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Show U. S. Seed Raisers Grow Record Crops to Meet Unprecedented Wartime Demands American Producers Must Make Up for Imports Now Cut Off In a remote outpost of New Caledonia a sergeant bellows from the door of a mess hut, "Hey, Murphy, how about those vegetables?" "Coming right up, Sarge!" And Private Murphy moves at a fast clip from the camp garden, laden with fresh vitamins vit-amins and minerals in the form of sweet corn, tomatoes and string beans for the evening eve-ning meal. This scene is not as fantastic as it sounds, even in the middle of a war, according to the War Food administration. ad-ministration. It's a fact that Uncle Sam is sending many hundreds of tons of vegetable seeds to all parts of the world with the armed forces. Wherever a permanent camp is set up, and other factors are favorable, fighters who otherwise would get none of the bulky, perishable vegetables vege-tables nre thfmjplvp rnieinfy thn familiar things they know and like with seed from home. Seeds are so small, compared with the vegetables they produce, that they are an economical method of exporting food via either steamer or airplane. In European countries, for example, as much as five tons of tomatoes to-matoes can be raised from a single ounce of seed. Rutabagas, another favored vegetable there, will produce pro-duce as much as 500 bushels from the seed contained in a pint Jar. The total vegetable supply, through June, 1044, is estimated by the department de-partment of agriculture at 391 million mil-lion pounds. Of the allocable por tion, (379,500.000 pounds), 73 per cent or 277 million pounds will go to American farmers, to Victory gardensof gar-densof which 22 million are sought this year and to other civilian civil-ian consumption. This is a somewhat some-what larger supply than was available avail-able in 1943. Some varieties to which gardeners are accustomed may not answer roll call this spring, and there will be a scarcity of cabbage cab-bage seed, but no U. S. gardener, says WFA, need be without plenty of vegetables. Another allocation of 9,600,000 pounds or 2.3 per cent goes to Lend Lease outlets About five million pounds will be available to Russia, and some four million pounds to the United Kingdom. An additional 1.3 per cent, or about 4,450,000 pounds, will be divided among the other Allied Al-lied countries and liberated areas. A total of 3,818,000 pounds, or 1 per cent, will be apportioned to U. S. territories, the Red Cross, friendly nations, etc. U. S. military and war services will receive substantial quantities. All of these exports and shipments total only 4.8 per cent of the total seed allocation. The remainder of the allocable supply, 84 million pounds or 22.2 per cent, will go into what Is known as "contingency reserve," re-serve," a reserve to be used as need arises. Seed needs during recent years have made increasingly large demands de-mands on America's domestic supply. sup-ply. Balancing available seed against claims to bring about a fair division among the claimant groups, and assisting the necessary expansion expan-sion in vegetable seed production, has been a part of the War Food administration's overall food production pro-duction and distribution programs. Seeds Came From Europe. Small vegetable seeds were produced pro-duced almost entirely in continental Europe prior to 1939. When the outbreak out-break of war cut other supply lines, it also stopped, for example, the importation of cabbage and cauliflower cauli-flower seeds from Denmark and llol- Legumes urh as clover are a valuable source of natural nitrogens, as every farmer knows. More seed will he needed for rover rropa In I 1911, prevent estimate show. i UHHHP..J IJHH'.i, H, UUH'mMMIHl.n, IKI, .till I.. Ill li. i.ihiliki w fl'',.W.MCi.l.if 10. 1 1 J.I y Ml "s " v'. - : ' ; ' i if : " - X') i ': 'f Enough seed for five tons of tomatoes Is In the little pile on the scales. According to the department of agriculture, one ounce of seed can grow into that much, If carefully cultivated, as la the practice In Europe. land. Great Britain's growers, who once looked to the European seed market to answer most of their needs, faced a serious shortage. Seed requirements had increased in accordance with a 50 per cent acreage acre-age increase, while the accepted sources of supply diminished. Russia Rus-sia suffered a dangerous domestic seed source loss when Germany invaded in-vaded the Ukraine. And other areas were in similar difficulty. As a natural result, production of almost the entire load of vegetable seed for world needs was assumed by U. S. seedsmen. What those growers accomplished is history, and the prospect for 1944 is for a still further increase In acreage acre-age and in yield. The 1943 vegetable seed harvest was the largest in United States annals, an-nals, latest figures showing production produc-tion of 355 million pounds. This is a 91 per cent Increase over the three-year three-year (1939-41) pre-Pearl Harbor average of 186 million pounds. Very few American farmers grow vegetable seeds as their only cash crop. However, many give vegetable vegeta-ble seeds first place, particularly in the Pacific coast states. A government govern-ment survey has shown that production pro-duction of 29 out of 48 seeds topped the 1942 record harvest for a total increase of 21 million pounds over the 334 million pounds harvested last year. Beans, peas and corn accounted for 331 million pounds of seed In 1943, 6 per cent more than the 1942 production of 313 million pounds. The figure for small or light seeds, such as beet, carrot and cucumber, totaled about 24.1 million pounds last year, 18 per cent more than the 1942 crop of 20.8 million pounds. The harvest har-vest on these small seeds fell below expectations due to a smaller yield per acre for 27 of the seeds and a total harvested acreage 10 per cent less than was intended. Yields Multiplied. Phenomenal increases in acreage yields on some seeds were recorded. Brussels sprouts, with an increase of 371 per cent, led the list. Other large increases were 228 per cent for okra, 225 per cent for mustard, 194 per cent for kale, and 172 per cent for salsify. Total crop production for 1943 exceeded ex-ceeded 1942 by 27 times for brusscls sprouts, 370 per cent for mustard, 358 per cent for dill. 343 per cent for mangclwurzcl, 213 per cent for okra, 202 per cent for kale, 195 per cent for looseleaf lettuce, 181 per cent for Chinese cabbage, 178 per cent for chicory, 165 per cent for carrot, 153 per cent for onion, and 150 per cent for leek seed. Greatest decline in total production probably will be recorded for broccoli, cabbage, cab-bage, romaine lettuce, pepper, kohlrabi kohl-rabi and parsnip seed. Larger acreages of most kinds of vegetable seed. 30 out of 48. helped offset decreased yield per acre of a majority of the crops. Biggest reductions re-ductions in acre yield were reported for cabbage. 40 per cent less than 1942; broccoli, 50 per cent; pepper. 70 per cent; parsnip, 73 per cent; kohlrabi, pumpkin, chicory and cauliflower, cau-liflower, each 76 per cent less. Total land in seeds harvested in 1943 was 423,391 acres, with 80,824 acres covering the small or light seeds and the remainder in garden beans, peas and corn. These figures compare with 397,234 total acreage In 1942, and 77,900 acres in the light seeds. Production of certified seed potatoes pota-toes last year tct a new record, 42 per cent higher than the 1942 record crop. The harvest totaled 29,044,868 bushels, compared with 20,491,817 in '42. This represents more than 6 per cent of the U. S. production of all potatoes, and is nearly 2V times the 10-year average (1932-41) of 12,619.399 bushels. Hay and Cover Crop Seeds. Seed for forage and cover crops is receiving more attention than usual usu-al this year. The 1944 conservation program emphasizes cover crops to help increase production, with a consequent con-sequent need for more seed. Harvest of legume and grass seeds will be encouraged in 1944 under un-der the provisions of the Conservation Conserva-tion Practices Program of the Agricultural Ag-ricultural Adjustment agency. Payment Pay-ment of $3.50 for each harvested acre will be allowed up to a maximum maxi-mum of 25 acres on any farm. Seeds included are legume and grass seeds with the exception of timothy, red-top, red-top, Austrian peas, Kentucky blue grass, cowpeas and soybeans. The clover seed harvest, taken as a whole, did not fare so well. Red clover seed acreage was expanded 15 per cent, with on estimated production pro-duction of 1,142,900 bushels, 11 per cent more than the 1942 crop of 1,0?6,100 bushels. Acres harvested were upped to 1,279.600, an increase of 169,300 acres over 1942. Yield dropped from .92 of a bushel per acre to .89 of a bushel. Acreage increase was largely in Wisconsin and Michigan. Timothy seed, with on estimated 1,499,600 bushels, dropped 11 per cent below the 1942 harvest of 1,678.-500 1,678.-500 bushels of seed. The decrease is reported due to a smaller acreage (394,000). since yield per acre of 3.81 bushels is only slightly less than the 3.84 bushels fur 1942 and is more than the 1932-41 average of 3.21 bush-els. bush-els. Harvested acreage for seeds was smaller in all Important states except Wisconsin and Pennsylvania but acreage cut for hay was larger than the previous year, apparently because of a greater need for tio othy hay than for the seed. More Lespedeia. Lespcdcza seed production totaled 159.920,000 pounds, a 67 per cent in-1 crease over the 1932-41 average ol : 95.564.000 pounds, but 6 per cent smaller than the 1943 crop of 170,-500,000 170,-500,000 pounds. A 9 per cent reduction re-duction in yield per acre more than offset a 3 per cent increase In planted plant-ed acres. Yield was only 196.5 pounds, due to summer and fall drouth, as compared with 2I0.C pounds In 1942. Total acres wer estimated at 814,000. The harvest during the coming season of Incrcoscd amounts ol grass and legume seeds, vegetabl seeds and of seed crops In genera! is highly advisable, says the Wai Food administration. It will roist the national seed supply and provide pro-vide for increased domestic farnr production to meet expanding wai requirements for food and fiber. Anc it will provide seeds to help meet the needs of the Allies and of th liberated countries as they are freed from Axis control. Making as muck seed as possible available to European Euro-pean farmers when that phase of the war ends, will aid them to rehabilitate rehabili-tate their land so that they can gro more food ond fiber for themselves, thereby lowering their requirement! for farm commodities from the Unit cd States. j |
