6 BULLETIN 909y U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



RELATION OF WEATHER TO PRODUCTION. 



The average yield of potatoes in the United States per acre har- 

 vested in 1918 was 81 bushels; in 1917 it was 101 bushels. The yield 

 of corn per acre in 1900 was 25 bushels; in 1901 it was 17 bushels. 

 In 1915 wheat yields averaged 17 bushels, but only 12 bushels in the 

 following year. These differences are primarily due to variations in 

 rainfall. 



The yield per acre in pounds for the six grain crops — corn, oats, 

 wheat, barley, rye, and buckwheat — are given in Table IV. In 1894 

 the production was 936 pounds per acre; the following year it was 

 1.227 pounds. In 1901 the yield was 924 pounds per acre and in 

 1902 it was 1,273 pounds. 



The year 1918 was an unfavorable year and was largely respon- 

 sible for the seriousness of the food situation in 1917, but fortunately 

 no such drought year as 1894 or 1901 occurred during the war period. 

 With an increasing area of semiarid land under cultivation, the varia- 

 tion in crops owing to fluctuations in rainfall is of increasing im- 

 portance. 



Table IV. — Production of grain in the United Stales. 



[Pounds of corn, oats, wheat, barley, rye, and buckwheat. 1 ] 



Year. 



1866 

 1867, 

 1863. 

 1869 

 1870 

 1871. 

 1872, 

 1873, 

 1874. 

 1875. 

 1876. 

 1877. 

 1878. 

 1879. 

 1880. 

 1881. 

 1882. 

 1883. 

 1884. 

 1S85. 

 1886. 

 1887. 

 1888. 

 1889. 

 1890. 

 1891. 

 1S92. 

 1893. 



Acres 



(000 



omitted). 



6-1,682 

 64, 972 

 66,715 

 69,458 

 69, 254 

 64, 999 

 68, 280 

 74, 112 

 80, 052 

 8-3, 864 

 93, 920 

 93,205 

 100, 956 

 US, 632 

 120, 927 

 123,389 

 126, 569 

 130, 634 

 136, 293 

 135, 8-75 

 141, 859 

 141. 822 

 146, 281 

 140, 219 

 138, 993 

 146, 732 

 147, 227 

 147, 726 



Pounds 

 (000,000 

 omitted) 



69- 110 



68, 249 



75, 679 



77,271 



S3, 945 



80,116 



87,401 



80, 496 



76, 573 



105, 094 



102, 987 



113.424 



120; 245 



150, 898 



143, 706 



106, 830 



140, 985 



134,753 



155,067 



154, 619 



145, 464 



134, 439 



163, 960 



169, 563 



128, 386 



184, 072 



156, 557 



149, 150 



Pounds 

 per 

 acre 



1, 120 

 1,050 

 1.134 

 1,112 

 1,241 

 1,233 

 1,280 

 1,086 



957 

 1,221 

 1,097 

 1,217 

 1,191 

 1,272 

 1,188 



866 

 1,114 

 1.032 

 i;i38 

 1, 138 

 1, 025 



948 

 1,121 

 1,209 



924 

 1, 254 

 1,063 

 1,010 



Pounds 



per 

 capita. 



1,948 

 1,885 

 2.047 

 2; 047 

 2,229 

 2,025 

 2, 153 

 1,931 

 1,789 

 2, 414 

 2,282 

 2,447 

 2, 526 

 3,088 

 2,865 

 2, 082 

 2, 686 

 2,510 

 2,824 

 2,754 

 2, 534 

 2, 291 

 2,734 

 2,767 

 2,040 

 2,883 

 2,405 

 2 248 



Year. 



1895.... 

 1896.... 

 1897... . 

 1898.... 

 1899.... 

 1900.... 

 1901.... 

 1902.... 

 1903.... 

 1904.... 

 1905.... 

 1906.... 

 1907.... 

 1908.... 

 1909.... 

 1910.... 

 1911... . 

 1912.... 

 1913.... 

 1914.... 

 1915.... 

 1916.... 

 1917.... 

 191S.... 

 1919.... 

 1920.... 



Acres 



Pounds 



Pounds 



(000 



(090,000 



per 



omitted). 



omitted). 



acre. 



144, 216 



134, 972 



936 



163, 052 



199, 984 



1,227 



167, 272' 



204, 973 



1,225 



169, 591 



189,699 



1,119 



175, 199 



207,208 



1, 183 



1-4,374 



213, 157 



1,156 



1S4, 101 



212, 298 



1,153 



184. 630 



170, 634 



924 



1S3, 777 



233, 884 



1,273 



1S1, 671 



207, 615 



1.113 



181, 391 



219, 516 



1,210 



1S4,265 



242, 362 



1,315 



184, 577 



252. 737 



1,369 



183, 674 



215, 647 



1,174 



185, 901 



219, 975 



1,1,83 



188, 577 



232, 131 



1,231 



198, 052 



248,844 



1,256 



203, 718 



218, 946 



1, 075 



201, 302 



277,853 



1.3S0 



205, 264 



230, 265 



1,122 



206, 316 



252, 216 



1,222 



218, 708 



293, 560 



1,342 



211, 893 



235, 025 



1,109 



219, 540 



275, 27S 



1,254 



225, 155 



282, 864 



1, 167 



232, 99i 



273,474 



1.174 



218, 971 



291,315 



1,330 



Pounds 



per 

 capita. 



1,998 

 2,901 

 2.91S 

 2,650 

 2,841 

 2,868 

 2,794 

 2,199 

 2,952 

 2,568 

 2,662 

 2; 882 

 2,949 

 2. 470 

 2; 473 

 2,563 

 2. 700 

 2,341 

 2.929 

 2, 393 

 2,585 

 2,967 

 2,344 

 2, 709 

 2,553 

 2,621 

 2,756 



1 Grain as reported by the Bureau of Crop Estimates, converted to pounds by multiplying corn and rye 

 by 56, wheat by 60, oats- by 32, barley and buckwheat by 4S. For the years 1879, and 1889 to 1909, re- 

 vised figures- as given in the Yearbook for 1919 are used. 



The year 1920 was an unusually favorable year. The yield per 

 acre of the six grain crops was 13 per cent more than in 1919. It was 

 the third highest yield ever grown, being slightly exceeded in 1912 



