CROP PRODUCTION STATISTICS 



siderably below that of the crop of 1922 with 45,000 acres. Bean acreage has had 

 an upward trend during recent years as new producing territory has been devel- 

 oped. The 1925 acreage placed at 40,000 marks the high point yet to be reached 

 and is about 6,000 acres above the 1924 acreage. Hay acreage shows a small net 

 increase in 1925 over 1924 due to a larger area of tame and cultivated grasses cut 

 for hay, which increase more than offset a decrease in wild hay and native hay 

 brought about by the dry weather. The sugar beet acreage, as a result of the new 

 factory area opened in the Chinook district, gave a moderate increase for the 

 state as a whole despite reductions in some of the older beet growing sections 

 due to unfavorable spring weather. Seed and canning peas also made a sub- 

 stantial acreage gain. 



Corn acreage dropped from 420,000 acres in 1924 to 399,000 in 1925, due 

 partly to the unfavorable experience of growers with the 1924 crop, although 

 probably more to the effect of the cold weather that prevailed during seeding 

 time last spring. The trend of corn acreage has been strongly upward since 

 1920 and has tied up with the increase in hog raising and diversification of 

 Montana farming during this period. 



A surprising fact brought out by the recent federal census of the State's 

 farms is that while the number of farm units, i. e., number of farms, decreased 

 the actual acreage per farm showed a decided increase. 



AVERAGE ACRE YIELDS 1925-1924-1923 



• Yields per acre of winter and spring wheat, corn, oats, barley, rye, flax, tame 

 and wild hay fell below the favorable out-turns of 1924 and with the exception 

 of rye were below those of 1923. Compared with the five year average yields per 

 acre (1920-1924) yields of these crops in 1925 were but slightly lower as a rule 

 and in case of rye and wild hay slightly higher. Yields of potatoes, beans and 

 peas in 1925 averaged higher compared with both those of the two preceding 

 years and the five year averages. 



YIELDS PER ACRE 



CROP: 



Spring- Wheat. 

 Winter Wheat. 



Corn 



Oats 



Barley 



Rye 



Flaxseed 



Potatoes 



Tame Hay'#... 



Wild Hay# 



Beans 



(# Yield per acre for hay in tons, other crops in units of bushels.) 



CAUSES OF THE REDUCED YIELDS 



The growing season until the end of June continued very favorable for 

 Montana crops as a whole, March, April and May all recording slightly higher 

 than normal mean temperatures and the first two months a moderate excess of 

 precipitation compared with normal. May precipitation averaged 1.36 inches or 

 0.86 inches below normal, but June came in cool and wet during the first half 

 and finished with a total of 2.83 inches of rainfall which was 0.23 inches more 

 than normal and with an average mean temperature of 0.4 degrees above normal. 



In May, however, some low night temperatures were damaging to sugar beets 

 in the yellowstone section, necessitating some replanting. Temperatures as low as 



