359. Maize in the United States.-One-fifth of the area in improved land, one-third the area in crops of all kinds, except pasture, and one-half the area in cereal crops is devoted to raising maize. In 1899, while thirty-five per cent of the farms in the United States raised wheat, eighty-two per cent raised maize.

The average annual production of maize in the United States for three decades, according to the estimates of the United States Department of Agriculture, is given below:

The estimates of the United States Department of Agriculture make it appear that the average annual production during the ninety decade was only slightly larger than the eighty decade, while the census returns indicate that in 1899 the acreage was thirty-two per cent and the production twenty-six per cent greater than in 1889. The average gross value of an acre of maize has been less during all the decades than that of wheat, though in the decline in value of both crops per acre, that of wheat has been more rapid than maize, which would seem to indicate that maize is relatively increasing in value. While in fifty years the production of wheat has increased six and one-half times, that of maize has increased four and one-half times.

360. Maize Surplus States.-Over one-half of the entire maize crop of the United States is contributed from five States, and over two-thirds from seven States, in the following order: Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri, Indiana, Ohio.

These seven States are known as the maize surplus States, because they are practically the only States which supply the commercial centers with maize. Notwithstanding the fact that over ninety per cent of the entire crop was limited to twentyone States, outside of these seven surplus States, maize is largely consumed where raised. Other States besides the seven named, therefore, need not be taken into consideration in the commerce of this crop, except as they need more or less from the surplus States for consumption. Although the tendency of maize production is to concentrate in areas affording the greatest natural advantages, and although the seven just named will continue for years to be the surplus States, statistics show that other States that do not make a business of maize raising, notably those on the Atlantic seaboard, are in recent years making greater relative gains in maize production.

361. Center of Maize Production.--During the last half century the center of maize production has moved from southeast

northward ninety-nine miles. For twenty years the center of maize production has been nearly stationary.

362. Production per Population. The production of maize has increased more rapidly than population during the past fifty years. It is estimated, however, that the number of bushels of maize per capita retained for consumption in the United States was more in the decade 1880-89 than in the succeeding decade,

being 28.6 bushels per capita in the former and 25.5 bushels in the latter. This is the heaviest rate of consumption of any cereal

Diagram showing the increase in the production of maize as compared with the population in the United States during fifty years, according to the reports of the census of 1900.

by any people in the world. It is nearly twice as much according to population as the consumption of all the cereals

in Europe.

363. Yield per The aver

Acre.

age yield of maize

grain during the last two decades was twenty-four

and one-tenth bushels,-nearly twice that of wheat. There are several Southern States in which the annual yield is less than ten bushels per acre. In the seven surplus maize States the annual yield of maize is thirty-five bushels per acre. In these States nothing less than fifty bushels per acre is considered satisfactory by progressive farmers, and yields of seventy-five to ninety bushels per acre are not at all uncommon; while yields of more than 100 bushels per acre are frequently reported.

364. Export of Maize.-While a much smaller percentage of the maize raised is exported than of wheat, the amount is large and is increasing. But for the great shortage of the maize crop of 1901, the average annual exportation of maize for the five years 1898-1902 would have shown an enormous increase over that of the five years 1893-1897. Notwithstanding this great decrease, which makes the exportation of maize in 1902 by far the smallest for the ten years 1893-1902, the total exportation for the five years given shows substantial gains over any

other five years preceding. The total exportation for the five years 1898-1902 was approximately 160 million bushels of grain, while that of the five years immediately preceding was but little more than half that amount,—something less than eighty-three million bushels.

Ninety-two per cent of this great export trade is handled by nine ports, named in the order of their importance, as follows: Baltimore, New York, Philadelphia, New Orleans, Boston, Newport News, Chicago, Norfolk and Portsmouth, and Detroit.

The export trade in maize meal is alsó fast assuming large proportions. The average annual exportation of this product for the five years 1898-1902 was nearly 800 thousand barrels (3,200,000 bushels), more than twice that for the years 18931897. New York, Newport News and Baltimore, in the order named, handled the bulk of this trade.1

The important importing countries have been Great Britain and Ireland, Germany, Netherlands, Canada, Denmark, Belgium and France. Cuba has imported more than a million bushels of grain annually during the five years 1898-1902. Other countries which export important quantities of maize are Argentina, Roumania and Russia.

365. Marketing.-The legal weight per bushel of maize in most States is fifty-six pounds per bushel, although the usual

Types of shellers for farm use: A, one-hole hand sheller; B, two-hole power shelier; C, itinerant power sheller, made with four to eight holes for feeding in the ears.

U.S. Statistical Abstract, 1902, pp. 301-303.

custom well understood in many localities between seller and buyer is sixty pounds per bushel. A large portion of the maize delivered to the country elevator is in the ear, where it is usually shelled before shipping. In most States the legal weight per bushel of maize on the ear is seventy pounds, although it is sixty-eight pounds in a number of States. In some localities, custom requires that a larger number of pounds be given for new maize until a given date, say eighty pounds per bushel until December first.

366. Commercial Grades.-The system of inspection for maize is the same as that for wheat and other grains. As in wheat, soundness, plumpness and mixture of foreign substances or of maize of different color fix the grade. The weight of measured bushels does not enter into the determination of the grade. Illinois Board of Railroad and Warehouse Commissioners recognizes the following classes and grades:

The

Usually in the Chicago market, more maize is dealt in than yellow and white combined, and much more yellow maize than white maize. The grade of all classes of maize usually dealt in is No. 3, No. 4 maize being much more common than No. 2. The following are the rules for grading yellow

maize:

No. I yellow maize shall be yellow, sound, dry, plump and well cleaned.

No. 2 yellow maize shall be three-fourths yellow, dry, reasonably clean, but no^ plump enough for No. 1.

No. 3 yellow maize shall be three-fourths yellow, reasonably dry and reasonably clean, but not sufficiently sound for No. 2.

Rules for white maize are identical with those for yellow, except three-fourths reads seven-eighths. Under these rules, all maize that is less than three-fourths yellow and at the same time less than seven-eighths white is maize.