REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE. WASHINGTON, D. C., November 15, 1920. SIR: The farmers of America have again justified the faith of the Nation in their ability to meet its requirements of food, feed, and raw materials for clothing. They have produced this year, in the face of enormous difficulties, the largest harvest in the history of American agriculture, with a single exception. The combined yield of the 10 principal crops is 13 per cent above the average for the five years preceding the outbreak of the World War. The corn crop of 3,199,000,000 bushels is unprecedented, representing more than four-fifths of the world's production. The sweet potato crop of 106,000,000 bushels is the largest ever produced and far in excess of that of any other year except 1919. The rice crop of 52,000,000 bushels is one-fourth greater than the largest crop ever before harvested. The tobacco crop of 1,476,000,000 pounds considerably exceeds any previous yield. The sugar-beet crop is more than one-third larger than the largest ever before recorded. The grain sorghum crop of 149,000,000 bushels is 18 per cent above that of 1919, which was itself a record crop. The potato crop of 421,000,000 bushels has been exceeded only once, and then by a very narrow margin. The oat crop of 1,444,000,000 bushels has been exceeded only three times, and the tame hay crop of 88,000,000 tons only twice. The apple crop of 236,000,000 bushels has been exceeded only once, in 1914. The yields of wheat, barley, buckwheat, peaches, peanuts, edible dried beans, flaxseed, and cotton are slightly below the average, but they, nevertheless, represent an enormous volume in the aggregate. The number of all classes of live stock on farms, although less than the number in 1919, exceeds by 18,214,000 the average for the five years preceding the outbreak of the European war. MANY OBSTACLES ENCOUNTERED. These remarkable results were achieved under conditions which were decidedly disheartening at planting time. The farmers were confronted with an unusual number of obstacles, and many of them were formidable. The spring was late and cold and wet, threatening to restrict the crop acreage and making it uncertain whether seed would rot in the ground or whether those which germinated would 3 reach maturity. In only 4 years of the last 37 was the progress of plowing, up to May 1, so backward as in 1920. With this initial handicap and with the prevailing uncertainty regarding weather conditions during the growing season, the farmers were discouraged. They saw no hope of a reduction in the prices of fertilizers, machinery, and supplies, which had increased greatly since 1914. In addition, the labor supply was approximately 37 per cent short, and wages had risen to such a point in 1919 that the farmers were appalled at the thought of paying still higher wages in 1920. Many of the men who entered the military and naval services and war industries did not return to farm work. Wages in all industries, in trade and in transportation, increased so rapidly that their lure became irresistible to many laborers who had thus far remained on the farm, and they, too, were carried with the current to urban centers. Altogether, in the spring of 1920 the American farmers were confronted with the most difficult situation they had ever experienced. The accompanying tables show at a glance the results of the year's agricultural operations, so far as the statistics are available, and indicate also the extent to which farm products have entered into our foreign trade. |