THE WEATHER AND THE WEEVIL 81 



the fact that as late as 1921 the production of cotton was 

 less than eight million bales the lowest crop since 1895. 

 This disastrous crop was not caused by restriction of 

 acreage. The yield per cotton acre for 1921 fell to 124.5 

 pounds of lint, the lowest of which the Department has 

 any record. 



The average yield per acre has varied from this low 

 average of 124.5 to as high as 221 and 222 pounds in 

 1898 and 1897. An examination of Table VI on p. 125 

 will show distinct trends in the yield per acre. Up to 

 1890 the general trend was downward; from 1890 to 

 1905 the trend was upward, after which it was downward 

 until 1909. From 1909 the trend of yields rose to the 

 high level of 209.2 pounds per acre in 1914. The trend 

 since then has been steadily downward with the exception 

 of a fair yield in 1920 of 178.4 pounds. 1 It is yet too 

 early to predict whether the movement upward from the 

 low level of 1921 is of significance. The record crop of 

 over sixteen million bales in 1925-26 was mainly owing 

 to immense increase in western acreage as the yield was 

 only 167.2 pounds per acre. The year 1926 saw an aver- 

 age yield of 182.6 pounds of lint per acre, the highest 

 since 1914. In 1927 this had slumped to 152.3 pounds. 



Four main factors operate to cause changes in the 

 yields per acre: shifts in areas of cotton culture, use of 

 fertilizer, weather conditions, and the depredations of 

 insects, chief of sinners being the boll weevil. 2 Of these 

 four factors only the weather conditions and insect dam- 

 age may be counted as hazards of production. It hap- 

 pens, however, that they are the chief factors influencing 

 yields. 



1 "The Cotton Situation," Dept. of Agriculture Yearbook, 1921, 

 p. 336. 2 Loc. cit. 



