*26—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, July 18,1981 ] 920, a tOUgh year for
Too much of everything triggers price fall
WASHINGTON, D.C. - It was a
year not unlike many we’ve seen.
A year that somehow held the
promise of being a big one tor
farming.
Only it didn’t work out that way.
There was simply too much of
everything and prices fell It was
1921—60 years ago.
The agricultural census showed
the nation had 6,452,000 farms.
Maine had 48,000 of them (versus
about 8,000 today). Texas, ot
course, had the m05t—436,000 ot
them, followed by North Carolina
with 270,000, Missouri with 263,000,
Tennessee with 253,000, and
Arkansas which had 233,000.
USDA’s Monthly Crop Reported
noted that livestock numbers were
off 10,000,000 from 1920, and that
the value per head had declined. It
never did say exactly why—
perhaps everybody knew and it
wasn’t necessary.
Horse numbers fell from 20.8
million in 1920 to 20.2 million in
1921; milk cow numbers from 23.6
million to 23.3 million; beef cattle
numbers from 44.8 million to 42.9
million; sheep from 47.1 million to
45.1 million head; and hog num
bers from 71.7 million m 1920 to 66.6
million.
Illinois with 1,394,000 horses and
lowa with 1,328,000 had more than
Texas, which had 1,187,000 on
farms.
Wisconsin, of course, had the
most milk cows—l,B2B,ooo. New
York was second with 1,448,000.
Minnesota was third with 1,395,000.
Texas had the most mules—
-792,000—m0re than twice
Missouri’s total of 367,000. Then
came Georgia, with 347,000;
Arkansas, with 327,000; and
Alabama, with 322,000.
Texas had the most other cattle,
4,547,000 ot them. Followed by
lowa, with 2,969,000; Nebraska,
with 2,659,000; and Kansas, with
2,075,000.
lowa had the most hogs—
-9,510,000 of them. Followed by
Illinois, with 4,585,000; Indians,
with 4,209,000; and Missouri, which
had 4,047,000.
The nation’s farms burned
68,244,000 cords ot wood that year.
North Carolina tarms burned the
m05t—4,590,000 cords ot it,
tollowed by Tennessee with
4,301,000.
Even the statisticians were
skeptical of the statistics. An Ohio
statistician reported there were
35,026 silos, 8,313 tractors, 4,660
trucks on Ohio farms. While ac
cepting the silo figure, he pointed
out: “In the opinion ot the
statistician there are more trac
tors and trucks on Ohio farms than
this report shows.”
The value of horses fell from
$94.42 per head in 1920 to $B2 45 in
1921—the lowest since 1906.
Mule prices tell from their
j record 147.07 per head in 1920 t(
slls.72—their lowest since 1916.
Here, a brief note hinted why.
"The depression m the cotton
states,” it said, was responsible for
bringing the mule prices down.”
Milk cow prices tell 25 percent—
from $85.11 per head in 1920 to
$63.97, other cattle prices were
down 27 percent—from $43.22 to
$31.41. The value of hogs tell 32
percent—from $19.01 in 1920 to
$12.99 in 1921; sheep prices fell 39
percent—from $10.52 to $6.41.
Wheat prices, at $2.58 per bushel
in mid-1920, were down to $1.40 by
January, 1921. They’d go to $l.ll
per bushel by May, then to $l.Ol in
September.
Corn prices, at $1.85 in mid-1920,
fell to 59M cents by June, 1921.
Oats, at $1.03 in 1920, tell to 38 cents
a bushel in June, then to 30 cents a
bushel by October, 1921. Hay
dropped from $24.85 in mid-1920 to
$12.52 in June, 1921—then to $11.36
later that year.
Cotton, at 37 cents in mid-1920,
dropped to 9.4 cents per pound by
May, 1921. Butter, at 38Vi cents in
1920, tell to 29*/2 cents by rmd-1921.
Eggs, at cents per doz. in 1920,
Farmers
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S.
farmers’ use ot insecticides and
herbicides in the coming decades
is expected to grow at a slower rate
than in the 1960’s and 70’s. Through
1990, farm pesticide use should
increase less than 1 percent an
nually, compared with 4 percent a
year from 1966 to 1976.
The trend to Integrated Pest
Management is a major reason,
according to USDA economist Ted
Eichers. In IPM, current
technology and management
practices can reduce crop losses
from pests without relying as
heavily on chemicals.
Eichers lists other reasons for a
slower increase in the use of
pesticides: tor example, more
complex chemicals applied at
lower rates and machines that can
apply them more efficiently.
While growth in the amount of
pesticides used is slowing, costs
are going the other way. Still,
pesticide costs m the 1970’s rose at
less than half the rate of other
farm inputs. Rising chemical and
energy prices, however, are likely
• MIXED FERTILIZER • AGRICULTURAL CHEMICALS
* ROYSTER BONANZA
/Fertfoenf AND CROP SPECIALS
MATERIALS FOR BLENDING
OR DIRECT APPLICATION...
46%
33 Vz%
30%
46%
60%
20%
32%
90%
R/K
(Royster / Kirby)
500 Running Pump Rd. f Lancaster, Pa. 17601
WRITE OR CALL
LANCASTER 717-299-2541
IN PA. 1-800-732-0398
OUTSIDE PA. 1-800-233-3833
★
armers
were selling at 19Vz cents a dozen
in rmd-1921.
But, potatoes took the biggest
drop. At $4.21 a bushel in June,
1920, they were gomg at 67 cents in
June, 1921.
Hog prices tell from $13.45 m 1920
to $7.62 per hundredweight in 1921;
beef cattle, from $8.97 per hun
dredweight to $5.98; maple syrup
from $2.93 in 1920 to $2.08.
There was austerity in govern
ment as well. An announcement in
the March 1921 Monthly Crop
rely less on
to pull them even in the IUSO's.
The fastest growth in pesticide
use will come overseas, especially
in developing nations. Improved
technology and rising food
requirements m those countries
should lead to rapid increases in
pesticide application rates.
According to an industry study,
world pesticide expenditures
should mcrease by 14 percent from
1980 to 1984—a 3.5-percent annual
mcrease.
The same study reports that
herbicides should show the fastest
growth rate in the U.S.—more than
tour tunes that for insecticides—
though still tar slower than m 1966-
76.
Much ot the projected growth m
herbicides is due to the increasing
use ot reduced-tillage and no-till
practices by farmers trying to
save on machinery and work time
and energy costs. These farmers
will have to apply additional
herbicides before planting to kill
existing vegetation, besides that
normally applied in the preplant
and eartygrowth stages.
UREA (GRANULAR)
AMMONIUM NITRATE
NITROGEN SOLUTION
DIAMMONIUM PHOSPHATE
TRIPLE SUPERPHOSPHATE
MURIATE OF POTASH
GRANULAR ZINC
BORATE (GRANULAR)
MICRONUTRIENT MIX
SULFUR (GRANULAR)
To Serve You Better From Lancaster, PA...
AGRI SERVICE
' Reporter noted that: “Owing to the
small tund available for printing, it
has been found necessary to
suspend the free list of the Monthly
Crop Reporter except to persons
co-operating with the U.S.
Department ot Agriculture.”
Other persons could subscribe to
the pubhcation for 25 cents per
year, 40 cents foreign.
All in all, it must have been a
very tough year, both tor farmers
and USDA.
pesticides
Insect and disease populations
may also increase because ot the
reduced cultivation, requiring
more pesticides, but this won’t
otlset the trend to slower annual
increases in use.
Some researchers even predict a
reversal of usage rates tor in
secticides in the coming decades—
something that has already hap
pened with cotton, a crop tor which
IPM works particularly well.
Other improved management
practices should also help to hold
down pesticide use. Crop rotation
was a primary method ot insect
control before the development of
effective pesticides. Many fanners
have been returning to this
practice, particularly in the
leading corn-growing areas where
soybeans have become a major
crop.
Alternating com with a legume
crop such as soybeans reduces the
chances that rootworms will build
up large populations or become
resistant to a chemical after
repeated use.
LATE SEASON SPECIALS
Bicep
Balan LC
Dual (30 gl)
Dyanap
Diazinon-Captan
(Seed Treater)
Disyston 8 LC
Princep 4 L
Prowl
Ridomil
Sutan 6.7 E
Surf lan
Treflan
Unite
m
Fertilizers