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agrlculture. This small crop was caused "by a rather heavy decline in the number of 

 sheep shorn. The quantity of wool shorn in the United States was about 5 percent 

 smaller than the ISkk crop and l8 percent "below the record production of 19^2. It le 

 the smallest production sijiee 1928, .^ 



Other production figures. The peach harvest is coming to a close in Illinois 

 on a crop estimated as of August 1 at l,8o6 thousand "bushels. This is a"bout 50 percent 

 above the recent 10-year average. Our commercial apple crop in Illinois is down more 

 than 20 percent from a long-time average and somewhat below last year*s short crop. 



Production of timothy seed in the United States this year is estimated at 

 1*593,000 bushels, 19 percent larger than in 19Mi- but 5 percent below the recent 10- 

 yeeu:* average. Current supplies, Including production and carry-over of timothy seed, 

 are about 2 percent smaller than a year earlier. We have larger stocks this year than 

 last of lespedeza, Sudan grass, Laidno clover, sweet clover and several other field 

 seeds. Seed stocks are smaller of Kentucky blue grass, alsike clover, white clover, 

 timothy, brome grass, red top, red clover and alfalfa. 



Domestic supplies of barley for 19k'^'k6 are about 2 percent below the previ- 

 ous season. This decline is a result of the smallest crop since 1937, about 10 per- 

 cent less than the 19^ crop. This is partly offset by a heavier carryover of stocks 

 from the previous year. 



Mid-season potato production is especially heavy, and efforts are "being made 

 to stimulate consumption of potatoes at the present time. Tomato production in Illinois 

 is relatively poor. Most vegetables continued to be about two weeks late in this state. 



Meat supplies at low level . Although Secret€a7- Anderson indicated that meAt 

 rationing was on the way out, possibly next month, storage stocks are relatively low, 

 and it is expected that the strongdemand for meats will be maintained long enough to 

 absorb the rather heavy movement of cattle and' hogs that is anticipated during the 

 fall and early winter months. Cold storage holdings of pork on Augiiat 1 were Just a 

 little more than one -half as large as on August 1, 19^, and about 60 percent as large 

 as the August 1 five-year average {I9h0-kk) , Holdings of lard and rendered pork fat 

 are less than one -fourth as large as last year and about 30 percent as large as the 

 five-year average. Total holdings of beef are considerably higher than last year and 

 about three times as large as the five-year average. We shall have to continue to 

 depend on beef as our chief source of meat until the peak of the hog marketing season 

 in December or January, The I9H fall pig crop is expected to be about 13 percent 

 larger than in I9UU and should help relieve the meat situation by May of next year. 



Range conditions have been excellent, and cattle men report that the ranchers 

 are in a mood to carry larger than normal supplies of range cattle over winter rather 

 than to sell them at substantial discounts from present prices. On the other hand, 

 com belt cattle feeders are expecting to be able to buy feeder cattle considerably 

 cheaper during the next few months. The improvement of the com crop will tend to en- 

 courage cattle feeding and a continuation of the present practice of feeding hogs to 

 heavy weights. 



GLJrml 

 8-25-U5 



