REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 15 



The price of oats has necessarily declined in consequence of such 

 enormous production, and yet, contrary to the result that has been 

 observed in the case of cotton, the aggregate value of the oats crop 

 this year has not been equaled; indeed, this value is 22.2 per cent 

 above the average of the preceding five years, and amounts to $478,- 

 000,000. This is a value within $118,000,000 of the worth of the 

 wheat crop and is a little more than half of the value of the entire 

 cotton crop. 



POTATOES. 



Sixth in order of value is the potato crop. Its amount is 

 $190,000,000, a low amount for this crop in recent years. The crop 

 of three former years exceeded that of this year in value, and the 

 average value of the crops of the five preceding years was higher by 

 about 3 per cent. 



The production of this crop, on the other hand, is higher than 

 has heretofore been reached, and amounted to 414,289,000 bushels, or 

 about 29 per cent above the five-year average. In consequence of the 

 high production of this year, the price of potatoes has fallen to a 

 low figure in some, regions. This crop seems to be one of those that 

 are worth less in the aggregate when the production is very high than 

 they are worth when the production is low. The potato crop of 

 1911, it will be remembered, was deficient and large imports were 

 brought into the country to supply the temporary deficiency, yet the 

 short crop of 1911 was worth $234,000,000, or $44,000,000 more than 

 the abundant crop of this year is worth. 



BARLEY. 



With a production of 224,619,000 bushels the barley crop of this 

 year far exceeds the largest one heretofore produced. It is an ex- 

 traordinar}^ production for this country, and exceeds the average 

 crop of the five preceding years by 35.7 per cent. This is a crop that 

 has increased very much during the last 20 years, and even during 

 the last 10 yeai-s. Perhaps, in consequence of the extremely high pro- 

 duction, the price of barley has declined so as to make the value of the 

 entire crop below that of the record year. This year's crop is valued 

 at $125,000,000. while the crop of 1911 had n value of $139,000,000, 

 although its production was 64,000,000 bushels less. Still, the value 

 of this year's crop is 18.5 per cent above the five-year average. 



TOBACCO. 



The tobacco crop has not quite risen to the high level of production 

 of most 6f the other crops, since it has been exceeded by the crops of 

 two former years. The production, however, of 1912 is 959,437,000 

 pounds, and is 7.1 per cent above the average of the preceding five 



