth harrow
in seeding their clover crop. Scatter
ing seed on lightly frozen ground is
wasteful and is the least satisfac-
tory method to pursue. The demand
for legume rather than grass hay
continues strong. This situation to-
gether with the home requirements
can best be met by use of higher
proportions of clover and alfalfa
when planting a mixed hay crop, and
by the use of the most fertile lands
for pure stands of alfalfa. The seed
supplies are more bountiful than last
year and the average price on Jan
uary /, about 10 per cent lower than
in 1926.
Tobacco:
The production of tobacco in
Maryland was 26,176,OO0 pounds in
1927 as compared with 26,040, 900
pounds in 1926. The yield per acre
in 1927 was S1S pounds; whereas the
yield in 1926 was $40 pounds.
The outlook for Maryland tobacco
is good. Export demand for cigar
cite tobacco has improved during
the past year, and domestic demand
has strengthened. The consumptive
demand for cigarettes is increasing