THE UNITED STATES AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS.

Otago Witness, Issue 1952, 23 July 1891, Page 6

THE UNITED STATES AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS.

Apart from their value to produoers in the country itself, particulars concerning the volumes of the varied production of the United States must always command attention in importing countries, because of the volume of American exports, while at the same time the statistics hare a very decided interest for producers in exporting countries, more especially those remote from the Old World markets, whoaa products are handicapped by costs of transmission. Exaggerations in Amerioan journals relative to the resources of the country, and the low cost of production of raw materials for food and manufactures, have bad an undue influence on the minds of both consumers and producers in other countries, for it is made plain by the statistics published by the United States Bureau of Agriculture that unless the system of cultivation which has heretofore prevailed is speedily reformed, the volume of productions cannot be permanently sustained. In the latest volume isßuedby the Department of Agriculture at Washington, there are 10 coloured maps— a map for each considerable crop cultivated — which show by colouring and shading the area range of the cultivation, and by figures attaohed the farm value of each variety of crop in every State. The subjoined table is given showing the average yield and va .J ae .°J each of the principal crops grown in the United States during the past decade :—

la reference to the figures above Mr Dodge, statistician of the department, observes that although the coat of cultivating tobacco ana potatoes is considerable "there is still a wider margin for superintendence and the use of the land than in the case of any crop with lew returns, but that in that of ootton the extra expenßOß sender the crop but little more profitable than any of the cereals. Regarding the low average yield of Borne of the crops, Mr Dodge explains that there were several years of drought in the decade, but in the 70'b the average was only 3-10 th of a bushel higher, or 12*3 against 12 bushels ; and this excesß was mainly due to " the occurrence of three exceptionally prolifio seasons at the end of the earlier decade." Again in the 80 s extensive areas of virgin soil we»e taken up for wheat-growing, but notwithstanding this and improved cultivation in the Eastern States theße have* not proved a sufficient set-off against " the prevailing Byßtem of exhaustion and consequent decline in yield. On the wheat map the range of yielfl extends from 57 bushels in Mississippi and South Carolina to 195 bushels— the highest— in Colorado. Not one of the States can show a 10-years' average of 20 bußhelß an acre. In a review of the statistics the Economist points out that it is not surprising that farmers whose gross returns were barely 40s an acre for wheat, only 33s for maize, and under 32a for oats were not stimulated to improve their land, "not that the increased expenditure neoessary to increased production might not have proved more remunerative than the poorest of farming, but that the funds were not available." Only 12 out of 43 States and territories rise above an average for the decade of 15 bushels of wheat per acre, and "eight of these are in the West— small wheatgrowing States, which together do not contain one-twentieth of the total wheat acreage of America. For Dakota, which contains more than one-ninth of the total wheat area, the yield is only 11 9 bushels ; while that of the great wheat-producing California is no more than 12 5 bushels, and that of Minnesota the came. Thus in the three greatest wheat States togethdr the average yield is only slightly ever 12 bushela an acrr. Aa summarised in the Economist: "The range of values per acre for wheat is from 20dol 74c in Massachusetts to sdol 95c in Tennessee. In only eight States ia the value over 15dol an aore, and all but Colorado and Nevada are Eastern States. It is 7dol 520 for Dakota, lOdoT 350 for California, and 9dol 310 for Minnesota. It is not a little remarkable that during the last six years of the decade under notice the gross returns of the wheat crop in Dakota must have been less than 28s an acre ; yet in 1889 the crop ia this State covered nearly 4£ million acre?. As tc the advantages of position, while in all the Eastern and most of lhe Southern Slates wheat averaged over a dollar a bushel for the whole decade (though not for the latter portion of it), and in some caseE over a dollar and a- quarter, in several of the Western States it was under three-quarters of a dollar— only 640, for instance, in Dakota and 620 in Nebraska." In 1889 there was a considerable recovery in pric.es,|and a further

advance is expeoted in 1891— an advance to higher values than prevailed in any of the previous seven yeara or more. But it is suggested that as rail freights are apt to rise with prices, those parts of the country distant from good marketß do not share equally with near parts in any advance in the value of grain. Regarding grain production in the Statea generally, Mr Dodge ia of the opinion that as population advances, higher cultivation and soil enrichment mußt follow as a necessity. These results, he observes, are beginning to be seen in the praotice'of the most progressive farmers, bo that even the richness of the Western prairies is fully off -Bet by the fertilisation of relatively poor soil on the Atlantic coast. In thia way he expects a population of a hundred millions will be supplied by a breadth 'of wheat no larger than that .of the ptesent yea?* Washington Territory comes to the front with oats, having an average yield of 36 bushels an acre, while Illinois is second, with 34-2 bushels, and North Carolina last, with 95. The range of values per acre ia from 18dol 150 in Nevada, to 4dol 560 in North Carolina. With reepeot to this orop the advantages of position are peculiarly striking. Thus, over 29 bußhels in Nebraska average only about sfdol, while the same quantity is worth more than three times as much in Nevada, and more than twice aB muoh in Massachusetts. The map and figures relating to maize show a range of yield from 82 8 bushels in Nebraska to 9 4 in South Carolina, while the extremes of value per aore are 24d0l 32oin New Hampshire and 6dol 190 in South Carolina. In the Eastern State just named produce and position are alike favourable, the yield in New Hampshire being 32 7 bushels, although the soil is natur* ally less fertile than it is in South Carolina. But in the comparison between the returns of these two states it is yield alone which tells in favour of New Hampshire, the value per bushel being slightly in favour of South Carolina. On the other hand, position in oonneotion with good markets gives a return in the Eastern States more than three times as much as that of Nebraska, or 24d0l 820 against 7dol 580 in Bpite of one tenth of a bushel extra yield in the latter State. Again, the farm value of a bushel of maize during the decade averaged 690 in Connecticut and only 280 in Kansas. Eighteen states and territories average over 15dol an acre for maize. Half of theße are eaßt of the Alleghanieß and north of Delaware ; the other half on the Pacific Coast and in the Rooky Mountain region. In the former case the cause ia found in large yield and high prices j in the latter, mining and manufacturing populations stimulate the demand. In Colorado the price is as high as it ia in Connecticut, mining helping in the first oaße aa manufacturing helps in the second. Rye and buckwheat are orops for poor soils, and are not extensively grown. The latter orop, however, gives an exceptional return of over 15idol in California. Barley has a higher value per acre than any other cereal in America. As in the caße of the_oat crop, Washington Btanda first, having an average yield of 29 1 bushels an acre, worth 16Jdol ; and Alabama ia at the bottom of the Bcale with 10 4 buehels, worth, however, lldol 880. Maryland does best with this orop, growing 25J bushels an acre by means of careful cultivation, and getting nearly 20idol for the quantity. Nebraska claims only about 7£dol for 19& bushels. The distribution pf the barley orop is not at all general, as California, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and New York produce half the total crop, and Dakota, lowa, and Nebraska are the only other extensive contributors. i Next to tobacco, the potato crop is the most valuable. Potatoes appear to thrive beßt pn the Paoifio Ooaßt, and in other parts of the far West, as Washington Territory has the highest yield (117 bushels), followed &by Montana, Idaho, and Oregon. The' Economist thus comments on the returns for potatoes :— Seeing that the average yield is trader three tons per aore, no less than half the average for Great Britain, it might ihave been supposed that Eaßtern farmers and market gardeners would beat the cultivators of new land by menu i of high manuring. This, however, they fail to do ; for although some of the ISiew England States come dose to 100 bushels an acre, none of them reaoh that average, and some are more than 20 per cent, below it. No State or Territory m America comes up to the Irish average, miserable aa the cultivation of the tuber in Ireland ia as a rule." As regards the «««n value per aore Nevada has the highest sum (76d0l 250) and Tennessee the lowest (30dol 490). . In the great majority of the States the yield of hay is from a ton to a little over a ton and one-third per acre, California and Oregon being most productive, with 1 39 tons each as the average. The Eaßtern States, where the oldest and most improved pastutes might be supposed to exist, and where the rainfall is greater than it is in the West, have the lowest averages, thus showing that improved farming has not been directed at all commonly to grass land. New Hampshire is at the bottom of the soale, with 7 per cent, less than a ton to the acre. In Massachusetts, where the yield is only a small fraction over a ton per acre, the valua of the crop is highest-namely, 18dol 82c per aore, as the population not engaged m agriculture is there the greatest; while in thinly-populated Nebraska a quarter of a ton more leaves the product only about onefoSth as valuable as that of tbe Eastern 8 Tobacco, it will be seen, is by. far the most valuable crop, but the range of yield and value per acre is very wide, the former being from Sib in Massachusetts to 4801b in North Carolina, and the latter frora 204d0l 28c in Massachusetts to 44d0l 24c in Maryland. The highestyieldsand prices arefor seed-leaf tobacco nwd exolußively for cigars and grown solely in the Northern States, and mainly in ft few counties on the Connect out river, in New York. Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Ohio The State last named alao produces tobacco of the Sw fine-cut, and other *anetieß ; while Kentucky is the principal producer of manufacturing and shipping tobacco. __ Louisiana has the best position in respect ot cotton-trrowing, with an average yield ot 2321b of lint, vllued at 20dol 83o ; whUalFlonda has only 1061b, worth lldol 160. . The oottongrowioff States show on the map m a oompaot group, all, of course, in the South and chiefly in the South-east. They consist of Virginia, North and South Carolina, Tennessee, Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana, Missiseippi, Alabama, Georgia, and Florida.

Crop. Maize Wheat Oatt Bye... Barley Buckwheat Potatoes Hay Tobaooo Cotton Yield per Farm Valu Annnm. . perAore. Bushels. Dol. cent. ... 241 9 47 ... 120 9 95 ... 265 8 16 ... 11-9 8 27 ... 21-7 12 76 ... 12 8 8 24 ... 762 38 34 tons. ... 1-19 11 08 lbs. ... 727-1 61 51 ... 1881 15 69