THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS LIBRARY G3O.7 Cop- OP CIRCULATING CHECK FOR UNBOUND CIRCULATING COPY Production and Marketing of Redtop Including a Study of the Place of Redtop in the Organization of Southern Illinois Farms By W. L. BURLISON C. L. STEWART R. C. Ross and O. L. WHALIN UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETIN 404 CONTENTS PAGE I NTROI>UCTION 231 CULTURAL PRACTICES FOLLOWED IN GROWING AND HARVESTING REDTOP 232 Soil Treatment 233 Seeding 235 Harvesting 238 PRODUCTION OF REDTOP IN ILLINOIS 241 Seed i 244 Straw 247 Hay 248 Pasture 250 DISPOSITION MADE OF THE REDTOP CROP IN ILLINOIS 251 COMPETITION BETWEEN REDTOP AND OTHER GRASS SEEDS 255 METHODS AND PROBLEMS OF MARKETING REDTOP SEED.... 257 Marketing Thru Local Dealers 257 Marketing Thru the Egyptian Seed Growers' Exchange and the Redtop Growers' Warehouse Association 261 Marketing by Wholesale Dealers 262 Retail Marketing 263 Recent Efforts to Stabilize Redtop Seed Marketing 264 PRICES OF REDTOP SEED 265 FARM MANAGEMENT ASPECTS OF REDTOP PRODUCTION IN SOUTHERN ILLINOIS 272 Relative Profitableness of Redtop 273 Extent to Which Period of Study Was Normal 273 Organization of Redtop Farms in the Redtop District 277 Redtop in the Cropping System / 279 Competition of Redtop With Other Crops 281 Business Analysis of Account-Keeping Farms in the Redtop District... 284 How Redtop Has Been Used on Selected Farms 288 EFFECT OF CASH-OUTLAY REQUIREMENTS ON USE OF REDTOP 291 PLACE OF REDTOP IN FUTURE ADTUSTMENTS OF SOUTHERN ILLINOIS AGRICULTURE 292 SUMMARY 295 LITERATURE CITED 298 SOURCES OF DATA.. . 299 Urbana, Illinois June, 1934 Publications in the Bulletin series report the results of investigations made by or sponsored by the Experiment Station Production and Marketing of Redtop Including a Study of the Place of Redtop in the Organization of Southern Illinois Farms By W. L. BURLISON, C. L. STEWART, R. C. Ross, and O. L. WHAUN* ]f ^vEDTOP occupies an important place in meadows and pastures in the northern humid region of the United States, particularly east of the Mississippi river, and in the more mountainous por- tions of the humid regions of the Southeast. It is the second most important pasture grass in the United States,7* ranking next to Ken- tucky bluegrass. About 85 percent0* of the world's supply of redtop seed and 95 percent of the total redtop seed in the United States is produced in a dozen counties in southern Illinois, and has been pro- duced there since about 1875. J* A limited amount of redtop seed is produced in Iowa and Missouri as a volunteer crop with timothy. Redtop, the most important of the grasses belonging to the genus Agrostis* is a perennial of the bent-grass group, having a creeping underground habit of growth which makes a coarse, loose sward. If grown isolated, a redtop plant makes tufts 1 to 3 feet in diameter which vary from about 30 to 40 inches in height. The vigorous root- stalks are shallow and generally 2 to 6 inches in length. Redtop ma- tures about the same time as timothy. It is unquestionably native to Europe and not to America,8* despite the claims of some early botan- ists and others that it is native to Illinois.5* The concentration of redtop seed production in the southern part of Illinois has been due to a combination of economic factors, favor- able climate, and soils not so well adapted to other crops. Most of the seed that is now being produced in the Illinois redtop district is grown on gray soils with impervious noncalcareous subsoil (Fig. 3). These lands are very poorly drained, cannot be successfully tiled, are very acid, and have areas called "slick spots."11* Owing to drainage con- ditions, it is very difficult to utilize more than a small percentage of such farms in cultivated crops that require spring seed-bed preparation. Thus a crop like redtop, that once seeded down grows for a number of years with little care other than that involved in harvesting the •W. L. BURLISON, Department of Agronomy; C. L. STEWART and R. C. Ross, Depart- ment of Agricultural Economics; and O. L. WHALIN, formerly in Department of Agricultural Economics. ^Agrostis alba L. or Agrostis palustris Hudson. "These numbers refer to literature citations on page 298. 231 232 BULLETIN No. 4 wlUl I«MT«Key to abbreviations: 0 --= untreated land, or check plots M = manure (animal) R = residues (from crops, and including legumes used as green manure) L = limestone bP = steamed bone meal rP -= rock phosphate K = potassium (sulfate at Odin, kainit at Newton) "Phosphorus application sufficient to bring phosphorus content of surface soil to 2,000 pounds an acre. d200 pounds of rock phosphate an acre a year. •400 pounds of rock phosphate an acre a year. Seeding Redtop gives best results when planted on a well-prepared, com- pact seed bed, because the seeds are small and the plants delicate when young. Redtop is usually sown broadcast. To obtain a stand ordinarily requires from 8 to 15 pounds of seed an acre, with an average of about 10 pounds.8* The amount of redtop sown at any one time depends upon (1) whether the seeding is new or supplementary; (2) whether the seed is thresher-run or recleaned; and (3) whether redtop is seed- ed alone or with other grasses. The amount of recleaned redtop seed actually used for seeding at any one time probably averages not more than 4 pounds an acre and is seldom as high as 6 pounds. Field-grass mixtures in which redtop plays a part are usually ap- plied in amounts ranging from 10 to 20 pounds an acre. The amount of redtop in such mixtures is a tenth to a half of the total weight, redtop being used in the higher proportions on wet or poorly drained soils and in the smaller proportions on good, well-drained soils.14* The time of seeding redtop varies somewhat with the cropping system, tho it is usually seeded in the fall. If seeded after oats or soybeans, the seed bed may be prepared by thoro disking alone. Seed- 236 BULLETIN No. 404 [June, FIG. 4. — A REDTOP PLANT Redtop is a perennial grass, growing 30 to 40 inches in height, with short, vigorous footstalks. When redtop is kept closely clipped, the leaves become fine and a good turf results. If there is a thin stand, the plant becomes coarse and the leaves broad. The blades vary from 3 to 7 inches in length and the panicles from 3 to 11 inches. 1934} PRODUCTION AND MARKETING OF REDTOH 237 ing redtop in the spring on winter wheat land is sometimes practiced (Table 2). The superiority of fall seeding over spring seeding in general is indicated by the data in Table 3. No perceptible difference in yield TABLE 2. — INDICATED PREFERENCES OF REPORTING GROWERS FOR SPECIFIED CROPS TO PRECEDE AND TO FOLLOW REDTOP; DATA OBTAINED FROM 14 SOUTHERN ILLINOIS COUNTIES" County Number of farms reported Corn Oats Wheat Soybeans Cowpeas Before After Before After Before After Before After Before After Clay 18 2 1 6. 1 4 5 11 8 12 1 15 IS 4 3 106 4 17 6 0 4 1 5 3 1 1 Clinton Cumberland .... Edwards 2 0 0 1 4 0 3 0 3 4 0 0 21 4 0 3 3 8 6 8 1 14 13 3 2 82 0 0 1 0 4 0 4 0 4 3 0 1 23 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 0 2 2 3 1 6 0 7 1 1 2 31 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 4 0 1 0 0 5 1 3 0 5 5 0 0 25 1 0 0 0 3 0 2 0 3 3 0 3 18 1 0 0 1 0 4 1 1 0 4 2 0 15 2 0 0 2 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 9 Effingham Fayette Hamilton Jasper Jefferson Marion Perry Richland Wayne White (Not stated) Total for area... •Other crops mentioned once to be produced before redtop were legumes, hay, rye, and grain; and mentioned once to follow redtop were sweet clover, kafir corn, and sunflower. TABLE 3. — INFLUENCE OF DATE OF SEEDING ON YIELDS OF REDTOP SEED AND HAY, NEWTON FIELD (Pounds per acre) Season harvested Seeded in October, 1926 Seeded in February, 1927 Seed Hay Seed Hay 1927 . , 42 69 380 2 220 30 49 300 2 220 1928 due to date of seeding was noticeable by the time the third crop was produced. Redtop is sometimes seeded with a legume such as sweet, white, or alsike clover. While experimental evidence at the Newton and Odin fields shows some benefit to redtop from associative growth with sweet clover, there is also danger that a rank growth of sweet clover may starve or smother the redtop (Table 4). In three trials out of five redtop did not survive on the limed series at Newton. The plots of the regular series, where sweet clover predominated, produced small 238 BULLETIN No. 404 [June, yields of redtop. At Odin, with one exception, the second-year yields of redtop seeded without sweet clover were superior to those of the TABLE 4. — YIELDS OF REDTOP SEED WHEN GROWN WITH SWEET CLOVER AS A COMPANION CROP, NEWTON AND ODIN FIELDS (Pounds per acre) Newton field, lime series Newton field, regular series Odin field, lime series Treatment* Seed, average 1929- 1930>> Treatment" Seed, average 1932- 1933 Treatment Seed. with sw. cl. 1930 Seed, without sw. cl. 1931 rPK 53 86 118 96 0. . . 124 135 80 70 132 91 86 90 0. . . 26 44 56 52 64 60 90 78 99 60 rPK, L 3 tons M R rPK, L 6 tons ML RL rPK, L 12 tons MLrP RLbP R RLbPK RL RLrP RLrPK •See footnote b. Table 1. bSweet clover was seeded as a companion crop to redtop each year from 1929 to 1933. In 1931, 1932, and 1933, however, the sweet clover smothered out the redtop. cOn plots designated ML, MLrP, RL and RLrPK, the sweet clover smothered out the redtop in 1932; on the other plots there were few if any sweet-clover plants. In 1933 there was no sweet clover. first year with the companion crop. The increased yields the second year may have been due not only to the absence of smothering but also to the benefit of sweet-clover residues. Harvesting Redtop is a crop that will stand for a number of years, depend- ing on the fertility of soil and the use made of the crop. Reporting producers indicated an average duration of six years for their redtop fields, with county averages ranging from three years in Effingham to fifteen in Clinton (Table 5). These fields were harvested for seed five years out of six, or 80 percent of the time ; cut for hay 6 percent of the time ; and pastured 14 percent of the time. Meadows were pas- tured 75 days in the fall and 15 days in the spring. Where the mead- ows are pastured for more of the years and harvested for seed less often, not only do the fields last longer, but yields of seed are in- creased. Pasturing also helps to prevent the fields from becoming weedy. In the southern part of the seed area (Fig 2), redtop is commonly cut with a mower for seed as well as for hay, while in the northern part most of the redtop threshed for seed is cut with a binder (Fig. 5). The mower is preferred by many for cutting the seed crop where sufficient livestock is not available for a moderate amount of fall pasturing. 1934] PRODUCTION AND MARKETING OF REDTOP 239 FIG. 5. — HARVESTING AND THRESHING REDTOP IN SOUTHERN ILLINOIS Redtop stacks such as those in a are a common sight over much of the red- top area in southern Illinois. These stacks may be threshed or fed as roughage without removal of the seed. The seed crop is commonly harvested with a binder (&). Threshing may be done directly from the shock or after stacking, suitable time being allowed for the stacks to go thru a sweat. Note the greater amount of stubble on the ground in b compared with a, where cutting was per- formed with a mower. The threshing scene (c) might be duplicated in almost any part of the redtop area during the early days of August. 240 BULLETIN No. 404 [June, TABLE 5. — LENGTH OF LIFE OF REDTOP FIELDS AND USE MADE OF THEM WHILE IN REDTOP; DATA OBTAINED FROM 14 SOUTHERN ILLINOIS COUNTIES» County Number of farms reported Length of life of redtop fields in Number of years cut for seed Number of years cut for hay Number of years pastured Fall pasturing of meadow Spring pasturing of meadow Num- Num- years ber of Extent ber of Extent days days Clay 18 6 5 0 1 65 Heavy 10 Medium Clinton 2 15 15 0 0 Cumberland. 1 Edwards 6 5 2 1 2 45 Medium 25 Light Effingham. . 1 3 2 1 0 Light 0 0 Fayette 4 7 7 0 0 10 Heavy 0 0 Hamilton. . . 5 4 3 1 0 30 Medium 5 Medium Jasner . . 11 6 4 1 1 70 Medium 25 Medium Jefferson 8 5 3 1 1 45 Medium 10 Light Marion 12 8 7 1 0 105 Medium 15 Light Perry 1 10 9 o 1 60 Light 0 0 Richland .... 15 6 5 0 1 90 Medium 15 Light Wayne IS 6 4 0 2 110 Heavy 15 Light White 4 5 5 0 0 60 Light 15 Light (Not stated).. 3 6 6 0 0 30 Light 0 0 Total for area 106 6.2 4.8 .4 1.0 75 Medium 15 Light •Each average for total area obtained by dividing by number reported for given item. The stage at which redtop is cut influences both yield and quality. In deciding when to cut, the producer must often choose between a large yield of redtop seed of lower quality or a moderate yield of high- er quality seed. The proper time to harvest in order to obtain plump seed with a distinct silver cast can be determined only by careful observation. At the Newton field the largest seed yields were obtained in 1928 and 1929 from early cuttings (Table 6). The highest quality TABLE 6. — YIELDS OF REDTOP SEED AS INFLUENCED BY DATE OF HARVEST, NEWTON FIELD (Pounds per acre) 1928 Date of cutting Bundle Seed Date of cutting Bundle Seed Julv 17 . 1 722 44 July 15 2 196 84 19 .... 2 106 62 18 1 908 59 21 1 554 40 20 1 757 46 23 1 290 31 22 1 994 50 July 25 . 1 284 30 July 24 1 712 53 27 2 088 35 26 1 675 40 29 2 316 47 29 1 685 28 31 2 556 46 31 2 249 29 Aug. 2 2 838 51 Aug. 2 2 211 19 2 454 38 6 2 010 38 9 . 2 470 9 8 1 980 31 13... 2 146 7 10 1 770 17 15 1 967 7 1929 1934] PRODUCTION AND MARKETING OF RF.DTOP 241 seed in 1928 was that harvested on July 27, but there was a com- paratively low yield. In 1929 the highest yields were also the best in quality. Generally speaking, redtop should be harvested for seed not later than about one week after blooming is completed, because of the danger of loss of seed thru shattering if harvesting is delayed beyond that time.4* Redtop is cured and stacked very much as timothy is handled. The seed crop is threshed with an ordinary grain thresher with the cylinder and cleaning parts of the machinery adjusted for redtop threshing. In some sections a recleaning attachment is added. PRODUCTION OF REDTOP IN ILLINOIS Redtop is grown extensively over a considerable portion of about 32 counties in southern and southeastern Illinois, altho the bulk of the seed is harvested in a much more restricted area. Production is some- H UNDER sr. 1S3 5ZAND UNDER 15% ^ ISLAND UNDER 30X Igj 30t AND UNDER SOZ •J 50ZAND OVER FIG. 6. — FARMS GROWING REDTOP (OTHER TAME GRASSES) CUT FOR HAY IN 32 SOUTHERN ILLINOIS COUNTIES, 1929 O UNDER 5X EE1 52 AND UNDER I5Z §^ 15% AND UNDER 30Z 50% AND OVER FIG. 7. — CROP LAND DEVOTED TO RED- TOP (OTHER TAME GRASSES) CUT FOR HAY AND HARVESTED FOR SEED, 1929 what spotted thruout the territory, the crop being cut for hay in 1929 on less than 5 percent of the farms in some counties and on 75 per- cent in Wayne county ( Fig. 6) . The proportion of the total crop land in this district devoted to redtop for hay and seed varied in 1929 from less than 5 percent in 11 counties to 64 percent in Wayne county (Fig 7). In the 21 counties having 5 percent or more of the crop land devoted to redtop grown for hay and seed, the acreage ranked above that of all other crops in 5 counties — Wayne, Marion, Clay, Richland, and Jefferson ; second in 7 counties; third in 5 counties; and fourth in 3 counties (Table 7). 242 BULLETIN No. 404 [June, £ as 5 z 5 9 I I — e< pE Q U i 3 as 2 = 8 •o < s o 3 U O M - O 7. X I c« 8SS34.K «. n-gi «Jff| 1934] PRODUCTION AND MARKETING OF REDTOP 243 Redtop ranked second to corn in acreage for the area as a whole. Nine crops occupied practically all the harvested land, and each rep- resented the following approximate proportions of the total crop acre- age in the 32 counties: Percent of crop area Corn 36 Redtop (hay and seed) 28 Wheat 10 Oats 8 Timothy and clover hay (includ- ing timothy for seed) 8 Percent of crop area Annual legumes 3 Soybeans 3 Clovers (red, mammoth, alsike, and all clovers for seed) 3 Cowpeas 2 Farms in the redtop district of Illinois that produce the greatest quantities of redtop have an average area of 224 acres, or about twice that of the average-sized farm of the district. All farms have about the same proportion of the land in harvested crops (Table 8). The TABLE 8. — ACREAGE IN FARMS, IN CULTIVATED CROPS, AND IN REDTOP REPORTED IN 14 SOUTHERN ILLINOIS COUNTIES, 1932* County Number of farms reported Acres in farms Acres in culti- vated crops Acres in redtop Total Average per farm Total Average per farm Total Average per farm Clay 18 2 1 6 1 4 5 11 8 12 1 15 15 4 3 106 4 356 557 280 1 335 199 1 007 510 2 662 1 220 2 733 80 3 949 3 117 698 360 23 063 242 278 280 222 199 252 128 242 152 249 80 263 208 174 180 224 2 436 438 230 569 60 565 329 1 005 358 1 239 20 1 744 844 385 245 10 467 134 219 230 114 60 141 82 91 51 113 20 116 56 96 82 103 1 396 96 10 345 40 152 281 1 071 345 920 50 1 606 1 642 255 161 8 370 78 48 10 58 40 38 56 97 43 77 50 107 109 64 54 79 Clinton Cumberland Edwards Effingham Fayette Hamilton Jasper. . . Jefferson Marion Perry Richland . . Wayne White (Not stated) Total for area •Each average obtained by dividing by number reported for given item. farms reporting the uses made of their redtop grew an average of 84 acres per farm, and pastured 40 acres without cutting it. Of the 44 acres cut per farm, an average of 42 acres was harvested for seed, leaving only 2 acres cut for hay (Table 9). The total acreage in redtop in Illinois in 1929 was approximately as follows: 244 BULLETIN No. 404 [June, Redtop area in Illinois Percent of Acres total farm land Redtop hay 382 000 1.2 Redtop seed 226000 .7 Redtop pasture 572000 1.9 Total 1 180 000 3.8 Redtop area in 32 counties Percent of Acres total farm land 362 000 5.3 225 000 3.3 530 000 7.8 1 117 000 16.4 TABLE 9. — ACREAGE OF REDTOP CUT, PASTURED, AND HARVESTED FOR SEED REPORTED IN 14 SOUTHERN ILLINOIS COUNTIES, 1932 County Number of farms reported Acres of redtop cut (all purposes) Acres of redtop pas- tured (not cut) Acres of redtop harvested for seed* Total Total Average per farm Total Average per farm Total Average per farm Clay 18 2 1 6 1 4 5 11 8 12 1 15 15 4 3 106 772 96 10 145 40 92 145 806 218 394 30 887 753 70 140 4 598 43 48 10 24 40 23 29 81 27 33 30 59 50 18 47 44 624 0 0 200 0 60 136 265 127 526 20 719 889 185 21 3 772 37 0 0 50 0 20 27 29 18 48 20 51 64 46 7 40 752 96 10 110 40 92 88 806 143 376 30 867 681 50 120 4 261 42 48 10 28 40 23 22 73 24 31 30 58 49 12 40 42 Clinton Edwards Effingliarn Fayette Hamilton Jefferson Marion Perry Richland Wayne White (Not stated) Total for area •Each average obtained by dividing by number reported for given item. Seed Acreage. — Redtop harvested for seed in Illinois has varied in acre- age from year to year, and has shown considerable tendency to be up for two years and then down for two years. The acreage harvested for seed continued upward thru 1931 and then moved downward rather sharply. Acreage harvested for seed in the state during 1922- 1932 ranged from 150,000 acres in 1922 to 272,700 in 1931 with an average of 204,800 for the period 1922-1933 (Table 10). A study of acreage of redtop harvested for seed, by counties in Illinois, indicates that the bulk of the seed is produced in a more re- stricted area than is the hay, but is centered in the same counties (Fig. 8). Yield. — Yield of redtop seed averaged 54 pounds an acre for the period 1922-1932 but varied from 30 pounds in 1925 to 75 pounds in 1927 (Table 10). Variation in yield from year to year has been a greater factor in variation in production than has change in total 19341 PRODUCTION AND MARKETING OF REDTOP 245 TABLE 10. — ACREAGE, YIELD, AND PRODUCTION OF REDTOP HARVESTED FOR SEED, UNITED STATES' (In carlots of 30,000 pounds) Year Acres threshed1" Yield per acre Production (carlots) 1922 150 000 Ibs. 65 325 1923 160 700 70 380 1924 162 900 65 350 1925 200 000 30 200 1926 183 300 45 275 1927 240 000 75 600 1928 237 500 60 475 1929 214 900 37 265 1930 208 300 36 250 1931 272 700 66 600 1932 256 500 62 530 1933 171 400 35 200 Average 204 800 54 370 •Proportion outside of Illinois averaged less than 5 percent of total. bCalculated on basis of total production and yields per acre. acreage. Differences in yield from county to county were pronounced during both 1931 and 1932. Counties in the northern half of the seed- producing area tended to show higher yields than those in the southern half (Table 11). Production. — Domestic production of redtop seed averaged 370 carloads or 11,120,000 pounds of cleaned seed for the period 1922- 1933 (Table 10). There was a wide variation from year to year, TABLE 11. — ACREAGE OF REDTOP HARVESTED FOR SEED, YIELD OF SEED, AND YIELD OF STRAW PER ACRE REPORTED IN 14 SOUTHERN ILLINOIS COUNTIES County Number of farms reported Acres in farms Average yield of clean seed Average yield of straw 1931 1932 1931 1932 1931 1932 Clay 18 2 1 6 1 4 5 11 8 12 1 15 15 4 3 106 741 96 10 168 40 82 138 878 232 616 45 897 867 80 150 5 033 752 96 10 110 40 92 88 806 143 376 30 867 681 50 120 4 261 Ibs. 68 78 120 73 88 67 45 67 40 75 19 63 63 62 53 65 Ibs. 64 120 58 88 68 14 73 36 88 64 51 46 98 66 tons .63 .70 .70 .79 .25 .44 .80 .55 .67 .69 .31 .70 .76 .75 .36 .66 tons .66 169 .25 .44 .50 .58 .69 .62 '.62 .57 .62 .50 .60 Clinton Cumberland Edwards Effingham Fayette Hamilton Jasper Jefferson Marion Perry Richland Wayne White (Not stated) Total for area •Each average obtained by dividing by number reported for given item. 246 BULLETIN No. 404 [June, production being as low as 200 carloads in 1925 and 1933 and as high as 600 carloads in 1927 and 1931. Production per farm for reporting farms in the Illinois redtop district in 1931 and 1932 averaged about • = 1,000 ACRES FIG. 8. — SEED ACREAGE OF REDTOP IN 32 SOUTHERN ILLINOIS COUNTIES, 1929 Redtop seed acreage (other tame grasses) gives the same picture as redtop seed production except for slightly greater yields in the northern part of the territory. Nearly 75 percent of the total redtop acreage harvested for seed in Illinois in 1929 was in Wayne, Clay, Marion, and Richland counties. In Jasper, Clinton, Jefferson, Edwards, and Fayette counties a considerable acreage was harvested for seed, the total in the five counties amounting to 20 percent of the total Illinois redtop acreage harvested for seed in that year. 1100 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1926 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 FIG. 9. — SUPPLY, PRODUCTION, AND CARRYOVER OF REDTOP SEED IN THE UNITED STATES FOR THE CROP YEARS 1923-1933 Except for the decrease in production in 1929 and 1930, and some decrease in carryover in 1930 and 1931, conditions have been conducive to a piling up of redtop supplies since 1926. 1934] PRODUCTION AND MARKETING OF REDTOP 247 3,000 pounds of cleaned seed, ranging from 1,200 pounds in each of four counties to more than 5,000 pounds in Jasper (Table 12). The average production per farm for the four leading redtop-producing counties of Wayne, Marion, Clay, and Richland (Table 7, page 242) was about 3,400 pounds. TABLE 12. — ACREAGE AND PRODUCTION OF REDTOP SEED REPORTED IN 14 SOUTHERN ILLINOIS COUNTIES* County Number of farms reported Acres in farms Production of clean seed 1931 1932 1931 1932 Total Average per farm Total Average per farm Clay 18 2 1 6 1 4 5 11 8 12 1 15 15 4 3 106 741 96 10 168 40 82 138 878 232 616 45 897 867 80 150 5 033 752 96 10 110 40 92 88 806 143 376 30 867 681 50 120 4 261 Ibs. 37 428 7 531 1 200 10 126 3 500 5 480 6 162 52 397 7 262 43 678 855 49 948 52 957 4 921 7 948 291 393 Ibs. 2 495 3 766 1 200 2 025 3 500 1 370 1 232 5 240 1 037 3 971 855 3 842 4 413 1 230 2 649 3 100 Ibs. 48 055 i 266 6 396 3 500 6 290 840 53 366 4 822 29 570 Ibs. 2 670 i'200 1 599- 3 50O 1 57? 210- 5 33T 1 206- 2 957 Clinton Cumberland Edwards Effingham Fayette Hamilton Jasper Jefferson Marion Perry Richland 51 926 33 495 920 9 840 250 220 3 709 3 045 307 4 920 2 910 Wayne White (Not stated) Total for area . •Each average obtained by dividing by number reported for given item. Carryover. — In addition to the yearly production of redtop seed the carryover has been significant in determining the total supply available for commercial consumption from year to year. Carryover was small prior to the extraordinarily large crop of 1927 but has been a vital factor in contributing to the large supply available since the time that the 1928 crop entered market channels (Fig. 9). When production and carryover are combined to obtain total sup- ply of seed, the resulting figures show an increase from the low total1 of 310 carloads in 1926 to 1,040 carloads in 1933. Straw Yield. — The acre-yield of redtop straw (a byproduct of redtop threshed for seed) for 1931 and 1932 on the reported farms was about .66 and .60 ton respectively (Table 11). This was about five-sixths of the yield of redtop hay obtained during these two years. The differ- ence in yield is attributed to loss of weight of seed in threshing and- to extra stubble remaining in the meadow when cut with a binder. 248 BULLETIN No. 404 [June, Production. — Redtop straw has not been given much market con- sideration in recent years, the commercial outlet for it having largely disappeared. Nevertheless redtop straw adds materially to the avail- able supply of winter roughage on farms in the redtop district. Calcu- lated on the basis of ( 1 ) estimated number of acres harvested for seed in Illinois in 1931 and (2) acre-yield of straw as reported to the Agri- cultural Experiment Station, a total of more than 160,000 tons of redtop straw was available for feed from the 1931 crop. Hay Acreage. — The downward trend in acreage of redtop haya from 390,000 acres in 1924 to 224,000 in 1932 and the yearly variations (Table 13) are understandable in the light of changing prices of red- TABLE 13. — ACREAGE, YIELD, AND PRODUCTION OF "OTHER MISCELLANEOUS HAY" IN ILLINOIS Year Acres in hay Yield per acre Production 1919 355 000 tons .80 tons 284 000 1920 314 000 .80 251 000 1921 342 000 .90 308 000 1922 335 000 .80 268 000 1923 344 000 .95 327 000 1924 390 000 .80 312 000 1925 234 000 .60 140 000 1926 269 000 .70 188 000 1927 ... 296 000 .90 266 000 1928 326 000 80 261 000 1929 329 000 .80 263 000 1930 280 000 .60 168 000 1931 280 000 .75 210 000 1932 224 000 .75 168 000 Average 1923-1932 297 000 .77 230 000 top seed discussed on pages 265 to 272. Statistics for the 32 counties in the redtop district show that 18 counties had an increase in redtop acreage cut for hay between 1919 and 1924, and then a decrease be- •Redtop hay acreage as such is not reported by either the Illinois Crop Re- porting Service or the Federal Census but is reported under the classifications of "other miscellaneous hay" and "other tame grasses" respectively. In both classifications such other hays as millet, Sudan, etc., are included, but they con- stitute a small proportion of the total for Illinois and particularly so for the important redtop counties. The classifications of hays used in the 1930 Census were: all hays, timothy and timothy and clover mixed; clovers, red, alsike, and mammoth ; clovers, sweet, crimson, and Japan ; clovers alone, all kinds ; alfalfa, other tame grasses; wild grasses cut on farms; small grains cut for hay; and annual legumes cut for hay.** 1934} PRODUCTION AND MARKETING OF REDTOP 249 tween 1924 and 1929 (Fig. 10). Only 7 counties— Bond, Fayette, Hamilton, Jefferson, Lawrence, Union, and Wayne — showed an in- crease in acreage thruout the period 1919-1929. 1929-424.0 1924-472.2 1919 -355.4 FIG. 10. — ACREAGE OF REDTOP CUT FOR HAY IN 32 SOUTHERN ILLINOIS COUNTIES, 1919, 1924, AND 1929 (Thousands of acres) Marked increase in redtop hay acreage (other tame grasses) for 1929 over 1924 was concentrated in Wayne, Jefferson, Franklin, Hamilton, and White counties. The 32 counties in the redtop district contained more than 95 percent of the redtop hay acreage in Illinois in 1929. Redtop hay acreage represented over two-fifths of the total acreage of all crops cut for hay in 1929 in these 32 counties and over three- fifths in the 16 of the 32 counties having the most redtop hay. The relative proportion which each of the different hay acreages repre- sented of the total was as follows: 32 16 counties counties perct. percl. Other tame grasses.. .. 44.1 62.1 Timothy, mixed with clover and unmixed 31.2 21.1 Annual legumes 12.2 10.2 Clovers — red, alsike, and mammoth.. 8.1 4.1 32 16 counties counties pent. perct. Alfalfa... 2.4 1.0 Small grain 9 .6 Wild grasses 6 .5 Clovers — sweet, crim- son, and Japan 6 .3 Yield. — Yields of redtop hay in Illinois for the ten-year period 1923-1932 ranged from .60 ton an acre in 1925 and 1930 to .95 ton in 250 BULLETIN No. 404 [June, 1923 and averaged .77 ton (Table 13). This average yield was about two-thirds of the average for all tame hay in Illinois and five-sixths of the average yield of tame hay in the 32 redtop counties. Production. — Production of redtop hay in Illinois averaged 230,000 tons for the ten-year period 1923-1932, ranging from 327,000 tons in = 500 TONS FIG. 11. — PRODUCTION OF HAY FROM REDTOP IN 32 SOUTHERN ILLINOIS COUNTIES, 1929 Redtop hay production (other tame grasses) has been rather dense over most of these 32 counties except for the counties in the north and west tiers. Wayne, Jefferson, Marion, Clay, Hamilton, and Richland counties produced more than 55 percent of the state's total production of redtop hay in 1929. 1923 to 140,000 tons in 1925 (Table 13). The 32 redtop counties pro- duced more than 95 percent of the total amount of redtop hay in Illi- nois in 1929 (Fig. 11). Pasture Acreage. — Adequate information concerning acreage devoted to redtop pasture as such is not available. From a comparison of hay and pasture acreage for the redtop district and for the entire state, a fair estimate of the amount of pasture that was predominantly redtop in 1929 would seem to be about 530,000 acres for the 32 counties in the redtop district and 572,000 acres for the state (see page 244). The proportion of farm land devoted to all pasture for the 32 counties as a whole was 19.1 percent and to redtop pasture for the reporting farms, 18.2 percent. Yield. — No record was obtained on pasture yields but it is cus- tomary to figure the pasturage from 3 acres as sufficient to maintain an animal unit (mature cow or horse) thru an average pasture season of approximately 180 days. This gives about 60 pasture days an acre 1934] PRODUCTION AND MARKETING OF REDTOP 251 from redtop used exclusively for pasture. In addition to the acreage of redtop used exclusively for pasture, most redtop fields harvested for hay or seed are pastured lightly for about 15 days in the spring and about 75 days in the fall after the crop is harvested. This amounts to about 25 pasture days an acre from harvested areas. (Table 5, page 240) FIG. 12. — CATTLE ARE GRAZED EXTENSIVELY ON REDTOP PASTURES IN SOUTHERN ILLINOIS Redtop is an important part of most pastures in southern Illinois, and cattle are the most important livestock grazed on these pastures. Production. — On the basis of 25 pasture-days from each acre of redtop meadow and 60 pasture-days from each acre of redtop pasture, as estimated for 1929, a total yearly amount sufficient to carry 200,000 animals for 200 days was available in the 32 counties of the Illinois redtop district, and in the state as a whole an amount sufficient to carry 225,000 animals for 200 days. DISPOSITION MADE OF THE REDTOP CROP IN ILLINOIS Hay. — Altho there was an average yearly production of 230,000 tons of redtop hay in Illinois during the ten-year period 1923-1932, practically none entered commercial channels during the last five years of this period. The commercial outlet for redtop hay has almost dis- 252 BULLETIN No. 404 [June, appeared along with the marked contraction in the timothy hay mar- ket. That growers have made some adjustment to the new situation is indicated by the 25-percent reduction in the amount of hay produced for the period 1928-1932 compared with the period 1919-1923. Commercial movement in recent years has been restricted almost entirely to local purchases. Supply has been above local requirements frequently, however, and it is not uncommon to see farm stacks of hay two and three years old. This surplus was increased somewhat in the TABLE 14. — PRODUCTION, CARRYOVER, AND DISAPPEARANCE OF REDTOP SEED, UNITED STATES' (In carlots of 30,000 pounds) Crop Supply Disappear- Stocks at Total Crop Carryover 1922 325 large 90 1923 470 380 90 340 130 1924 475 350 125 350 125 1925 325 200 J25 290 35 1926 310 275 35 285 25 1927 625 600 25 375 250 1928 700 475 225 350 350 1929 615 265 350 340 275 1930 525 250 275 315 210 1931 810 600 210 300 510 1932 1 040 530 510 300 740 1933 940 200 740 Average 1923-1933 590 390 195 325 365 •Proportion outside of Illinois averaged less than 5 percent. three years 1931-1933 as a consequence of the low price of seed. Or- dinarily the surplus stacks would have been threshed for seed within a year. Straw. — Many farmers in the redtop district consider redtop straw to be almost as desirable as redtop hay for roughage ; others even prefer a feed from which the seed has been removed. Where redtop seed is retained in the feed, livestock tend to slobber and because of the bitter taste of the seed do not relish it. During the period when there was a good commercial market for hay, redtop straw possessed a market demand as well, but very little straw now moves into commercial channels for feeding purposes. A small amount of redtop straw has been purchased by paper-box con- cerns but the price has been so low that there has been little margin available for absorbing transportation costs. In recent years producers have faced the problem of dividing the acreage on individual farms in such a way between redtop used pri- 1934] PRODUCTION AND MARKETING OF REDTOP 253 marily for pasture and that harvested for seed that sufficient livestock might be carried to utilize all of the roughage produced. Seed. — For some years past redtop seed has been the only product from the redtop crop having a commercial outlet. Yearly supplies showed a strong upward trend during the ten-year period 1923-1932 because of increase both in production and carryover, while disap- pearance of seed showed only a very slight trend upward (Table 14 and Fig. 13). Except as retained to meet the relatively small planting require- ments of near-by producers, the redtop seed crop which is used entire- 1923 '34 30 '31 1932 FIG. 13. — SUPPLY AND DISAPPEARANCE OF REDTOP SEED IN THE UNITED STATES FOR THE CROP YEARS 1923-1932, AND PRICES PAID TO PRODUCERS While redtop supplies have increased greatly since 1926, disappearance has remained stable. Price has reacted sharply to changes in supplies but only slightly to variations in disappearance. ly for seed plantings must go into commercial channels. The crop is harvested mainly during the second half of July and moves rapidly out of the growers' hands. During 1922-1932 an average of 20 per- cent moved out of growers' hands by August 15, 65 percent by September 15, 85 percent by October 15, and 90 percent by November 15 (Table 15). Information concerning the movement of redtop seed out of local dealers' hands indicates in part where the seed has been utilized. In approximate terms the movement for the 1931 crop, expressed in per- centage of supply moved to reported destinations, was as follows: 254 BULLETIN No. 404 [June, Percent of supply To Chicago 60 To Louisville 10 To Buffalo and other New York points 15 Percent of supply To Cincinnati 5 To Kentucky and Tennessee ... 5 To all other points 5 . A further indication of the widespread distribution of redtop sales is afforded in the reports of retail sales published annually by the U. S. Bureau of Agricultural Economics, and covering at least a part of the TABLE 15. — PROPORTION OF REDTOP SEED CROP MOVED OUT OF HANDS OF GROWERS BY FOUR SPECIFIED DATES (In percent of total crop) Year Date of starting general harvesting Aug. 15 Sept. 15 Oct. 15 Nov. 15 1922 July 8 25 85 90 1923 5 65 75 1924 20 60 70 1925 July 16 40 85 95 1926 July 18 10 65 85-90 1927 July 17 5 50 75 90 1928 July 19 5 60 85-90 90-95 1929 July 18 10 65 85-90 1930 July 14 65 90 95 1931 July 13 5 35 50-55 85-90 1932 July 12 30 70 80 Average July 15 20 65 85 90 TABLE 16. — RELATIVE VOLUME OF RETAIL SALES OF REDTOP SEED BY STATES (1923 sales = 100) State 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 Average 1923- 1933 New England 100 110 99 96 97 91 92 88 91 100 96 New York 135 122 116 115 115 108 114 115 115 115 115 112 114 128 118 142 146 133 140 140 28 118 100 108 109 106 120 114 113 113 101 86 104 Maryland 85 S. E. states 107 125 108 108 118 106 119 125 101 61 107 Tennessee 96 104 94 87 91 92 86 80 61 73 89 Kentucky 109 122 105 117 121 129 135 123 119 113 118 Ohio 100 100 95 90 93 89 86 81 75 68 89 Indiana 97 98 99 99 98 96 97 91 82 86 95 Illinois 103 108 104 107 106 120 116 114 107 107 108 Iowa 100 104 100 114 133 133 133 134 137 123 119 101 102 100 95 96 108 111 118 112 90 103 Michigan 105 99 91 102 109 101 101 101 102 92 100 Wisconsin 98 98 149 153 168 165 167 167 174 157 145 Minnesota 104 104 95 100 98 109 104 96 93 98 100 North Dakota 100 105 87 South Dakota 99 95 89 80 82 76 85 80 81 65 85 Nebraska 97 98 97 89 85 84 82 74 90* Kansas 102 102 93 94 97 95 96 94 101 91 96 Idaho 93 98 96 112 95 91 91 86 83 94b Washington 100 103 101 114 117 125 125 120 102 102 110 120 131 131 121 •Nine-year average 1923-1931. bTen-year average 1923-1932. 1934] PRODUCTION AND MARKETING OF REDTOP 255 period 1922-1932 for all states except Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming. The reports are shown not as absolute amounts of seed sold at retail, but as index numbers of the amount of the current year's sales with 1923 sales as a base (Table 16). Most of the redtop seed has been utilized in the eastern half of the United States north of the southern line of Tennessee. COMPETITION BETWEEN REDTOP AND OTHER GRASS SEEDS In earlier years much of the surplus redtop seed was exported, but more recently because of tariff duties and other adverse trade condi- tions fewer foreign shipments have been made. While the export out- let has been at least temporarily clogged, it is not correct to assume that exportation has been cut off entirely. Local handlers of redtop seed in Illinois were interviewed in 1932 to determine the ultimate uses made of the redtop seed sold by them TABLE 17. — COMPOSITION AND DIGESTIBLE NUTRIENTS OF REDTOP AND OTHER HAYS COMMONLY PRODUCED IN SOUTHERN ILLINOIS (Expressed in percent) Hay Water Ash Crude protein Carbohydrates Fats Digestible nutrients Crude fiber Nitro- gen free extract Protein Carbo- hydrate equiva- lent' Redtop 8.9 12.5 10.3 6.4 8.4 9.7 7.9 12.9 5.2 5.4 7.9 4.7 8.9 12.9 6.2 6.9 7.9 6.8 8.8 5.9 15.8 17.5 11.9 13.6 28.6 28.3 27.0 37.4 24.3 20.5 28.5 24.1 47.5 44.3 43.3 43.6 38.8 36.6 42.7 39.1 1.9 2.7 2.7 2.0 3.8 2.8 2.8 3.4 4.8 3.3 5.1 3.1 11.2 11.9 7.9 8.3 49.1 44.7 48.3 45.4 44.0 37.0 44.8 43.2 Timothy Millet . Rye Soybeans Cowpeas Lespedeza Red clover •Includes the digestible crude fiber and nitrogen-free extract plus 2 Ji times the digestible fats. from 1931 crop. On the basis of the order in which the handlers men- tioned the various uses and the number of times each use was men- tioned, the following rankings would seem to indicate the relative im- portance of the various uses: 1. Lawn-grass mixtures 2. Pasture mixtures 3. Golf-course mixtures 4. Meadows 5. Binding terraces and roadsides, and preventing erosion 256 BULLETIN No. 404 [June, With more attention being centered on obtaining better lawns and pas- tures, the use of redtop seed in mixtures for these purposes has shown considerable increase during the last few years. As a tame hay grass redtop ranks next to timothy and is an impor- tant part of nearly all hay crops in New England, New York, and Pennsylvania, as well as in much of the wet land in hilly regions of Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Virginia. In the corn belt redtop cannot compete with timothy on the better soils. Redtop hay is not commonly ranked as the equal of timothy hay for feeding, altho analyses indicate that they are on a par with one another in composi- tion and digestible nutrients (Table 17). Timothy hay is more pala- table than redtop and deteriorates less rapidly when overripe. Estimates of annual production and consumption on a clean-seed basis of Kentucky bluegrass and redtop seed13* are practically equal for the ten years 1924-1933: Production Consumption Total Ibs. Ibs. Ibs. Kentucky bluegrass seed 9 815 000 10 000 000 19 815 000 Redtop seed 11 255 000 9 000 000 20 255 000 In pasture mixtures competition between redtop and bluegrass has been of minor importance, but between redtop and timothy the compe- tition has been somewhat keener. Less than 15 percent of the timothy seed production of the United States is produced in Illinois. Both Kentucky bluegrass and redtop seed are important consti- tuents of lawn-grass mixtures. For most lawn-grass mixtures Ken- tucky bluegrass is considered the base but may be displaced in part by the bent grasses, and for shady lawns by Poa trivialis (rough- stalked meadow grass) and fescues. Redtop seed finds an important place in all such mixtures. Some rye grass is added as a companion crop, the amount being determined largely by the price at which the mixture is to sell. A lawn-grass mixture for general purposes usually contains Ken- tucky bluegrass, redtop, one or more fescues, some rye grass,3 and frequently white clover. Redtop develops quickly and is fairly lasting. Assuming viability of seed as indicated by the following percent- ages of germination, desirable ratios for lawn-grass mixtures for gen- eral use in the corn-belt states would be: •Timothy is often substituted in part for rye grass. Rye grass and timothy grow quickly but are not permanent and therefore serve only as nurse crops for the permanent grasses. 1934] PRODUCTION AND MARKETING OF REDTOP 257 Minimum Proportion in germination mixture perct. perct. Kentucky bluegrass 80 20-40 Redtop 90 20-40 Rye grass 85 15-30 Fescues 90 5-20 White clover. 90 5 The proportion of redtop in lawn-grass mixtures should be near the upper limits, as indicated above, for use on the poorer soils, on rather acid soils, on wet soils, and on other soils if seeded late in the season. A survey made in 193 11S* of grass seeds used for golf courses in the United States indicated that competition of redtop seed in mix- tures for this use was mainly with Kentucky bluegrass and with fescues and other bent grasses. The varieties of grass seeds used on golf courses and the percentage each was of the total thus purchased were as follows: Percent of Percent of total total Rye grass (mostly Italian).. . 46.4 Timothy 1.3 Kentucky bluegrass 17.7 White clover 8 Redtop 13.4 Other clovers 3 Fescues (mainly chewings). . . 7.6 Carpet grass .3 Bent grass (other than redtop) 5.3 Poa tnvialis (rough-stalked Bermuda 4.5 meadow grass) 2 Grass mixtures 2.2 As a binding grass on sour, poor soils that are subjected to alter- nate periods of excess moisture and drouth as well as to considerable tramping, redtop serves a useful purpose and large amounts are used by the highway departments of many states. With a better understanding of the characteristics of redtop and with more attention being given to improved mixtures for various types of seeding, redtop seed consumption may be expected to show further increase. METHODS AND PROBLEMS OF MARKETING REDTOP SEED Marketing Thru Local Dealers Redtop harvest for seed begins somewhere between July 8 and July 19, most frequently averaging around July 16. Threshing may begin any time after a reasonable amount of curing has taken place, that is, after ten days or more depending on the weather. It is a com- mon practice among producers to obtain from a local dealer a supply 258 BULLETIN No. 404 [June, of cotton bags of the kind used for seed and grain. Into these the redtop seed is placed as it comes from the threshing machine. A far- mer is seldom if ever formally obligated to sell to the dealer who furnishes him with bags, altho he rarely sells elsewhere. Time of active selling by producers extends from the latter part of July thru FIG. 14. — MODERN CLEANING EQUIPMENT FOR REDTOP SEED The modern cleaning machinery and storage plant of local dealers often represents an investment of $25,000 to $40,000. October, being influenced in part by progress made in threshing and in part by trend in price. The usual date of sale in 1931 was about September 1 and in 1932 August 20, according to reporting producers. Dates of sale were influenced chiefly by the personal opinions of pro- ducers concerning the possible price changes as the season advanced. Seed is sold to local dealers on a cleaned, 90-percent purity basis, which is arrived at by cleaning a measured quantity of seed, 4 ounces in present practice, on small fanning mills differing only in size from those found in cleaning establishments. These machines are small enough to be loaded into an automobile or buggy and transported from farm to farm, altho the samples are now more often brought in by the farmer or collected by the dealer and recleaned at the plant. The machines are very accurate in their operations but can be adjusted 1934] PRODUCTION AND MARKETING OF REDTOP 259 to obtain slightly more or less than the standard degree of purity by changing the amount of wind directed upon the sample. After the sample is cleaned, it is weighed on a scale calibrated to indicate weight of recleaned seed in percentage of original sample. The farmer, if he desires, can see the actual value of his seed and thus receive an offer based on the market quotation. Some producers take samples of seed to be tested to two or three dealers in order to sell to the dealer who quotes the highest price per bushel on gross weight re- corded at the threshing machine. FIG. 15. — MODERN SEED PLANT IN SOUTHERN ILLINOIS The building of modern seed plants in southern Illinois indicates the impor- tance of the redtop seed industry in this part of the state. The present method of purchase by local dealers is much more accurate and satisfactory to both parties than the earlier practice by which the dealer obtained a sample of each sackful with a sampling tube or probe, eliminated as much of the chaff as he might remove by blowing, and then on the basis of a sight examination quoted the farmer a price for his seed. Development of satisfactory cleaning machinery (Fig. 14) and the establishment of suitable grades for red- top seed entering market channels have been gradually brought about by local handlers in the Illinois redtop district1* and by wholesale dealers purchasing considerable quantities of seed from this district.2* Seed goes to local dealers of two types: (1) dealers who act as agents for wholesale dealers and usually ship the seed to a wholesale 260 BULLETIN No. 404 [June, establishment for further cleaning and distribution; and (2) those operating a cleaning establishment and warehouse (Fig. 15) in ad- dition to buying and selling seed and who sell mostly to wholesale handlers, often cleaning the seed to specifications desired by the pur- chaser. Cleaning machinery has developed to a point where seed can easily meet high requirements in grade, purity, and germination. The redtop seed crops of 1930, 1931, and 1932 were estimated to grade as follows: Fancy Plain .1930 80 percent 20 percent 1931 74 percent 26 percent 1932 , 88 percent 12 percent Redtop seed as it comes on the market is relatively pure and free from noxious weed seeds. The report of the Chief Seed Analyst, Illinois State Department of Agriculture, shows that for the period 1919-1929 only one-half of one percent of the samples of redtop seed in Illinois were unsalable because of noxious weed seeds. Yarrow, the most serious weed, is rather abundant in some years and difficult to remove. Red sorrel can be cleaned out but only with extra effort, usually necessitating a second cleaning of part of the seed. If reason- able attention is given to keeping meadows clean, most of the weed seed in redtop can be avoided. A part of the seed still comes to local markets with too much chaff included. All the important local seed dealers in Illinois were interviewed between September 8 and September 15, 1932. These local dealers handled about 95 percent of the total crop purchased in 1931 and 1932. Some dealers did not report on the 1930 crop or on sales for the 1931 and 1932 crops. Handlers reported purchases, sales, and carryover as follows:3 1932 1931 1930 Item Expressed in carloads Total purchases 299 522 169 Total salesb 114 298 168 Average purchase1* 33 40 24 Average sale 13 33 24 Average carryover6 20 7 0 Local dealers indicated that speculators normally purchased a con- siderable amount of redtop seed from them and carried it over, but •The schedules were obtained between September 8 and 15 and according to federal report, only about 70 percent of the seed had been purchased by the 15th. Sales for the crop were less complete. These averages are based only on establishments reporting on both pur- chases and sales, which represented three- fourths. of the dealers and more than half of the crop. 1934] PRODUCTION AND MARKETING OF REDTOP 261 that this part of the 1931 crop had been held by themselves and the 1932 crop would be similarly held. The above figures tend to bear out this statement. Movement of crop out of growers' hands was rapid during the period 1922-1932 (Table 15, page 254). The movement of the 1931 crop from reporting handlers, in terms of carload lots, was as follows: July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May June Total Purchases... 17 124 120 73 26 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 362 Sales 7 42 85 76 27 12 7 12 13 7 0 10 298 Altho practically all the crop had reached local dealers by Decem- ber 1, less than two-thirds had been shipped out by them at that time. About 17.5 percent of the crop was carried over by local handlers. Marketing Thru the Egyptian Seed Growers' Exchange and the Redtop Growers' Warehouse Association The important influence of speculators on prices paid for redtop seed caused many early producers to feel that they were not receiving a proper proportion of the final returns and that too large margins were being retained by middlemen. This belief was more firmly es- tablished in 1921 when 45 farmers in Clay county pooled 50,000 pounds of seed with a local dealer and netted two cents a pound above the average price of other local sales. Consequently in February, 1922, 46 farmers from seven of the leading redtop seed producing counties of Illinois developed plans for organizing a cooperative seed growers' marketing association. Enough members were obtained to permit pooling operations with the 1922 crop. In October, 1923, the Egyptian Seed Growers' Exchange was organized under the Illinois Agricultural Cooperative Act. Control and management of the organization is vested in a board of thirteen directors who are elected by voting delegates from the various local- ities in the redtop district. These directors choose officers and have complete control of the Exchange, the only restriction being that any action of officers or agents exercised in excess of their authority is not binding upon the organization. Stock, of no par value, is issued, one share to each member. Each share carries one vote in the election of delegates. Membership in the organization totaled 3,000 by 1930, and the amount of seed handled from the 1931 and 1932 crops represented an important proportion of the entire redtop seed supply of the state. The .physical property of the Exchange, together with that of the Warehouse Association, includes the original building plus an addition and an all-metal warehouse, 100 by 200 feet, completed in 1932 (Fig. 16). 262 BULLETIN No. 404 [June, The Warehouse Association, a subsidiary organization of the Seed Exchange, owns and operates a government-bonded warehouse which receives seed as delivered for the account of the producer. The ware- house superintendent tests the seed and issues to the Exchange a re- ceipt based on the amount of "fancy" seed contained in a sample. The FIG. 16. — NEW FIREPROOF WAREHOUSE OF THE EGYPTIAN SEED GROWERS' ASSOCIATION The fireproof warehouse shown above provides economical and safe stor- age for redtop seed on a large scale. Exchange then uses this receipt as collateral in securing the loan of necessary funds for operation and for paying the amount advanced to producers on delivery of seed. The balance is paid to producers on disposition of the entire crop. The policy of the Exchange is to advance to the producer at time of delivery a price per pound for "fancy" seed based on the manager's judgment as to what is a safe figure, considering cost of handling, loan value, and probable market price of the seed. After the seed is cleaned and graded, the policy of the Exchange has been to sell the seed on the open market direct to wholesale dealers and jobbers as demand and supply conditions seem to warrant. In the main, local handlers and the Exchange dispose of their seed to the same class of dealers. Approximately 60 percent of the seed that leaves local han- dlers is disposed of in carload lots and about 35 percent in less than carload lots. The other 5 percent goes back to local farmers for new plantings. Marketing by Wholesale Dealers Wholesale dealers handle redtop along with other seed and dispose of the bulk of it in grass-seed mixtures, altho a considerable amount is sold as straight redtop seed for use in southern states. Much of the 1934] PRODUCTION AND MARKETING OF REDTOP 263 seed is disposed of in specially labeled bags or packages. Cleaning is seldom performed by wholesale dealers except where they buy direct from producers thru local representatives. In these instances the seed is assembled and usually cleaned at the central plant (Fig. 17). Distribution extends over a large territory for each wholesale dealer, as his retail handlers are both numerous and widely distrib- FIG. 17. — STORAGE OF CLEANED REDTOP SEED Redtop seed sold in bulk is often sacked after cleaning and stored by the cleaning establishment, as shown above. uted. The territory served by each wholesale dealer usually over- laps that of other dealers. About twenty wholesale dealers purchase the bulk of seed from local handlers in Illinois. Distribution is thru both jobbers and retail handlers. Retail Marketing Retail distribution of grass seeds is made by numerous agencies in each community. Seed firms, hardware stores, florist shops, feed stores, and general grocery stores are the usual local distributing agents. Retail sales are made both in mixtures and in bulk. In areas in which redtop is grown alone to considerable extent, the proportion of redtop seed sold in bulk is high even when used in seeding with other grasses. Some of the larger retail handlers of seed make up their own mixtures but the majority either have the mixing done for them by wholesale firms specializing in this phase of the business or purchase seed mixtures thru regular channels. Most dealers supplying lawn- grass seed mixtures have a standard list of brands meeting various 264 BULLETIN No. 404 \June, types of lawn needs and price requirements of the consuming public. The Illinois seed law requires each sack containing seed mixtures to carry an analysis so that the consumer may know what he is buying. Recent Efforts to Stabilize Redtop Seed Marketing The price of redtop seed practically doubled in 1925 and 1926 compared with 1924, owing apparently to speculative control of red- top seed supplies. A similar price change occurred beginning in the spring of 1933. Demands for more far-reaching and systematic methods of estab- lishing and maintaining balance between production and consumption of redtop seed reached concrete expression in a proposed marketing agreement for the redtop seed industry made under the Agricultural Adjustment Act approved May 12, 1933. It became clear at the hear- ing held March 9, 1934, with reference to this proposal that had red- top been included in the list of basic agricultural commodities pro- vided in the Agricultural Adjustment Act, problems of redtop market- ing might have been more easily solved. There has been some question as to the extent to which dealers in a commodity that lacked the status of a basic agricultural commodity could organize for market control. In the absence of further federal legislation which would broaden the list of basic agricultural commodities so as to include redtop seed, it seems doubtful that any satisfactory program of production control is to be expected. It is not likely that Illinois would be joined by other states in a treaty to control marketing of a commodity the production of which is as concentrated in one state as is redtop seed production in Illinois. Purely voluntary agreements on the part of producers and dealers could not be expected easily to attain the degree of control which has been attempted for basic agricultural commodities. In May, 1934, the Federal Surplus Relief Corporation, following suggestions by sponsors of the sale of redtop and other seeds that 9,000,000 pounds of redtop seed and somewhat larger amounts of Kentucky bluegrass and lespedeza seed should be acquired by this federal agency, had offers of 5,500,000 pounds of redtop seed at prices ranging mostly from 8 to 9}/2 cents a pound for seed of a purity of 90 percent or better and of a germination of 85 percent or better. The extent to which these stocks of seed will be accumulated in federal hands prior to utilization on erosion and other projects supported by federal and other public funds was not published at the time the specifications were released for the use of those who were tendering supplies. 1934] PRODUCTION AND MARKETING OF REDTOP 265 PRICES OF REDTOP SEED Producer Prices Prices received by producers for redtop seed vary greatly from season to season. Redtop seed prices reached a low of 3.4 cents a pound for recleaned seed in 1932 and during four years of the period 1907-1932 reached annual averages as high as 22 cents (Fig. 18). 2 3 45 PRODUCTION 100 CARLOADS FIG. 18. — PRODUCTION OF REDTOP SEED IN THE UNITED STATES FOR THE CROP YEARS 1907-1932, AND PRICES PAID TO PRODUCERS Price is influenced somewhat by production but other factors are important, as is indicated by the wide spread in price in years when annual production was around 200 carloads. The average price for the ten-year period 1923-1932 was about 13 cents a pound (Table 18). Prices as a rule have not been well estab- lished by July 15. Prices for the months of August, September, and October are generally well established, however, as most of the crop is sold by November 15. Average prices by months have usually varied 1/2 to l^i cents a pound during August, September, and Octo- ber of a single year, but have shown a spread of as much as 4 cents. Prices paid to producers are usually influenced by the size of the cur- rent crop. Some large crops of recent years, however, were not reflected in price as accurately as the other crops thruout the period. 266 BULLETIN No. 404 [June, TABLE 18. — PRICES PAID PRODUCERS FOR "FANCY" REDTOP SEED, UNITED STATES, BY MONTHS, JULY TO NOVEMBER (Cents per pound) Year July 15* Aug. IS Sept. 15 Oct. 15 Nov. 15 Average 1922 14 15 14.5 13.5 14 1923 11 14 11 11 11 1924 11 11 10 10 11 1925 17 18.5 22.5 22.5 22 1926 18 21 22.75 21 22 1927 13 10.5 9.5 10.25 10.25 10.5 1928 11 11 12.5 13 12.5 12.5 1929 14 15 14 14.25 14 25 1930 16 18.5 18 18.25 1931 10 7.25 6.33 6.75 6.5 1932 5 3.3 3.5 3.5 3.5 Average 1923-1932 12.6 13.0 13.0 13.2 12.9 •July 15. 1921 = 15^ per pound. Comparison of the changes in prices paid to producers with changes in total supply and disappearance indicates a closer adjustment of prices to supply than to disappearance (Fig. 13, page 253), mainly because of greater elasticity in supply. The apparent failure to show the usual inverse relation between supply and price for the 1928 crop was due in part to a decided response of producer prices to increased supply in the previous year. Wholesale Prices Wholesale price quotations for redtop seed are shown weekly dur- ing the months of January thru May at Chicago, Louisville, St. Louis, TABLE 19. — AVERAGE WHOLESALE SELLING PRICES OF REDTOP SEED AT LEADING MARKETS BY CROP YEARS (Cents per pound) Crop year Chicago Louis- ville St. Louis Kansas City Balti- more New York Minne- apolis 1919 17.20 19.70 19.85 20.00 18.55 18.45 21.10 1920 13.05 14.95 13.60 14.50 13.80 14.00 14.85 1921 22.65 23.90 23.90 25.15 22.45 23.55 24.35 1922 18.70 18.75 19.80 21.50 19.65 19.30 20.50 1923 13.65 13.90 14.60 15.20 14.20 14.20 15.35 1924 14.40 14.15 13.95 15.00 14.20 14.50 16.00 1925 31.20 31.50 31.15 31.05 32.60 32.25 32.70 1926 25.30 24.85 26.20 24.30 25.60 25.65 27.00 1927 13.10 13.55 13.65 13.95 14.00 13.95 15.45 1928 14.55 15.20 14.75 15.45 15.55 15.50 16.00 1929. . 16.45 16.55 16.85 17.50 17.05 17.05 18.45 1930 24.20 25.30 24.70 24.80 24.95 26.50 25.80 1931 8.70 8.50 9.30 10.00 9.35 9.65 11.20 1932 5.30 5.20 5.25 5.85 5.65 5.55 6.65 Average 17.05 17.55 17.70 18.15 17.70 17.85 18.95 1934] PRODUCTION AND MARKETING OF REDTOP 267 TABLE 20. — AVERAGE WHOLESALE SELLING PRICES OF REDTOP SEED AT CHICAGO, JANUARY TO MAY (Cents per pound) Year Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May Average 1920... 18.75 18.25 17.40 16.40 15.10 17.20 1921 12.25 12.05 13.35 13.75 13 95 13 05 1922 22.90 23.25 23.35 22.20 21.65 22.65 1923 20.00 19.65 18.50 17.80 17.50 18.70 1924 13.25 13.40 13.70 13.80 14.00 13.65 1925 . . 14.20 14.30 14.35 14.60 14 50 14 40 1926 31.70 31.65 31.65 31.55 29.50 31.20 1927 24.30 25.85 25.80 25.40 25 10 25 30 1928 1 . . 12.45 12.30 12.35 13.60 14 80 13.10 1929 14.95 14.95 14.85 14.30 13.80 14.55 1930.. . 15.80 15.80 16.10 17.10 17.60 16.45 1931 23.70 24.00 24.00 24.75 24 50 24 20 1932 9.00 8.95 8.50 8.50 8 60 8.70 1933 4.50 4.50 4.50 5.75 7.10 5.30 Average _ 17.00 17.05 17.05 17.10 17.00 17.05 Baltimore, New York, Minneapolis, and Kansas City. Prices have usually been lowest at the markets nearest the source of farm supply (Table 19). For the ten-year period 1923-1932 these cities ranked as follows in yearly average price quotations for redtop seed, from low to high: Chicago, Louisville, St. Louis, Baltimore, New York, Kan- sas City, Minneapolis. The difference between the highest and lowest average was $1.15 per 100 pounds of seed. Comparisons of quotations at the two markets, Chicago and Louis- ville, show that average prices have been consistently higher at Louis- ville, only 4 years out of the 14 showing otherwise (Tables 20 and TABLE 21. — AVERAGE WHOLESALE SELLING PRICES OF REDTOP SEED AT LOUISVILLE, JANUARY TO MAY (Cents per pound) Year Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May Average 1920 21 90 21.25 19 25 18 65 17 40 19 70 1921 13.65 14.40 15.15 15 00 16.50 14.95 1922 . . 24 45 25 00 25 35 23 90 22 70 23 90 1923 20 00 20 00 18 50 17 80 17 50 18 75 1924 13.75 14.00 13.80 14.00 14.00 13.90 1925.. . 14.00 14.35 14.45 14.00 14.00 14.15 1926 31 90 31 65 31 50 31 35 31 10 31 50 1927 24.00 24 90 25.35 25.00 25.00 24.85 1928 13.00 12.80 12.50 13.60 15.90 13.55 1929 15 80 15 85 15.65 14 50 14.30 15 20 1930.. . 16 05 16.50 16.20 16.55 17.40 16.55 1931 25.00 25.40 25.75 25.45 24.95 25.30 1932 9 35 8 55 8 45 8.15 8 00 8.50 1933 5.05 4.50 4.50 5.30 6.65 5.20 Average 17.70 17.80 17.60 17.40 17.55 17.60 268 BULLETIN No. 404 [June, 21). The average amount of difference per 100 pounds in favor of Louisville by months was as follows: January .70 February .75 March .55 April .30 May .55 Average .55 Retail Prices Retail prices have usually been lowest in states producing large supplies of redtop and bluegrass. According to average annual retail prices of redtop seed for the 1923-1932 period, the following ten states fall into high and low groups as indicated, with an average difference of $3.55 per 100 pounds for the two groups (Table 22) : High group Ohio New York Pennsylvania Iowa Indiana Low group Tennessee Kansas Kentucky Illinois Missouri The range of difference in average yearly prices was 60 cents per 100 pounds, or less than 3 percent in the states of the lower price TABLE 22. — AVERAGE RETAIL PRICES PAID FOR "FANCY" REDTOP SEED IN SELECTED STATES (Cents per pound) Crop year 111. Ind. Ohio Ky. Tenn. N.Y. Penn. Iowa Missou- ri Kans. 1923 17.70 21.25 21.15 17.05 17.70 21.10 18.20 19.75 18.25 18.25 1924 18.35 19.95 22.60 17.15 17.90 21.20 20.90 19.40 17.65 16.80 1925 33.20 38.30 38 80 34.80 33.00 36.00 37.25 33.70 33 05 33.75 1926 29.50 35.25 35.50 31.15 30.70 34.80 36.00 31.85 30.35 30.25 1927 18.65 21.35 23.55 16.90 16.75 20.00 21.80 19.40 17.05 18.30 1928... 18.75 22.35 24.40 18.55 18.10 21.60 22.50 21.90 18.10 18.05 1929 21.10 23.05 23.50 19.00 19.30 23.40 24.40 24.20 19.55 20.95 1930 27.20 30.40 31.90 26.65 26.20 30 60 34 00 29.00 26.90 25.60 1931 12.80 13.95 17.00 11.40 12.10 14.60 17 10 14.90 12.20 12.95 1932 7.90 9.10 10 00 6.90 7 20 10 00 11 15 9 50 7 20 7 85 Average 20.50 23.50 24.85 20.00 19.90 23.35 24.35 22.35 20.05 20.30 group, and $2.50 per 100 pounds, or nearly 11 percent, in those of the higher price group. These price quotations were based on available monthly figures by states from January thru May. When an average of wholesale prices at Chicago and Louisville is used as representative for Illinois, the spread between producer and wholesale prices of redtop seed and that between wholesale and retail prices are indicated to have been nearly equal during the ten-year period 1923-1932. The spread was $3.65 per 100 pounds between producer and wholesale prices and $3.70 between wholesale and retail prices (Table 23). 1934] PRODUCTION AND MARKETING OF REDTOP 269 TABLE 23. — AVERAGE PRICES OF REDTOP SEED IN ILLINOIS COMPARED WITH SAME PRICES ADJUSTED* FOR PURCHASING POWER (Cents per pound) Crop year Producer Wholesale prices Retail prices Actual Adjust- ed Differ- ence Actual Adj ust- ed Differ- ence Actual Adjust- ed Differ- ence 1922. . 14 11 11 22 22 10.5 12.5 14.25 18.25 6.5 3.4 13.20 14.1 11.1 11.3 21.2 22.2 10.9 12.7 15.0 22.0 9.1 5.3 14.1 .1 .1 .2 -.8 .2 .4 .2 .75 3.75 2.6 1.9 .9 18.70 13.80 14.30 31.35 25.10 13.30 14.90 16.50 24.75 8.60 5.25 16.95 18.1 14.1 13.9 30.9 26.4 13.7 15.4 18.1 32.6 13.1 8.6 18.6 -.60 .30 -.40 .45 1.30 .40 .50 1.60 7.85 4.50 3.35 1.65 23.60>> 17.70 18.35 33.20 29.50 18.65 18.75 21.10 27.20 12.80 7.90 20.80 22. 8<> 18.1 17.8 32.9 31.2 19.2 19.5 23.3 36.2 19.5 13.0 23.0 -.80 .40 -.55 -.30 1.70 .55 .75 2.20 9.00 6.70 5.10 1.80 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927. . 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 Average . . . •Each price series was adjusted by dividing the actual price by the average of the U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics index number of wholesale prices for all commodities, 1926 base, for the months covered by each price series. bAverage of Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Michigan. When prices are expressed in dollars of 1926 purchasing power, the spread is increased in both instances, being $4.60 and $4.40 per 100 pounds. Increase in purchasing power has been noticeable mainly since 1926. Comparison of figures from year to year shows that the three series of prices — producer, wholesale, and retail — have consis- tently moved in the same direction. Producer prices, however, have 1932 FIG. 19. — PRICES PAID FOR REDTOP SEED TO PRODUCERS, TO WHOLESALE DEALERS, AND TO RETAIL DEALERS IN THE CROP YEARS 1922-1932 Spreads between producer and wholesale prices and between wholesale and retail prices have remained fairly constant. Slight variations have been due mainly to producer prices lagging behind wholesale and retail prices on the up- ward swings and of retail prices lagging behind producer and wholesale prices on the downward swings. 270 BULLETIN No. 404 [June, gone up less in proportion than the others in years of large price in- creases, as indicated by 1925 and 1930 prices ; while retail prices have moved down less rapidly from high peaks than either of the other series (Fig. 19). Prices and Quantities Comparison of producer, wholesale, and retail prices of redtop seed with production, total supply (production and carryover), and dis- appearance indicates that there was little difference in the reaction of prices of the producer, wholesale, and retail series to the various 25 20 •'3C '29 .'28 28 ••27 '23' -31 ••31 932 PRODUCTION SUPPLY DISAPPEARANCE (CONSUMPTION) 01 234 5601 234567890 12345 HUNDREDS OF CARLOADS FIG. 20. — PRODUCTION, TOTAL SUPPLY, AND DISAPPEARANCE OF REDTOP SEED IN RELATION TO ADJUSTED PRICES PAID TO PRODUCERS IN THE UNITED STATES, CROP YEARS 1922-1932 Redtop seed prices respond most to supply quantities and least to disap- pearance or consumption quantities. Of the quantities making up supply, pro- duction has influenced price more than carryover. quantities except for somewhat less sensitiveness of producer prices to changes in annual amounts. The comparatively slight sensitiveness displayed by producer prices in years of smaller crops is especially to be noted (Fig. 20). Prices in all three series showed decided reactions to all three quantity series. Annual disappearances have been least elastic in rela- tion to price differences, and production amounts most elastic. It would appear that prices can be forecast best thru the total supply available for the coming season. On the other hand, demand has responded only slightly to price changes the following season. In all cases prices have responded less to a given change in supply at the 1934} PRODUCTION AND MARKETING OF REDTOP 271 surplus end of a period of accumulation than at other times. It is possible to account for the wide range of variation in price over several years largely on the basis of the inelasticity of demand for the product, regardless of price, and the small amount of consumption usually re- quired by various individuals. Prices of other grass seeds, particularly bluegrass and timothy, which more or less reflect their supplies, also affect somewhat the prices of redtop seed (Fig. 21). Another factor influencing redtop 24 20 '29 28 25 '24 •'25 1932 0 4 6 12 16 BUJEGRASS PRICE, CENTS PER LB. 02468 TIMOTHY PRICE , CENTS PER LB. FIG. 21. — PRICES PAID TO PRODUCERS FOR REDTOP SEED IN RELATION TO CORRESPONDING PRICES FOR BLUEGRASS AND TIMOTHY SEED, CROP YEARS 1924-1932 Prices of both bluegrass and timothy seed show some correlation with those of redtop seed. The prices of these two grass seeds have exerted similar in- fluences on redtop seed prices. seed prices has been the export situation since about 1922. Import duties have existed on redtop seed since 1922 and were increased sufficiently in 1930 to provide an embargo against importation (Table 24). Duties on all hays have been such as to exclude competition in domestic markets. Redtop seed has commanded relatively high prices when supply has been kept near the level of consumption but when supply has been burdensome, prices have sagged to levels that made production unprofitable. Speculators have served somewhat as balance wheels in years of large supply but were mostly inactive during the 1931 and 1932 marketing seasons. 272 BULLETIN No. 404 [June, TABLE 24. — TARIFF DUTIES LEVIED ON REDTOP SEED AND HAY, UNITED STATES Tariff act of — Duty on seed, per pound Duty on hay,» per ton 1909 Free *4 1913 Free 2 1922 2 cents (under classification of n.s.p.f.b) 4 1930 40 cents (bent grass seed, genus Agrostis) 5 •No separation made as to kinds of hay. bn.s.p.f. = "not specially provided for." FARM MANAGEMENT ASPECTS OF REDTOP PRO- DUCTION IN SOUTHERN ILLINOIS The place which redtop fills in the organization of farms in the southern Illinois redtop district involves many considerations affecting the relative profitableness of the crop, its use in the cropping system, and the purposes for which it is grown.15* Tho the redtop district can FIG. 22. — ILLINOIS REDTOP DISTRICT AS SEPARATED INTO THE CENTRAL OR SEED AREA, AND THE BORDER OR HAY AND PASTURE AREA The counties in the central area include the heart of the redtop seed-pro- ducing territory of Illinois. Seed production has also been important in those parts of the border counties that are next to the redtop seed-producing area. The use of redtop for hay and pasture predominates in the outer area. be divided into a central or seed-producing area and a border or hay and pasture area, as indicated in Fig. 22, the general organization and the financial returns from farms in the two areas are similar, according to an analysis made of farm records for the years 1928-1932.* Redtop- producing farms in these areas differ chiefly in their cropping systems, particularly in the acreages and uses of the redtop crop. •See footnote, page 277. 1934} PRODUCTION AND MARKETING OF REDTOP 273 Relative Profitableness of Redtop While redtop is a crop of low gross income per acre, it has the advantage of low production costs. When relative costs of nine crops in southern Illinois, as determined for the ten-year period 1913- 1922,10* were adjusted to the scale of operating costs prevailing in 1931 and 1932, redtop showed the lowest acre-cost and the lowest labor and power requirements (Table 25). Crops with a relatively low gross income, such as redtop, timothy, and mixed hay, may prove as profitable, because of their lower acre- costs, as crops with higher gross returns, altho they add less to the total volume of the farm business. In producing hay and seed crops not only is a large share of the labor and power requirements limited to harvesting operations, but there is little conflict with the requirements of grain crops, and hence a larger total acreage can be handled without a proportionate increase in the demand for labor and power. This is particularly true in the redtop district where, because of soil conditions, the acreage of spring- planted crops that can be handled is definitely limited. The total crop area of a farm can be enlarged if crops are grown that require no early spring work. Extent to Which Period of Study Was Normal Farm records for the years 1928-1932 form the basis for the fol- lowing analysis of redtop production on farms in southern Illinois. TABLE 25. — COSTS PER ACRE OF PRODUCING REDTOP AND EIGHT OTHER LEADING CROPS IN THE REDTOP DISTRICT OF ILLINOIS, AVERAGE FOR 1931-1932 Item Red- top Corn Wheat Oats Clover Timo- thy Mixed hay Cow- peas £r bean hay Man labor $ .98 .66 $3.18 5.32 .13 .11 .98 $2.90 3.66 .34 .74 .76 .28 .04 .55 2.31 2.11 $13.69 1.85 $15.54 19.3 36.6 1 675 13.8 bu. $1.83 2.38 .14 .54 .56 .25 .04 .42 1.61 1.42 $ 9.19 1.85 $11.04 12.2 23.8 1 058 21.1 bu. $1.54 1.27 $1.11 .88 $1.20 .82 $2.50 3.20 $1.65 2.26 Horse labor Tractor Seed .08 .25 .60 .42 .15 .30 .40 .26 .75 .76 .65 .68 Machinery Twine... Fuel Threshing or hauling General farm expense* ... . .33 .76 .08 $3.14 1.85 $4.99 6.5 6.6 197 .54T -3!46 .72 $14.60 1.85 $16.45 25.9 53.2 1 221 23.4 bu. .15 1.15 .41 $4.39 1.85 $6.24 8.0 8.2 221 .94T .23 2.35 .57 $10.36 1.85 $12.21 16.7 32.0 248 .61T i!ii 1.17 $7.62 1.85 $9.47 11.0 22.6 24 1.03T 1.32 1.66 $6.21 1.85 $8.06 10.3 12.7 608 1.37T .91 .26 $3.61 1.85 $5.46 7.4 8.8 658 .89T Miscellaneous Total operating expense Interest on land at 5 percent. . Total cost Man labor, hours Horse labor, hours Acres of crop Yield per acre •Taxes are included under general farm expense. 274 BULLETIN No. 404 [June, The conditions which prevailed in the redtop district during this per- iod were significant since extreme variations in rainfall affected markedly the volume of crop production and the decline in price-levels affected the returns for all farm products. Rainfall. — Annual rainfall data from ten stations well distributed over the redtop district, five in the redtop seed-producing area and five in the hay and pasture area, show definite variations in amount of rainfall from year to year but relatively uniform precipitation from month to month thruout the entire district. ANNUAL RAINFALL IN ILLINOIS REDTOP DISTRICT Five stations in Five stations in central or border or hay and seed area pasture area inches inches 1928 42.84 45.31 1929 48.12 48.21 1930 31.20 33.45 1931 43.59 42.91 1932 41.89 46.19 Five-year average 41 . 53 43 . 21 Normal 42.85 39.81 Weather conditions for the crop year 1928 were quite favorable during the spring seeding period, but excessive rainfall in June made cultivation almost impossible, as a result of which feed crops were late and weedy and production restricted. In contrast, the crop season of 1929 started with a wet April and May, and difficulty was exper- ienced in planting crops. Favorable weather later, however, resulted in a good corn crop and fairly good hay crops altho yields of small grains were reduced. In 1930 the greatest variations in temperature and the most severe drouth on record were recorded in the redtop district. The drouth started in March, and during the six-month period of March thru August the rainfall at the ten stations in the district was from 27 to 53 percent of normal. This lack of sufficient rainfall, together with very hot weather in July and August, severely reduced the yields of nearly all crops in the redtop district. The year 1931 was . generally above normal in temperature, with several periods of extreme heat during the summer. Rainfall was well distributed thruout the growing season, and crop yields were the best of any year during this period. During 1932 favorable temperatures prevailed during the crop season, and altho precipitation was less than normal during the period from February thru June, the crop yields were not generally curtailed. 1934} 275 Because of soil conditions in the redtop district, extremes of tem- perature or rainfall exert noticeable effects upon crop production. Yet despite the wide variations in yields from year to year as a result of weather conditions, average yields obtained on the record-keeping farms in the two areas of the district during the five-year period 1928-1932 (Table 26) were representative of a much longer period.3 TABLE 26. — CROP YIELDS ON RECORD-KEEPING FARMS IN THE REDTOP DISTRICT OF ILLINOIS, 1928-1932 Item 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 Average Central area Corn, bushels 20.0 27.8 13.8 31.2 32.3 25.1 Oats, bushels 26.3 15.8 26.3 30.6 16.8 23.2 Winter wheat, bushels 5.9 10.7 15.9 30.9 9.7 14 6 Soybeans, bushels 4.2 7.7 8.1 13.0 7.9 8.2 Redtop, pounds 45.0 44.0 38.0 80.0 99.0 61.0 Hay. tons Redtop .72 .36 .58 53 55 Soybean .85 .84 .76 1.26 1.13 .97 Timothy .55 .89 90 1 35 91 88 Clover 1.19 .80 1.00 1 45 1.11 Alfalfa 2.00 1.33 .20 1.18 Clover and timothy .83 .60 1.00 .88 .83 80 1.50 1 29 1 20 Redtop straw, tons .39 .64 30 60 49 .48 16 35 20 30 19 120 (Total) Border area Corn, bushels 18.5 30.7 12 2 31 3 30 8 24.7 Oats, bushels 30.2 19.1 16 1 34.3 21.1 24.2 Winter wheat, bushels 3.4 14.2 12.4 27.1 13.6 14.1 Soybeans, bushels 6 7 9.5 6 5 9 3 11 2 8 6 Redtop, pounds 63.0 32.0 33 0 73 0 74 0 55.0 Hay, tons Redtop .70 .81 .36 .66 .59 .61 Soybean 1.09 1 14 80 1 38 1 32 1 15 Timothy .95 1.08 .40 1.27 .67 .87 Clover 1.24 1.46 .81 1.21 1.06 1.16 Alfalfa 1.50 1 61 83 2 19 1 07 1 44 Clover and timothy 1.35 .66 .77 .93 Cowpea .97 .70 1.12 1.08 .97 Redtop straw, tons 53 76 41 56 38 53 Number of farms 16 31 36 46 30 159 (Total) Price Conditions. — During the period 1928-1932 farm earnings in the redtop district were affected by price changes more than by climatic conditions. For the first two years of the period prices of farm "See Illinois Cooperative Crop Reporting Service statistics for 1921-1930. Averages of such statistics for counties were compiled by the Illinois Agricul- tural Experiment Station and issued in mimeograph form in July, 1932. 276 BULLETIN No. 404 [June, products were relatively stable, but during the last three years prices of nearly all products of the district experienced a continuous and drastic decline. This situation affected farm incomes during those years, not only because of lower prices received for each succeeding 1932 FIG. 23. — MONTHLY FARM PRICES OF CATTLE, DAIRY PRODUCTS, POULTRY AND POULTRY PRODUCTS, AND REDTOP SEED IN ILLINOIS IN 1928-1932, EXPRESSED IN TERMS OF 1921-1929 PRICES In 1930, when relative prices of other products important in southern Illi- nois were evidencing continued and marked decline, the price of redtop seed advanced. Thereafter the price of redtop seed dropped until by August, 1932, it was less than 25 percent of the basic figure. year's production, but also because of the necessity of writing down each year the value of inventories of livestock and feed on hand. Gross receipts from sale of farm products from farms keeping records in this district have been derived chiefly from livestock and livestock products, with lesser amounts from wheat and other grain and from redtop seed (Figs. 23 and 24). Because of the emergency adjustments made necessary by the drastic price declines, the value of the records lies chiefly in the light 1934-} PRODUCTION AND MARKETING OF REDTOP 277 they throw upon the organization of the redtop farms, which changes slowly, and in the use made of the redtop crop. 1930 FIG. 24. — MONTHLY FARM PRICES OF HOGS, SHEEP AND LAMBS, WHEAT, AND REDTOP SEED IN ILLINOIS IN 1928-1932, EXPRESSED IN TERMS OF 1921-1929 PRICES None of the other farm products dropped to so low a relative point as red- top during this period, altho the price of wheat declined earlier and has been low for a longer period. Organization of Redtop Farms in. the Redtop District The general features of the organization of farms in the central, or redtop seed, area and in the border, or redtop hay, area were found to be quite similar, according to data covering the period 1928-1932 (Table 27).a •This analysis of farm organization is based upon farm financial records kept by farmers in cooperation with their county farm bureaus and the Univer- sity of Illinois for the five-year period 1928-1932. For this period a total of 120 records are available for farms growing redtop in the central or seed area, comprizing Wayne, Marion, Clay, Richland, and Jasper counties, and 159 records in the border or hay and pasture area consisting of 17 counties (Fig. 22). 278 BULLETIN No. 404 [June, TABLE 27. — CROP ACREAGES AND INVESTMENTS ON RECORD- KEEPING FARMS IN THE REDTOP DISTRICT OF ILLINOIS, AVERAGE FOR 1928-1932 Item Central redtop area Border redtop area Total number of records Area of crops and pasture Corn OaU Winter wheat Soybeans Other grains Total grain Redtop seed Total hay Silage Other crops Total crops Total tillable pasture Nun tillable pasture Idle lands Other land (farmstead, waste, etc.) . Total farm Proportion of farm tillable Acres in redtop Seed Hay Pasture Total Proportion of tillable area in redtop for all uses Proportion of hay acreage in redtop hay Proportion of tillable pasture in redtop pasture Proportion of crop sales from redtop seed and hay . . . Proportion of all cash receipts from redtop seed and hay Value of land per acre Amount of capital used per acre, total Number of livestock (except work stock) per farm .... Number of diary cows per farm 120 acres 32.4 18.3 11.2 3.2 .6 (65.7) 34.0 26.5 4.1 3.7 (134.1) 52.1 11.4 4.4 14.9 (216.9) 34.0 5.4 15.2 (54.6) $33.86 58.61 6.01 6.9 perct. 87.7 62.0 10.2 27.8 28.9 17.6 30.0 39.3 7.7 159 acres 32.8 19.1 20.7 2.1 (75 !0) 12.3 25.0 2.6 2.5 (117.4) 45.8 5.9 2.1 17.3 (188.5) 12.3 7.0 18.9 (38.2) $39.80 66.53 5.91 5.5 perct. 87.9 32.6 18.3 49.1 22.9 27.4 40.9 17.1 2.8 Farms in the seed area averaged about 30 acres larger in size than the farms in the hay and pasture area, but the proportion of tillable land and the average acreages per farm of grain crops other than winter wheat and acreages of hay and tillable pasture were quite com- parable. Less winter wheat was grown on farms in the seed area and nearly twice as much nontillable pasture was found on these farms as on the farms in the border area. The two areas differed chiefly in acreage of redtop and in the pro- portion of direct cash returns from this crop. In neither area did redtop sales constitute a large proportion of the total cash receipts, altho they represented almost two-fifths of the crop sales in the central area. The average acre- value of land and the average total investment in the farm business were similar in the two areas, as was also the investment per acre in livestock other than work stock. Of the live- stock, cattle were the most important both in amount of investment 1934} PRODUCTION AND MARKETING OF REDTOP 279 and in sales of livestock and livestock products. Farms in the seed area averaged 6.9 cows per farm, compared with 5.5 in the border area. In both areas poultry and eggs were an important source of income. Larger numbers of hogs were found in the hay and pasture area than in the seed area, tho in both areas the numbers were small compared with the state average. Some sheep were kept in each area, tho the investment was larger in the seed area. The reporting farms in the central and border redtop areas were but little influenced by the specialized fruit production or by dairy farming, tho both industries have assumed important proportions in some sections of the areas. Redtop in the Cropping System The differences in the cropping systems of the central or redtop seed area and the border or redtop hay area have been greatest in regard to the redtop crop. Returns from redtop in the seed area were largely direct from the sales of seed and hay, but in the hay and pasture area, the returns were largely indirect, the result of the use of redtop in the production of livestock and livestock products. The following summary shows the acreages devoted to seed, hay, and pas- ture in each area in 1928-1932 and the percentage which each acreage was of the total redtop acreage of the area. Seed.. Cent seed acres 34.0 ral or area perct. 62.0 10.2 27.8 100.0 Border or hay and pasture area acres perct. 12.3 32.6 7.0 18.3 18.9 49.1 38.2 100.0 Hay.. 5.4 Pasture 15.2 Total . . 54.6 The small proportion of farm receipts from crops in the central or seed area and the large part from livestock and livestock products indicates that the major part of the crops grown has been utilized on the farm. The proportion of the farm acreage used for various kinds of crops on record-keeping farms in the redtop district is shown in Table 28. Classes of Crops. — Grain and seed crops made up slightly less than half the farm acreage in the central or seed area, redtop seed account- ing for about one-third of this amount on the record-keeping farms in 1928-1932. The hay, silage, and grazing area occupied nearly as much of the land as the grain and seed crops. About one-sixth of the pasture area was untillable. The kinds of feed and cash crops raised 280 BULLETIN No. 404 [June, TABLE 28. — PROPORTIONS OF FARM ACREAGE USED FOR VARIOUS KINDS OF CROPS ON RECORD-KEEPING FARMS, CENTRAL OR SEED AREA, REDTOP DISTRICT OF ILLINOIS, 1928-1932 Item 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 Average Number of records 16 35 20 30 19 24 Average size of farm, acres . . . 211.9 200.6 232.0 215.5 224.4 216.9 Percentage of farm area used as specified Grain crops 22.4 29.3 32.9 34.8 31.7 30.3 Miscellaneous 3.5 1.3 1.7 1.9 .7 1.7 Redtop seed 20.3 18.9 12.3 15.6 11.9 15.7 Total grain and seed crops Hay and silage 46.2 15.1 49.5 11.5 46.9 15.9 52.3 10.7 44.3 17.0 47.7 14.1 Tillable pasture 27.8 21.9 23.6 22.4 24.3 24.0 Untillable pasture 2.5 4.6 5.0 5.1 8.7 5.3 Other land 8.4 12.5 8.6 9.5 5.7 8.9 Total 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 and the place which redtop occupied on these farms are shown in Table 29. With the smaller area per farm in the border or hay and pasture area, a larger proportion of the land was in grain crops but less in redtop seed and hay in 1928-1932 than in the seed area. Redtop was more important as a pasture crop than as a seed or hay crop (Table 30). Hay Crops. — A large variety of harvested forage crops was used on the reporting farms in both areas, but there were but few indi- vidual farms that used more than two kinds of such feed (Table 31). Soybeans were the most generally grown hay crop, followed by redtop and timothy. The acid character of the soil has definitely limited the acreages of clovers and alfalfa where liming programs have not been undertaken. From a feed standpoint it is significant that 69 percent of the hay acreage in the central area and 57 percent in the border area during the five-year period 1928-1932 were devoted to legumes, and that the yields of legume hays were higher than those of nonlegumes (Table 26). One-fifth of the record-keeping farms in both groups used silage in addition to hay crops. Pasture Crops. — Pasture crops, like hay crops, present a variety for the central or seed area as a whole. On individual farms, how- ever, there has been a tendency for the number of such crops to be limited. About one-third of the record-keeping farms in the two areas had some nontillable pasture. Of the pasture crops on tillable land redtop and bluegrass were grown most widely (Table 32). In about one-fifth of the fields of redtop, this grass was mixed with 19341 PRODUCTION AND MARKETING OF REDTOP 281 TABLE 29. — AVERAGE ACREAGE PER FARM IN SPECIFIED CROPS, IN TILLABLE PAS- TURES, AND IN MISCELLANEOUS USES, ON RECORD-KEEPING FARMS, CENTRAL OR SEED AREA, REDTOP DISTRICT OF ILLINOIS, 1928-1932 Item 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 Average Number of records 16 35 20 30 19 24 Average size of farm, acres. . . Grain and seed crops 211.9 acres 23.6 200.6 acres 34.3 232.0 acres 32.3 215.6 acres 36 2 224.4 acres 35 4 216.9 acres 32 4 Oats 17.1 11.6 22.6 18.9 21.3 18 3 Winter wheat 4.9 8.5 16.4 13.8 12.7 11.2 1.4 3.7 4.8 4.2 1 7 3 2 .4 .7 .2 1.8 6 Redtop seed 43.0 37.9 28.6 33.7 26.7 34.0 7.3 2.7 3.8 4.2 1.5 3 7 Total 97.7 99.4 108.7 112.8 99.3 103.4 Hay and silage crops Nonlegume Redtop 2.9 4.5 4.5 3.7 11.3 5 4 Timothy 8.3 2.6 1.9 1.2 1.2 3.0 .4 2 1 4 4 Silage 2.8 1.9 10.7 1.9 3.1 4.1 Legume 17.8 10.2 12.7 15.2 14 6 14 1 .2 .3 2.5 .6 Clover 1.5 2.6 .2 3.0 1.5 Clover and timothy Alfalfa .2 1.2 .7 1.9 2.3 .3 .8 .8 .7 Total 32.0 23.1 36 8 23 0 38 1 30 6 Total crops 129.7 122.4 145.5 135.8 137.4 134.1 Tillable pasture Nonlegume Redtop 8.9 16.7 12.1 6.4 13.5 11.5 Redtop, mixed 7.4 3.2 2.4 5.7 3.7 Bluegrass 10.9 11.1 27.4 25.3 29.0 20.7 .3 2 0 7 2 0 1 0 Mixed 18.8 5.8 1.4 1.2 5.4 Miscellaneous 7.4 2.3 .4 3.0 2.7 Legume Clover Clover and timothy 6.9 .4 4.5 2.4 Sweet clover 5.6 4.5 2 6 8 1 2.6 4.7 Legume mixed Total tillable pasture. . 59.0 5.3 43.9 9.3 54.8 11 5 48.2 11 0 54.6 19 6 52.1 11 4 Idle land 2.6 8.0 3 8 5 8 1 9 4 4 Other land . . 15.3 17.0 16.4 14.7 10.9 14.9 other pasture crops. Of the legume pasture crops, sweet clover was most important, occurring on about one-third of the farms in the seed area and on one-fourth in the hay area. Competition of Redtop With Other Crops The problem with respect to redtop in the counties in question has been not so much one of competition with other crops for the use of land and labor, as lack of such competition, and a consequent tendency to swell production of redtop beyond normal demands. Conditions of soil and climate combine in these counties to set rather close limits to the acreages of annual spring-seeded crops that 282 BULLETIN No. 404 [June, TABLE 30. — AVERAGE ACREAGE PER FARM IN SPECIFIED CROPS, IN TILLABLE PAS- TURES, AND IN MISCELLANEOUS USES, ON RECORD-KEEPING FARMS, BORDER OR HAY AND PASTURE AREA, REDTOP DISTRICT OF ILLINOIS, 1928-1932 Item 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 Average 16 31 36 46 30 312 Average size of farm, acres . . Grain and seed crops Corn 184.6 35.6 168.6 27.7 178.1 30.6 211.9 37.3 199.1 32.6 188.5 32 8 Oats 19.6 13.5 17.0 22.5 23.0 19.1 Winter wheat 15.7 24.4 18.4 22.8 22.5 20.7 1.3 1.7 2.4 3.5 1.7 2 1 Other grains .4 .9 .3 Redtop seed 11.0 10.8 13.4 15.1 11.3 12.3 5.3 2.4 1.0 1.4 2 4 2 5 Total 88.5 80.9 82.8 103.5 93.5 89.8 Hay and silage crops Nonlegume Redtop 7.1 5.4 7.4 8.0 6 6 7 0 Timothy 2.5 3.2 2.8 5.3 2.0 3.2 Miscellaneous .1 1.2 .7 .5 .2 .5 Silage 5.3 2.4 1.0 1.4 2.4 2.5 Legumes Soybeans 6.6 4.9 5.5 10.8 8.8 7.3 4.1 .7 2.0 2.3 3.0 2 4 Clover 3.6 3.7 2.2 1.6 3.2 2.9 Clover and timothy 2.0 .8 .6 .3 .7 Alfalfa .5 1.3 1.2 .8 1.5 1.0 Total 29.8 24.8 23.6 31.3 28.0 27.5 Total crops 114.3 106.1 109.3 136 4 121 2 117.4 Tillable pasture Nonlegumes Redtop 7.9 13.2 7.8 16.7 10.3 11.2 Redtop mixed 13.6 4.6 6.2 10.3 3.8 7.7 Bluegrass 9.1 13.0 15.2 12.4 9.3 11.8 Timothy 2.3 4.4 1.7 1.1 1.9 Mixed 4.1 1.9 6.1 7.3 3.9 6.7 4 2 0 9 4 6 2.9 Legume Clover .5 .1 2.1 4 7 1 1 1.6 Sweet clover 3.2 5.5 1.9 6.1 5.0 4.4 Legume mixed .2 .2 .1 Total tillable pasture . . Nontillable pasture. . . . 45.6 2.4 41.1 2 3 44.6 6 3 54.4 7 8 42.7 10 8 45.8 5.9 Idle land 3.4 2.6 .1 6 3.9 2.1 Other land 18.9 16.5 17.8 12.7 20.5 17.3 can be handled with the labor and equipment on the average farm. Therefore a crop such as redtop, which is not seeded in the spring or which stands for several years, supplements rather than competes with corn, wheat, oats, and annual hay crops, since it serves to increase the crop area. Redtop competes more directly with timothy (mixed with clover and unmixed), soybeans, cowpeas, and the clovers. The bulk of the redtop is sown on unlimed ground where clovers will not grow. Timothy and clover require the same amount of labor at nearly the same time as redtop. The outcome of the competition between 1934} PRODUCTION AND MARKETING OF REDTOP 283 TABLE 31. — PROPORTION OF RECORD-KEEPING FARMS HARVESTING SPECIFIED HAY CROPS AND SILAGE, AND ACREAGES OF EACH, REDTOP DISTRICT OF ILLINOIS, 1928-1932 Item Central or seed area* Border or hay and pasture areab Percentage of farms harvesting crop Average acreage of crop per farm Percentage of farms with crop specified Average acreage of crop per farm \onlcgume hay crops Redtop 26 22 20.0 12.3 14.2 16.8 14.4 11.2 13.4 12.3 34 38 9 20 59 23 21 9 16 20.6 12.4 6.6 12.7 12.9 10.2 12.4 9.1 7.4 Timothy Miscellaneous Silage 22 81 5 12 6 5 Legume hay crops Soybeans Cowpeas Clover Clover and timothy'. Alfalfa •Based on records of farms for various portions of the period indicated, totaling 120 farm-years. bBased on records of farms for various portions of the period indicated, totaling 159 farm-years. redtop and timothy is dependent mainly on their relative suitability to the locality, the utilization to be made of them, and the preference of individual producers. Soybeans and cowpeas do not compete so directly with redtop from the labor standpoint inasmuch as their planting comes ahead of redtop harvest and their harvest time much later. In utilization on the farm, however, they displace much redtop hay or straw. Replies by farmers to an inquiry in 1932 as to what would be done with the TABLE 32. — PROPORTION OF RECORD-KEEPING FARMS HAVING VARIOUS KINDS OF PASTURE CROPS, AND ACREAGES OF EACH, REDTOP DISTRICT OF ILLINOIS, 1928-1932 Item Central or seed area* Border or hay and pasture areab Percentage of farms with kind of pastur- age indicated Average acreage in pasture per farm Percentage of farms with crop specified Average acreage of crop per farm \onlegume pasture crops Redtop 43 40 6 12 '6 32 35.9 50.4 15.6 40.4 33l6 15.2 57 36 8 8 10 1 6 25 3 37.5 37.3 25.9 28.2 33.0 17.0 23.2 17.8 9.4 Bluegrass Timothy Mixed Miscellaneous Legume pasture crops Clover Clover and timothy Sweet clover Mixed legume •See footnote a. Table 31. bSee footnote b. Table 31. 2cU BULLETIN No. 404 [June, released land if red top seed acreage were cut 20 percent indicate that the land would be pastured or sown to legumes. On most farms the pasture would simply be redtop pasture. Because of the sourness of most redtop land, the chief legumes planted in substitution for redtop would necessarily be soybeans and cowpeas. Increased production of legumes points toward increased ability to carry livestock successfully thru the winter, this in turn calling for more pasture in summer and a change in the manner of utilizing redtop rather than much decrease in acreage. Business Analysis of Account-Keeping Farms in the Redtop District A marked similarity existed not only in general organization but also in amounts and sources of receipts and in operating expenses on the record-keeping farms in the two areas of the redtop district. Data from the central or seed area will be used to illustrate the financial aspects of the farm business of the entire district. Investments, Income, and Expenses. — The average acreage and the average valuation of real estate per farm on the record-keeping farms in the central or seed area during the period 1928-1932 wrere larger TABLE 33. — DISTRIBUTION OF FARM INVESTMENTS ON RECORD-KEEPING FARMS, CENTRAL OR SEED AREA, REDTOP DISTRICT OF ILLINOIS, 1928-1932 Item 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 Average Number of records 16 35 20 30 19 24 Average size of farm, acres. . . Land 211.9 $8 310 200.6 $6 938 232.0 $8 308 215.5 $6 868 224.4 $6 301 216.9 $7 345 1 364 1 933 2 509 1 815 1 704 1 863 Horses 283 364 371 240 277 307 Cattle 634 731 1 125 754 853 820 Hogs 126 115 182 107 94 125 Sheep 258 141 246 119 54 164 Bees 6 7 3 3 Poultry . ... 185 202 229 190 171 196 Machinery and equipment. . . Feed and grain 765 724 1 045 816 1 269 1 350 1 048 803 807 821 987 903 Total $12 649 $12 291 $15 596 $11 947 $11 082 $12 713 than for all farms in these counties, as shown by the Census.12* Total valuations were low, however, when compared with many areas in the state, owing to a limited capacity for the production of farm products, at least for market disposal, and in turn to a relatively small volume of business per farm (Table 33). Records of investment in different kinds of livestock on these farms show that, while only limited numbers of animals were being 1934] PRODUCTION AND MARKETING OF REDTOP 285 kept, returns from livestock and livestock products during the per- iod 1928-1932 made up from 71.5 to 96.9 percent of the total farm receipts (Table 34). The returns from each item represent the net TABLE 34. — SOURCES OF RETURNS ON RECORD-KEEPING FARMS, CENTRAL OR SEED AREA, REDTOP DISTRICT OF ILLINOIS, 1928-1932 Source of receipts 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 Average Actual returns in dollars Horses $ 11 $. . . $. . . $. • • $ 27 $ 1 Cattle 324 321 258 134 73 222 Hogs 165 312 400 157 164 240 Sheep 195 88 28 17 16 69 Poultry 104 169 157 93 90 123 Egg sales ,_ 225 341 305 222 184 255 Dairy sales 585 317 487 286 398 415 Feed and grain 267 477 301 145 Labor off farm 79 69 48 56 39 58 Miscellaneous receipts 3 3 4 5 1 3 Total receipts $1 958 $2 097 $1 678 $1 271 $992 $1 531 Distribution of returns expressed as percentages of total returns Horses .6 2.7 .1 Cattle 16.6 15.3 15.3 10.5 7.4 14.5 Hogs 8.4 14.9 23.7 12.4 16.5 15.7 Sheep 10 0 4.2 1 7 1.3 1.6 4.5 Poultry 5.3 8.1 9.3 7.3 9.1 8.0 Egg sales 11.5 16.3 18.1 17.5 18.6 16.6 Dairy sales 29.9 15.1 28.9 22 5 40.1 27.1 Feed and grain 13.6 22.7 23.7 9.5 Labor off farm 4.0 3.3 2.8 4.4 3.9 3.8 Miscellaneous .1 .1 2 .4 .1 .2 Total 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 gain after purchases, sales, and changes in inventory values are taken into account. The downward trend in total returns from these farms after 1929 is to be accounted for by the decline in prices of the prod- ucts and not by a decrease in the physical quantities sold. Yearly net gains recorded in the feed and grain account over the five-year period averaged only $145 a farm, or an amount just equal to the sales of redtop seed from these farms. Crop sales included a considerable part of the wheat and some feed crops as well as red- top seed and hay. Sales of wheat and feed crops therefore offset the value of feeds purchased. On most farms crops were grown largely to meet the farm's feed requirements altho some emphasis was placed on producing readily salable crops. In comparison with the central redtop area, the farm investment in the border or hay and pasture area showed somewhat more hogs and poultry and fewer cattle and sheep. On the farms in the border 286 BULLETIN No. 4