Full text of Agricultural News Letter : Vol. 6, No. 1

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NEWS LETTER

F E D E R A L
Vol. 6, No. 1

R E S E R V E

B A N K

DALLAS, TEXAS

OF

D A L L A S
January 15, 1951

Do It Now!
State agricultural colleges and farm leaders
are urging farmers to make 1951 crop pro­
duction plans early, in order to obtain maxi­
mum yields during the coming season.
Materials such as seed, fertilizer, insecti­
cides, and supplies should be purchased well
in advance of need. Such action will make
certain they are on hand at the farm when
needed and will permit manufacturers of
these materials to make maximum use of
plant capacity, labor, and raw materials early
in the season. Moreover, early delivery will
help eliminate transportation bottlenecks,
which are certain to develop if all the goods
needed for production are moved from manu­
facturers to farmers during the growing season.
The following are important jobs that
should be done this month, if they have not
been completed already:
♦ Buy and take delivery on seed. Purchase
seed of high-producing, adapted varieties. Buy
enough to plant the maximum acreage in
keeping with the soils, climate, and long-range
plan of the farm.
Seed can be stored safely in a dry place,
protected from weather and rodents. It is ad­
visable, also, to have some seed of late vari­
eties available in case replanting is necessary.
Check with the county agent or seed dealer
for varieties best suited to your community.
Test all seed for germination, and treat for
disease if recommended by local farm leaders.
♦ Take delivery on all the fertilizer you can
use effectively this year. Tests have shown
that $12 spent for fertilizer can result in an
increase of $70 in the value of the cotton
crop. Corn yields in central and east Texas

and northern Louisiana have been increased
more than 50 percent by proper use of fertil­
izers. In general, a dollar spent for fertilizer
will yield as high a return as any other dollar
invested in crop production.
♦ Take delivery on sufficient insecticides to
cover minimum needs. For cotton, allow for
at least four applications and plan to follow
early season control recommendations. Rec­
ommendations as to kinds and amounts of
insecticides to be used can be obtained from
county agricultural agents. The 1951 cotton
insect control guide for Texas is now available
from the State’s county agricultural agents.
Decisions should be made now with respect
to the use of sprays or dusts, in order that
suitable materials and equipment can be pur­
chased. Results in 1950 indicate that sprays
are more economical and, when properly ap­
plied, give more effective control. They give
more complete coverage of small plants and
can be used in winds up to 15 miles per hour.
♦ Make plans now for meeting maximum
labor requirements. If it appears that addi­
tional labor will not be available when needed,
substitute machinery if possible. Otherwise,
adjust production plans more nearly in line
with probable labor supply. There is every
indication that there will be less farm labor
available, including migratory labor, than in
1950.
♦ Overhaul and repair old machinery and
equipment. Repaint wooden and metal sur­
faces where needed and examine all imple­
ments for weak spots that might break down
during operation. It will save time and money
to replace those weak parts during the winter
months, for a few hours lost at planting or

This publication was digitized and made available by the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas' Historical Library (FedHistory@dal.frb.org)

2

AGRICULTURAL NEWS LETTER

harvest time may mean the difference between
profit and loss on a crop. Obtain a reasonable
supply of spare parts, particularly those that
ordinarily need to be replaced during normal
operation. Spare parts are usually difficult to
get on short notice.
^ Place orders for needed new machinery
and equipment. Take delivery on such orders
as soon as the machines are available, even
though they may not be needed until harvest
time. If needs are anticipated, the machinery
can be purchased and ready for operation at
the proper time. It may be virtually impos­
sible to get immediate delivery on farm
equipment during the peak season, since
dealers and manufacturers cannot accurately
predict farmers’ demands and produce enough
implements in advance.
♦ Buy and take delivery on sufficient quan­
tities of twine, baling wire, crates, sacks, etc.
to fill anticipated needs. Only through such
advance buying, geared to estimated require­
ments for this year, can serious breakdowns
and losses be avoided and the high production
goals set for agriculture be attained.
Community action is desirable in carrying
out these plans for the coming year. Bankers
and businessmen in agricultural communities,
as well as implement, insecticide, and feed
and seed dealers, should take an active part
in this community planning. In many cases,
they are in a better position than the farmers
to appraise the probable requirements of the
community. Because of their constant contact
with farmers of the area, they can be the focal
point for bringing together information neces­
sary to make adequate plans for all-out crop
production in 1951.
Crop production plans for 1951 should be
fitted into a long-range, balanced farm pro­
gram. Soil-building programs and practices
and the building of livestock programs should
be continued, even though such action may
reduce somewhat potential production in
1951. Sound land use and the rebuilding of
soil fertility are essential to the development
of a more productive agriculture, which may
be required to produce even larger quantities
of food and fiber in future years.

Cotton Variety Tests at Lubbock
A recent progress report (No. 1298) of the
Texas Agricultural Experiment Station gives
the results of 3 years’ tests of cotton varieties
at the Lubbock Substation.
The report covers tests conducted during
the crop years 1947, 1948, and 1949, and
yield data for the top 10 varieties included in
the tests are shown in the following table:
COTTON VARIETY TESTS AT
LUBBOCK, 1947-49
(Pounds of lint per acre)
Variety

1947

1948

1949

IRRIGATED
Hi-Bred
C.A. 89A
Stoneville 2B
Stormproof 1
C.A. 122
Paymaster 54
Stormmaster
Deltapine
Lockett 140-46
Early Foster

634
598
522
491
574
489
571
624
482
556

644
713
690
653
546
550
809
628
525

439
403
395
385
318
509
394
375
377
387

DRY-LAND
Deltapine
Paymaster 54
Stoneville 2B
Stormproof 1
Northern Star
Hi-Bred
C.A. 89A
Macha Early
Stormmaster
Early Foster

292
314
319
277
260
311
277
240
284
252

212
151
148
158
151
148
138
135
133
132

534
480
464
457
470
420
452
467
406
395

688

The varieties C.A. 89A, C.A. 122, Macha
Early, and Stormmaster have stormproof or
storm-resistant plant and boll characteristics.
Additional data on these tests may be ob­
tained from Progress Report 1298, copies of
which may be obtained from the Texas Agri­
cultural Experiment Station, College Station,
or by writing to Mr. D. L. Jones, Superintend­
ent of the Lubbock Experiment Station,
Lubbock, Texas.
“Feed the land and fatten the crops” is a
good slogan lor Texas farmers, because plants
must have plenty of the right kind of food in
order to grow well and produce big yields,
says E. A. Miller, agronomist for the Texas
A. & M. College Extension Service.

AGRICULTURAL NEWS LETTER

tage of this service in order to determine the
quality of the product they are handling.

Corn Varieties fo r Texas
Corn yields of more than 100 bushels per
acre have been obtained in several Texas
counties during the past 2 years. Use of fertil­
ized legumes and application of fertilizer on
the corn crop itself have been major factors
in obtaining these high yields. The planting
of hybrid seed, however, has also been of great
importance, and its widespread use has raised
the average yield of corn in Texas from about
16 bushels per acre to nearly 25. To obtain
the advantage of hybrid seed, it is important
to select a hybrid that is adapted to the area.
Corn variety tests have been conducted
throughout the State for the past several
years, and the following table summarizes
results at five locations:
AVERAGE YIELDS OF CORN, 1948-50
(Bushels of shelled corn per acre)

Variety

Garland

Texas 8
Texas 12
Texas 18
Texas 20
Texas 24
Texas 26
Texas 28
Texas 9W
Texas 1 1W
DeKalb 1025
Funk G 711
United U72
Ferguson’s
Yellow Dent
Surcropper

Location
College
T yler
Station

41.2
41.4
41.6
47.9
44.8
45.9
46.2
40.9
46.4

58.4
59.7

57.6
61.6
56.7
58.9
64.4
65.1
66.4
57.6
63.0
59.4
63.5
57.5

37.9
53.0

51.6
51.8

28.2
30.4

58.2
53.6
56.7
57.2
63.4
65.0
63.6
52.5
57.6
—

Stephen-

33.7
38.2
36.5
36.7
38.5
—

41.7
35.7
38.9

—

—

45.1

36.2
18.2

—

3

27.7

Grass Seed Tested Free
A seed laboratory for testing and identify­
ing grass seed is in operation at State College,
New Mexico. The testing service is free to any
resident of the State, with a limit of five sam­
ples a year.
Seed samples are checked for content and
germination. For example, a report on a sam­
ple submitted may read: blue gramma grass
seed, 70 percent; sand dropseed, 5 percent;
inert matter, 23 percent; and weed seed, 2
percent; with germination, 80 percent. Buyers
and sellers of grass seed should take advan­

A Crime Against Agriculture
Willful burning of grassland and pastures
has been called the worst crime against agri­
culture by Hi W. Staten, Oklahoma A. & M.
College agronomist.
Fires destroy grass seed, remove the vegeta­
tion from the soil leaving it unprotected from
erosion, threaten personal property such as
homes and fences, and destroy badly needed
organic matter, says Mr. Staten.
During the prolonged drought last fall
many southwestern farmers and ranchers suf­
fered severe loss of cured feed when fires
burned over their pastures. It is a strange
paradox that many of these fires were orig­
inally started by the farmers themselves. In
some cases, fires orginated when farmers at­
tempted to burn a strip along the highway
to prevent fires which might be started by
cigarettes and matches thrown from passing
cars. In other cases farmers have believed that
burning off the grass and other residue im­
proved grass production the following spring,
destroyed weed seeds, and, in general, im­
proved pasture prospects for the following
year.
Research has shown that these beliefs have
no scientific basis. Mr. Staten points out that
a grass fire may heat the topsoil to a tempera­
ture as high as 500° F. This heat is sufficient
to destroy undecayed organic matter and to
kill grass seedlings. Experiments at the Kan­
sas Agricultural Experim ent Station have
shown that pasture yields are decreased 65
percent by burning of pastures in the fall.
Another reason given by some farmers for
burning grass and other crop residue is to
facilitate working the land the following
spring. With present power machinery for
chopping up stalks and disking and plowing,
this reason for burning becomes invalid.
Prevention of fires and their immediate
control when discovered should become the
business of every citizen in the Southwest.

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AGRICULTURAL NEWS LETTER

Hogs Need Shelter, Too

Announcements

Hogs need shelter from the weather in
order to prevent outbreaks of influenza when
cold, damp nights follow warm days, says
Dr. W. C. Banks, veterinarian for the Texas
A. & M. Extension Service. Dr. Banks says
that hogs, like human beings, need a warm,
dry place in which to sleep.

January 26-February 4— 1951 Southwestern
Exposition and Fat Stock Show, Fort Worth,
Texas.

While influenza is seldom fatal to hogs, Dr.
Banks points out that it causes a big loss in
flesh and slows down the rate of gain, which
can cause a financial loss to the hog producer.
Symptoms of the disease are lack of appetite
and labored and jerky breathing, accompanied
by a high temperature. Animals usually re­
cover rapidly after 5 or 6 days of sickness.
Dr. Banks suggests that infected animals
be put on a laxative diet— one that contains
some bran or oil meal. Some of the new drugs
are effective in helping to control influenza,
but they should not be expected to take the
place of a warm, dry hog house.

Special Farm Airplane
The first airplane ever designed especially
for agricultural uses was completed recently
at Texas A. & M. College and was successfully
test-flown in December.
The plane is the result of a nationwide co­
operative engineering project to design an
airplane that would meet the needs of farm
and ranch use. Particular attention was given
to providing a wide field of vision for the pilot,
which is essential in dusting and spraying
operations.
Landing speed without a load is 37 miles
per hour, making virtually every pasture a
landing field. In the air the plane operates
satisfactorily at relatively slow speeds of from
60 to 90 miles per hour, facilitating accurate
application of dusts and sprays. Spray and
dust compartments are built into the airplane.
Several safety features have been incorpo­
rated, including a specially designed seat to
give added protection to the pilot.
As soon as additional flight tests have been
made with the plane, it is anticipated that it
will be manufactured on a commercial scale.

January 31-February 11—Houston Fat Stock
Show, Houston, Texas.
February 16-25— San Antonio Livestock Ex­
position, San Antonio, Texas.

Publications
New Mexico Agricultural Experiment Station,
State College:
Effects of Certain Cultural Practices on
Verticillium Wilt of Cotton in New
Mexico, Bulletin 356, by P. J. Leyendecker, Jr.
Spread of Verticillium Wilt to DiseaseFree Soils by Infected Cotton Stalks,
Press Bulletin 1044, by Lester M. Blank
and Philip J. Leyendecker, Jr.
Oklahoma Agricultural Experiment Station,
Stillwater:
Deep Plowing to Improve Sandy Land,
Bulletin No. B-362, by Horace J. Harper
and O. H. Brensing.
Texas Agricultural Experiment Station, Col­
lege Station:
A Tractor-Mounted Spray for Cotton De­
foliation, Progress Report 1284, by M. E.
Bloodworth and others.
Results of Cotton Insect Control Tests Con­
ducted in 1950, Progress Report 1286,
by J. C. Gaines.
Sorghum Webworm Control, Progress Re­
port 1291, by J. C. Gaines.
Rio-Sweet, A Nevs Downy Mildew Resist­
ant Cantaloupe, Progress Report 1292,
by G. H. Godfrey.
The Effect of Legumes and Nitrogen on
the Yields of Cotton and Corn on Lufkin
Fine Sandy Loam at College Station,
Progress Report 1293, by E. B. Reynolds
and J. E. Roberts.
Copies of these bulletins may be secured
by request to the publishers.