BULLETIN 943, IT. S. DEPARTMENT OE AGRICULTURE. 



GEOGRAPHY OF PRODUCTION. 



The geographical distribution of the 1919 wheat acreage of the 

 United States is shown by the accompanying map (fig. 1). Figure 2 

 shows the counties visited in each of the spring and winter wheat 

 States in the course of this study. 



The northern boundary of the Cotton Belt more or less closely 

 coincides with the southern boundary of the Winter Wheat Belt. 

 Likewise the northern boundary of the Winter Wheat Belt coincides 

 with the southern boundary of the Spring Wheat Belt. Table II 

 shows the acreage and production of spring and winter wheat in the 

 States where records were obtained, as compared with the total pro- 

 duction in the United States. Of the spring-wheat area in 1919 

 about 66 per cent was in the States of Minnesota, North Dakota, and 

 South Dakota. Of the winter-wheat area in 1919, over 39 per cent 

 was in the States of Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska. 



Table II.- 



-Importance of 1919 wheat acreage and production in States where records were 

 obtained. 



Region. 



Acreage. 



Ter cent 

 of total 

 acreage 

 (U. S.). 



Production. 



Per cent 

 of total 

 produc- 

 tion 

 (U. S.) 



SPRING WHEAT. 



7,770,000 

 3,650,000 

 3,950,000 



33. 3 

 15.7 

 16.9 



Bushels. 

 53,613,000 

 29, 200, 000 

 36,735,000 



25.6 





14.0 





17.5 







Total 



15,377,000 



65.9 



119,548,000 



57.1 







WINTER WHEAT. 



11,594,000 

 4,274,000 

 3,716,000 



23.2 



8.6 

 7.4 



150,722,000 

 57,699,000 

 54,997,000 



20.6 





7.9 





7.5 







Total 



19,584,000 



39.2 



263,418,000 



36.0 







During the last 70 years the center of wheat production in the 

 United States has moved constantly from east to west. Seventy 

 years ago New York was one of the great wheat-producing States. 

 From New York the region of heaviest production has moved west- 

 ward, through Ohio, southern Wisconsin, and northern Illinois, 

 until now the center of production for winter wheat is in central 

 Kansas and for spring wheat in North Dakota. In 1919 Kansas 

 produced 16 per cent and North Dakota 5.7 per cent of all wheat 

 grown in the United States. 



The agricultural development of these western and northern plains 

 has been largely responsible for the wheat production having kept 

 pace with our wheat consumption. Wheat is not grown to any ex- 

 tent in the South, because of the warm, humid climate, which results 

 in injury from fungus diseases, and also because of the competition 

 with the cotton crop. 



