No.   104 May 1, 1934
INDIANA
CROPS AND LIVESTOCK
U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
DIVISION OF CROP AND LIVESTOCK ESTIMATES
CO-OPERATING WITH
PURDUE UNIVERSITY
AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS
WEST LAFAYETTE, INDIANA
INDIANA
The abandonment of winter wheat was estimated as 3.0 per cent of last
fall's sown acreage. The sown acreage last fall was 1,684,000 acres and
1,633,000 remained for harvest May 1st. The loss of acreage was very
spotted, no large area suffering to a greater extent than any other.
The condition of winter wheat was reported 80 per cent of normal, about
the same as the ten year average and 2 points above last month. The usual
change for April is a 5 point increase. Drouth was beginning to cause
apprehension May 1st but little actual damage was apparent in wheat
fields. A yield of 16.0 bushels per acre and a production of 26,128,000 bushels is indicated at this time. The average crop from 1927-1931 was 27,-
401,000 bushels.
The acreage of rye to be cut for grain is 111,000 acres. This is 22,000
acres more than last year. The condition is 82 per cent of normal, 3 points
below average. This indicates a yield of 12.0 bushels per acre and a production of 1,332,000 bushels.
Stocks of hay are very low as the crop last year was short. Only 10.0
per cent of the crop or 182,000 tons was on hand May 1st. The average
carry over from 1923-1932 was 342,000 tons.
The condition of hay meadows was reported as 72 per cent of normal
or 8 points below average. Prolonged deficiency of precipitation has resulted
in slow growth of grass hay, and to a lesser extent of legumes. Pasture
condition is reported as 67 per cent of normal.
On farms having 375 or fewer hens and pullets of laying age, 58 per
cent of the hens were laying the same as a year ago. The average number
of hens and pullets per farm flock was 96, compared with 109 last month
and 101 a year ago.
On reporter's farms 72.0 per cent of the cows were being milked, compared with 68.8 last month and 73.8 last year. Production per cow milked
was 19.8 pounds this month, 20.6 pounds a year ago, and 17.6 pounds last
month.
UNITED STATES
The crop situation continued highly abnormal and crop prospects are
very uncertain because of inadequate rainfall and a general lack of subsoil
moisture in the North Central and Western groups of States which ordinarily have two-thirds of the total crop acreage.
In the country as a whole winter grains do not show unusual abandonment but yields per acre seem likely to be not far above the lowest yield
per acre of recent years. Hay crops and pastures have had a poor start and
their condition on May 1, as reported by crop correspondents, was substantially lower than on the same date in any of the past fifty years. The shortage of pasture is particularly serious in areas that were severely affected
by drought last season and which are now suffering from an acute scarcity
of feed for all livestock.
Fruit prospects are only slightly below average for this time of year.
No serious injury to the apple crop has been reported thus far and a late
spring has often been favorable to apple production. The apparent failure
of the peach crop from Illinois and Michigan eastward is offset to some
extent by better than average prospects in the South. The cherry crop has
been reduced by winter injury in the eastern and central States and by
diseases in California. The condition of citrus fruits as a whole is a little
above the May 1 condition a year ago.