Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, IA [i.e. Ind.]) 1839-1854, 1850-08-28
From the Rochester inarricr
The Wheat Crop OF 1850.

Fron, the Rochester imericun
The Wheat Crop OF 1850.
The wheat harvest is now so far ad-
sanced and completed in the t States.
that We can speak with some confilence
OF lis abundance. and OF the circumstances
which VIII materially ati'.ct il thev do
not control the price OF bread>;uti>. for
the coming year. With the exception of
Georgia. AIabama. and Texas all the
States have produced either an average
Or more than an average crop of wheat.
which is already cut and housed or soon
Will be. In the \ northwestern States. IN
Guiding Missouri kenfuckv. and Tennes
see. the surplus Will be unusually large
ONO. Indiana. Illinois. Iowa. Wisconsin
and Michigan, with few unimportant ex-
ceptons. have been blest with favorable
weather and generous harve>tS. In
Penn> ylvania. V estern New York, anil
tanada. the wheat crop is generally good
W hat IS most needed by the farmers of
this country. is reliable market for their
vast surplus of grain. To this point
public attention should be especially and
earnestly directed
We have Just received our Scotch.
English. and French agricultural journals
for July. and had time to read them The
leading article in the Journal ofthe High
land and Agricultural Society of Scotland.
Is "On agricultural Statistics Although
agricultural statistics have been more
neglected in Great Britain than in this
country. yet enough is known to prove the
capacity OF the British islands TO feed
their entire population for many years to
come. More than halt of the cultivated
land in Scotland is sown in oats; and the
yield OF tins crop on We'll drained. titled
and nlanured farms. is almost incredible.
sixty varieties OF this cereal are grown of
which one halt is said to be worthless
The intelligent reader need not be inform
ed that oat meal is the staple food OF the
millions in Scotland and the north OF
England. \ Scotchman who has recent
ly returned from tour in the /. States
and is publishing his Notes on American
Agriculture" saws that the Americans
are generally fond Of oatmeal; indeed. il
tetches high price: but vet the supply is
exceedingly defective.''
Probably not one Ame rican in a thous-
and has ever tasted oatmea. bread or por-
ridge. in his life.
The crops in the British islands. in
!.
Iv very promising. French agricultural.
ISIS. after feeding thirtv-six millions ofpeo.
pie at home. sent a larger amount OF
bread~tulis 10 England last wear than did
all the farmers in our thirty States Be-
ing 50 much nearer the consumers. con-
finental grain-grov with their album
danf and exceedingly cheap labor. have a
decisive advantage over their competitors
i ,f+ ~ Il
annually waste the raw material for ma
king wheat equal to the production OF
several hundred million bushels, E.uropean
cultivaiors. by the aid of more advanced
chemical science and rural art. are begin
ming TO husband the elements of bread
and meat with commendable care and
economy. Commercial men know very
little OF the revolution which IS now in
progress in the most educated nations Of
Europe. IN the production and preserva-
ton OF human food. Even the literary
world is profoundly ignorant of what
modern science is doing for the human
family. III the way OF augmenting the ma
tural truifiulness Of the earth
American farmers cannot much longer
look to London and Liverpool for a market
for their grain and provision. California
has promised to afford them some advan-
tage in the way of consuming their flour
meat. lard. butter and cheese: but it ap-
pears that powerful competitors are spring
ng up in Peru. Chill and Oregon. Wheat
in Peru and Chill. is now selling at thirty
one cents a buShel This arises from the
circumstance. that guano abounds at their
doors. which is the best fertilizer known to
form cheap gram. whore il costs little or
nothing. Ihe writer has before him
letter from an excellent farmer in Mary
land. who has used this fertilizer for seve-
raj years and taken pains to procure from
the Patent Office the best seed wheat III
the | Mon. This farmer saws that some
heads Of wheat in his field this year are
ten Gnd e/eren inches IN Iengfh. and well
filled with plump seeds. Only few per-
sons are studying the improvement of
wheat plants on scientific principles: but
these are. happily. quite successful.
In regard 10 a market for wheat. New
England now furnishes the best in this
country. if not in the world. 1t is a mis-
take TO import SO largely OF English goods.
and depend Oh the sale Of Southern cot
ton and tobacco 10 pay for the same. Me-
chanical and manufacturing industry
should be fostered and extended al hoy~e,
to enlarge the only reliable market for the
grain and provisions which the farmer mas
10 sell. He is sure of the custom OF all
American miners: laborers on canals
lakes. rivers. and railroads. He is GER
tain to feed all operatives n the factories.
machine shops. cities and villages in the
United States. But place his customers
on the western side of the Rocky Noun
tains. or on the east side of the Atlantic.
and the chances are one hundred TO one
tha; the tiliers Of the earth much nearer to
the consumers. will supply them with their
necessary food. This results from ma
tural law which is as wise as il is univer-
sal; for a small part of each kernal OF
wheat taken from soil should be restored
TO il 10 prevent any diminution of fertility