Evening star., 1950-10-11
Corn Crop Sufficient
To Keep Meat, Dairy
Output at High Levels

A harvest time survey today
showed enough corn to maintain
meat and dairy products output at
high levels but a reduced cotton
crop that has caused rigid curbs
on exports.
Eggs piled up to a new record
for September, the Agriculture De-
partment also reported. Farm
f1ocks laid 1884,, 100000 eggs last
month, 25 per cent above the Sep
tember average and per cent
more than in September last year.
A 81 per cent drop in this years
cotton crop led the department
last night to set new export quotas
that would restrict shipments to
less than 4 million bales for the
marketing year ending next Au-
gust /.
r. Exports Restricted.
Exports during the past season
totaled 5,770.000 bales. The de-
partnent explained that the clamp
on exports is necessary to halt ad-
vanclng cotton prices and conserve
the domestic supply.
During the period ending next
March 81 cotton exports to all
countries except Canada will be
limited to 2 million bales. Canada
usually buys between 100000 and
100000 bales.
The indicated cotton crop for
1850 is only 9,869, 900 bales, far
short of the Governments goal of
almost IL million bales and
sharply below the 1923, ,0O0-bale
crop in 1949. the department said.
It attributed the decline to rigid
Government production controls,
insects and unfavorable weather.
." Crops Above Average.
Farm crops as a whole were
slightly above average for the last
eight years. But the estimated
corn crop of 3,118.0OO.0OO bushels,
while above 10-year average of
2 billion, is about 270 million
bushels below the 1949 output.
There still is danger that much
of it might fail to mature fully
this fall if hit by killing froSts,
the department warned.
So-called soft" corn of that
kind would have less feeding value
and would not keep as long. De-
partment experts predicted, how
ever, that farmers are assured of
enough corn and other feed grains
to maintain production of meats,
poultry and dairy products at
high levels.
Besides the expected corn pro-
duction this year there is a rec
ord carryover of more than 900
million bushels from the past two
big crops.
Potato Record Likely.
Other crops for which the de-
partment forecast slightly higher
production included oats, tobac-
co, rice, buckwheat, f1axseed. hay,
soybeans, peanuts, sugar beets,
potatoes. apples. peaches, cher
ries. cranberries. pears, pecans
and spring wheat. Only potatoes,
sugar beetS and soybeans promise
record production.
Wheat, barley, sweet potatoes
and grapes will be slightly below
average, the department esti-
mated. Earlier estimates of out
put have been lowered on durum
wheat. sugar cane, hops and dry
beans.
The survey indicated that fall
vegetable supplies will be about
IA per cent larger than a year
ago and Is per cent above aver
age. Fruit production seems likely
to be IA per cent less than in 1949
and 7 per cent below average.
Egg Production High.
The record egg production, par
ticularly in the North Atlantic
States, is keeping the department
in the market for dried eggs
under the price-support program.
The department bought 2 million
pounds of dried eggs at 96 cents a
pound in September to bring the
1850 purchases to 81,830,O43
pounds. Last years purchases
totaled 6S,8O0,o18 pounds.
For the first nine months OF
this year egg production was re-
ported at 47,241, 100000, a gain
of 7 per cent over the correspond
ing period last year.
Hens and pullets were reported
at 51O,4 900, down 2 per cent
from a year ago. A preliminary
estimate put the number of young
chickens on farms October at
391, ,103, 900, a decline of per cent
from a year ago and II per cent
below average.