SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XLVI. No. 1199 



months i£ we are to meet satisfactorily the 

 domestic demands and the needs of the nations 

 with which we are associated in this struggle. 

 There must be no breakdown on the farms, no 

 failure of foods, feedstufPs, or clothing. I can 

 not emphasize too strongly the urgent neces- 

 sity of doing everything possible to bring 

 about a still further increase in the production 

 of all essential commodities, particularly of the 

 staple crops and live stock. 



The yields in 1917 of the major food crops 

 are as follows, the secretary reports, according 

 to unrevised estimates : 3,191,000,000 bushels of 

 corn, 659,797,000 of wheat, 1,580,000,000 of 

 oats, 201,659,000 of barley, 56,000,000 of rye, 

 16,813,000 of buckwheat, 33,256,000 of rice, 

 73,380,000 of kafir, 439,686,000 of Irish pota- 

 toes, 84,727,000 of sweet potatoes, 15,957,000 of 

 commercial beans, 42,606,000 of peaches, 11,- 

 419,000 of pears, 177,733,000 of apples, and 

 7,621,000 tons of sugar beets. 



" The actual increase in the acreage of crops 

 sown this fall can not be accurately determined 

 at this time," the secretary says. " There is 

 every indication, however, that the farmers in 

 the sections where fall grains can be profitably 

 raised have patriotically responded to the na- 

 tion's call for more breadstufFs. Reports made 

 to the Bureau of Crop Estimates in August, 

 before the campaign for increased acreages 

 was well under way, indicated an intention on 

 the part of farmers to increase their sowing 

 of winter wheat by about 10 per cent., and of 

 rye by about 3 per cent. If these intentions 

 are realized, it will result in the planting of 

 44,100,000 acres of wheat and about 4,340,000 

 acres of rye. Reports received since August 

 are to the effect that the fall-sown acreage of 

 these two crops has been increased in nearly 

 every state, although the drought in the South- 

 western States and in portions of Washington 

 has made it impracticable fully to carry out 

 the planting program. The official estimate of 

 the acreage of winter wheat and rye will be 

 issued on December 19 after the planting of 

 winter grains is completed in the South. 

 Similarly, it is too early to determine the per- 

 centage of germination of seed actually sown, 

 and therefore any prophecy at this time as to 



the actual harvest of winter wheat to be ex- 

 pected in 1918 would be merely a guess." 



The report outlines the efforts of the depart- 

 ment of agriculture to increase the meat 

 supply and sums up the live-stock situation as 

 follows : 



" The number of milch cows and other 

 cattle has shown an increase during the last 

 four or five years, the estimate for the former 

 for the present year being 23,906,000, as 

 againts 22,768,000 a year ago and 20,497,000 in 

 1913, before the European war began, while 

 that for the cattle is 43,291,000, as against 40,- 

 849,000 a year ago and 36,030,000 in 1913. 

 Unfortunately, the number of sheep continues 

 to decline; the estimate for 1917 is only 46,- 

 059,000, as against 48,483,000 a year ago and 

 51,482,000 in 1913. It is estimated that the 

 number of hogs, which during recent years has 

 shown an upward tendency, decreased over 4,- 

 000,000, or from 67,453,000 to 62,747,000. 

 However, it is greater than it was at the begin- 

 ning of the European war. The number of 

 hogs varies from year to year more widely than 

 that of the larger meat animals. . . . The mere 

 statement that the population has steadily in- 

 creased in this country — the gain in the 10 

 years from 1908 to 1917 being 13,000,000— 

 with an absolute decrease in the live stock for 

 the same period, would sufficiently emphasize 

 the seriousness of the situation if conditions 

 were normal and the demands for meats and 

 fats were not so urgent." There is a close 

 relationship, the report says, between the pro- 

 duction of live stock and the supply of feed- 

 stuffs, and the large production of these neces- 

 saries during the present season should con- 

 duce to more satisfactory conditions for the 

 producers of live stock. 



Ifation-wide campaigns to increase the meat 

 supply are in progress, the report shows. As 

 hogs and poultry yield the quickest returns, 

 urgent efforts are being raade to increase their 

 production. Funds have been set aside from 

 the appropriation made by the food production 

 act to employ a force of 32 additional special- 

 ists to give their time to the task of increasing 

 the number of hogs, 39 to encourage poultry 

 raising, and 6 to assist producers of cattle. 



