384 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE Off. Doc 



REPORT OF COMMITTEE ON CEREALS AND CEREAL CROPS 



By EDWARD LEINHARD, Chairman. 



The year 1915 shows a higher value in cereal crops produced than 

 any former year. Wheat, corn, oats, rye and potatoes — a total of 

 6,104,695,000 bushels, with an estimated value of |3,504,129,000— was 

 5 per cent, higher than the crop of 1914 and 25 per cent, above the 

 five year average. The increase in value of crops was due to the in- 

 crease in number of bushels produced. 



WHEAT 



The premature reports of the enormous crop of wheat for 1915 

 has materialized as fully as predicted by the authorities at Wash- 

 ington, the total production for the country being 1,001,505,000 

 bushels, valued at $930,302,000. The number of bushels for this 

 State is estimated at 24,928,000, produced on 1,312,000 acres, the 

 average yield being 19 bushels per acre, while the yield for the United 

 States is 16.9 bushels an acre, an increase of 2.3 bushels above the 

 5 year average. The price per bushel was 6.0 cents less than 1914 — 

 92 and 98.6 cents, respectively. The damage by the Hessian fly in 

 this State was only about one-half as great as in 1914; over one- 

 half of the counties being affected, Berks county sufifering the most, 

 about one-fourth of the crop being affected. 



CORN 



The estimated value of the corn crop was 1.8 per cent, more than 

 for 1914. The total value of the crop for the country was |1,755,- 

 859,000. The average number of bushels per acre is 28.2 bushels per 

 acre, with 108,321,000 acres seeded, producing a total of 3,054,535,000 

 bushels. This State produced 54,792,000 bushels on 1,522,000 acres. 

 With an average of 30 bushels per acre it was 3 bushels less per acre 

 than in 1914. This was due to the wet weather during the growing 

 season interfering with necessary cultivation, especially on low 

 grounds. Very little damage was done by frost; by the time that 

 the first frost or freezing occurred, most of the corn had matured 

 to such an extent that no extensive damage was done. 



OATS 



The oats crop for this country was 1,540,362,000 bushels with an 

 average of 37.8 bushels per acre, or 8.1 bushels more per acre than 

 in 1914 and 7.5 bushels above the five year average. Our State is 

 14th in the production of oats, having harvested 1,094,460 acres with 

 an average of 39 bushels per acre, a total of 43,095,000 bushels and 

 the estimated value $19,823,700. 



