Crop Review. 461 



The number of acres seeded to wheat in the fall of 1909 is placed 

 at 1,923,887, a gain of 2.1 per cent, over the original acreage of the 

 preceding year. The increase or decrease of the new wheat acreage, 

 as given by sections, is as follows: Northeast, 15.9 per cent, more; 

 northwest, 10.5 per cent, more; central. 1.1 per cent, more; south w^est, 

 9.8 per cent, less; southeast, 4.4 per cent. more. The condition of the 

 new wheat croj) was 93.5 on December 1, as compared with 79 on 

 December 1, 1908, and an average of 81.4 for the five years previous. 



Oats. — With only 698,653 acres seeded to oats in 1909, as compared 

 with 717,286 in 1908, the estimated yield was 18,808,576 bushels, an 

 increase of 6,907, 136 bushels over the 1908 crop. This is a gain of 

 approximately 58 per cent. The average yield for entire State was 

 26.9 bushels per acre, as compared with 16 bushels in 1908. Figuring 

 the crop at the State average of 41 cents per bushel, the value of the 

 oat crop of 1909 was $7,500,794. Northeast Missouri produces more 

 oats than any other section of the State, with Southw^est Missouri fol- 

 lowing. The banner oat county for the year was Knox, with an oat- 

 put of 1,056,750 bushels. 



It is interesting to note that the 1909 oat crop, the best in five 

 years and considerably above the seven-year average of 22.6 bushels, 

 was not put in as early as was the crop of 1908, the average yield 

 for which was but 16 bushels per acre. On April 1, 1909, but 52.3 

 per cent, of the oat crop had been sown, while 88 per cent, of the 



1908 crop had been sown by the first of April. This would seem to 

 indicate that a late season for oat seeding does not necessarily mean 

 a light yield, nor early sowing a heavy crop. The condition of the 



1909 crop on June 1 was 87, or three points below that of the pre- 

 vious year. There w^as, however, a very marked improvement dur- 

 ing the month of June, the condition on July 1 being 88, as com- 

 pared with a five-year average of 71. The cold, wet spring rather 

 delayed the growth of the plant, but favorable weather for the last 

 few weeks before harvest made possible a good yield. 



Other Crops. — Cool and generally unfavorable weather retarded 

 the growth of grass in some parts of the state last spring, but wdien 

 <jattle and other stock w^ere placed on pasture they made good gains, 

 as the grass was not so "washy" as it often is early in the season. 

 Late summer pastures were cut short by dry weather. Meadows, 

 especially clover meadows, were damaged by the alternate freezing 

 and thawing of the winter and spring, many new meadows being 

 "winter killed." There is also a decided decrease in the output of 

 ■both clover and timothy seed, due to the smaller acreage threshed. 



