AMERICAN AVERAGE WHEAT CROP.

Western Star, Issue 374, 21 August 1880, Page 5 (Supplement)

AMERICAN AVERAGE WHEAT CROP.

A reader reauests us to give the average yield of wheat lor the last forty years in New "York, Pennsylvania, and Ohio. He gayg The question of deterioration of soil has been discussed to some extent here, and a few of us contend that the average yield of drops in States that have gone through the*transition period, i.e., clearing up and getting ready for cultivation, is as great now as when they first got through that period. We want some statistics to help us,” We should be glad to give the statistics Wanted, but we haven’t them on hand as far back as 1840., We shall make an effort to obtain them, however, as far hack as possible, and will then publish them. From the Department of Agriculture reports, we get the average yields of wheat for the years mentioned, our file of reports not being complete :

These statistics do not show any deterioration sixteen years, comparing the last year ■with the first, hut an increase of nearly 2 hush, per acre for the three States named. It will hot do, however, to depend altogether upon such statistics to prove increase or decrease in the fertility of the soil. The influence of seasons, the prevalence of blight, rust, weevil, &c., must be taken into consideration. Hut it is encouraging to know that under favorable circumstances, the soil is capable of producing as much now as it did two decades since, and it-is strong presumptive evidence that land is not decreasing in fertility. We believe it is increasing, rather, every year now, under more intelligent management and culture. —American Paper.

New York .. Pennsylvania Ohio .. 1862. 1863. 1806. 1867. 1869. 1870. bush. 18 13 16 bush. 14 16 13 bush. 15.2 11 4.5 bush. ,14.5 12.5 11.6 bush. 16 14.8 15.5 bush. 13.8 12 13.8 New York Pennsylvania Ohio .. 1872. 1873. 1875. 1876. 1877. 1878. bush 12:5 10.8 11.7 bush. 13.5 14.2 12 bush. 8 13.8 9.5 bush 15 13.2 11.8 bush. 18 13 15 bush. 19 15 18