8 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 



contests among; farmers and farmers' boys' associations. A number 

 of applications liave come to tliis Deparlment for information alimg 

 these lines of work and these have been referred to experts who will 

 give the necessary information and assistance. It has been demon- 

 strated that southeastern Pennsylvania has a definite type of corn, 

 and tliat in this section of Ihe State with this type developed, a 

 larjrer quantity of corn can be raised to the acre than in any other 

 section of the State, or the United States. For this reason as well 

 as for many others, this type of corn should be developed by the 

 farmers in this section, for it must be done within the limits of 

 southeastern Pennsvlvania, and the farmers are the persons to do 

 it. 



OATS 



With dry weather, as already referred to, during March, April and 

 May and the intense heat of June and early July, which embraces 

 the entire season during which oats is grown, the average yield was 

 four bushels above the average of the United States. In former 

 reports as well as through other agencies of this Department, such 

 as the Farmers' Institutes, this Department has urged that the 

 growing of oats should be increased, especially in the central and 

 northern sections of the State, where it is more difficult to grow corn. 

 Oats grows within a short season, and after it the soil can be sowti 

 with wheat, rye or winter vetch and rye, a forage crop that will 

 grow when few others will. According to the Crop Eeporter for 

 the year, the yield amounted to 31,720,000 bushels from an acreage 

 of 1,121.000 acres, making an average of 28.5 bushels per acre, sts 

 against 28,172,680 bushels given by the census for the year 1909. 



RYE 



According to the Crop Reporter, 285,000 acres were sown with rye 

 in Pennsylvania in 1911, yielding 4,304,000 bushels, while the acreage, 

 according to the census reports for the year 1909, amounted to 272,560 

 acres, with a yield of 3,406,603 bushels. 



« 



WHEAT 



One million two hundred and eighty-nine thousand acres were sown 

 with wheat in 1911 yielding 17,402,000 bushels, a decrease from the 

 yield of 1910 according to the Crop Reporter of nearly ten million 

 bushels, and 4.162.479 bushels less than the census report for the 

 year 1909. This means that Pennsylvania will have to import ten 

 million bushels of wheat for the years 1911 and 1912 to feed her 

 people. The reason for this decrease in yield is largely due to the 

 depredations of the Hessian fly and to the dry weather of May and 

 June and early July. If the farmers of the State would arrange 

 their farming in such a way that there would be no volunteer wheat 

 after harvest and would not sow until after the 25th of September, 

 I feel that there would be little trouble with the Hessian fly, and 

 in this way they could raise sufficient wheat to feed the people of 

 our State and save ten million dollars for themselves and the 

 State. 



