Official Report

OF THE

Ohio Department of Agriculture

ON THE

Condition of Crops and Area of Oats, May 1, 1912

The following report, reference to wheat, fruit and other crops, is compiled from returns received from official correspondents of this Department:

WHEAT-Condition compared with average_

OATS-Area for 1911 as returned by township assessors.
OATS-Area sown this year compared with 1911----
OATS-Estimated area for the harvest of 1912--
SPRING BARLEY-Area sown compared with last year.
WINTER BARLEY-Condition compared with average.
BARLEY-Total area:

-Sown last fall_

-Sown this spring

RYE Condition compared with average.
CLOVER-Average date of seeding-.

CLOVER—Acreage sown compared with last year.
FRUIT-Prospect compared with normal yield___.
BERRIES Prospect compared with normal yield___
LIVE STOCK-Losses during winter and spring:

-Horses

-Cattle

-Sheep

-Hogs

AVERAGE PRICES.

44 per cent. 1,460,312 acres 128 per cent. 1,877,921 acres

97 per cent. 67 per cent.

21 per cent.

79 per cent. 75 per cent. March 30 83 per cent. 71 per cent.

81 per cent.

2 per cent. per cent. 3 per cent. 4 per cent.

Ohio's 1912 wheat harvest will be a failure. Not only is the growing plant in poor condition, but a large acreage of the original area seeded has been abandoned. This will necessarily further reduce the production. We quote no figures reference to the abandoned area, but from corre

spondents' notes, no doubt it has been such as to seriously affect the harvest. Generally, early-sown wheat is reported in fair condition. The exception is the northwest section of the State. In this section little or no wheat remains, and that growing is in exceedingly poor condition. The present condition of the growing wheat plant for the State as a whole is estimated at 44 per cent. compared with an average. This is a decline in condition of 17 per cent. since issuance of report one month ago. Conditions by State sections follow: northeast, 49 per cent.; southeast, 72 per cent.; northwest, 20 per cent.; southwest, 44 per cent. No material damage by Hessian fly or other insects reported.

The oats area shows a large increase compared with acreage sown last year. This is due principally to failure of wheat. Reports from township assessors show that in 1911 the oats area was 1,406,312 acres. In the present report the official correspondents of this Department estimate that 1,877,921 acres have been sown for coming harvest.

Growing conditions of rye estimated at 75 per cent., compared with an average.

Fruit prospect has increased since last report.

The present estimate is 71 per cent., compared with a normal yield, as against 67 per cent., reported one month ago.

No reports of unusual losses to live stock during winter and spring.

NORTHEAST SECTION.

NORTHEAST SECTION-Concluded.