BARLEY 



Barley acreage in 1929 increased about 20 per cent over that of 1928. Acreage 

 in 1929 was placed at 251,000 compared with 209,000 in 1928 and 195,000 acres 

 in 1927. During the past decade barley has been steadily growing in favor with 

 stockmen as a feed grain with the result that barley acreage has grown at the 

 expense of oats acreages. In 1920 barley acreage was but 64,000 acres or about 

 12 per cent of the oats acreage. In 1924 barley acreage was 18 per cent of the 

 oats acreage; 37 per cent in 1928 and 45 per cent in 1929. 



Production of barley in 1929 was 4,016,000 bushels compared with 6,374,000 

 bushels in 1928 and 6,435,000 bushels in 1927. The average yield in 1929 was 16.0 

 bushels per acre and compares with 30.5 bushels per acre in 1928, and 33.0 bushels 

 per acre in 1927. The low yield per acre in 1929 is accounted for by the extreme 

 drought conditions that prevailed during the growing season. 



FLAX 



Flax production in Montana in 1929 was 938,000 bushels compared with 

 1,556,000 bushels in 1928. Acreage harvested, however, placed at 293,000 in 1929 

 was about 60 per cent larger than the revised acreage for 1928. Yield per acre 

 on the other hand averaged 3.2 bushels in 1929 against an average of 8.5 bushels 

 in 1928. However, due to prices being higher in 1929 ($2.80 as against $1.92 in 

 1928) the total value for the 1929 crop was almost as much as for the 1928 crop, 

 or $2,626,000 in 1929 against $2,988,000 in 1928. 



The average value per acre for the crop in 1929 was $8.96 or a little more 

 than half the 1928 acre value of $16.32. The average value per acre of the crop 

 in 1929 was only slightly under that of wheat, which was $9.12. 



Montana was fourth among flax producing states in 1929, production being 

 outranked by Minnesota and the two Dakotas. Most of the crop is grown in the 

 northeastern and eastern portions of Montana, where drought conditions in 1929 

 were the worst. The harvested yield was well below the 10-year average of 5.5 

 bushels. The large increase in acreage in 1929 was probably due to the late cold 

 spring which delayed seeding of other grain crops until it was too late for any- 

 thing but flax. 



RYE 



Rye acreage in Montana in 1929 declined about 28 per cent. Yields per acre 

 averaged somewhat lower in 1929 due to drought conditions during the summer 

 growing season. In 1929, 1,221,000 bushels were produced from 111,000 acres 

 with an average acre yield of 11.0 bushels. The 1928 crop, from a harvested 

 acreage of 154,000 acres with an average acre yield of 14.0 bushels, was 2,156,000 

 bushels. The average farm price was only 3 cents higher in 1929 than in 1928, 

 the December price being 72 cents per bushel in 1929 and 69 cents in 1928. 



ALFALFA SEED 



Montana ranks fourth in the production of the nation's supply of alfalfa seed. 

 Production of alfalfa seed in 1929 was just a half again as large as in 1928, or 

 72,000 bushels (5,320,000 pounds) which was produced from 30,000 acres with an 

 average yield of 2.4 bushels per acre. The increase in production in 1929 was 

 brought about as a result of a 50 per cent increase in acreage with the yield per 

 acre remaining about the same as in 1928, or 2.4 bushels, which on 20,000 acres in 

 that year gave a production of 48,000 bushels (2,880,000 pounds). Prices paid to 

 growers for the 1929 crop averaged about $11.50 per bushel. This was about $2.40 

 less than was received in 1928 per bushel. 



Nearly half of Montana's alfalfa seed production comes from growers of 

 registered Grimm and Cossack. The quality of Montana grown alfalfa seed is 

 generally recognized and the crop usually finds a ready market outside of the 

 state. 



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