Plymouth advertiser. [volume] (Plymouth, Ohio) 1853-1988, 1853-11-12
The Productions and Capacity Of Ohio
for Cereal Grains.

As the first Agricultural State Of the
Union, either in quality or surplus, The
productions and capacities of Ohio are
important 10 the whole nation. When II
is said that the United States has a laage
surplus Of grain, meat, and lard for Eu-
rope. it is only sayinglha the Northwest
ern States has a surplus, for Independent
Of them, the United States have no sur
plus whatever. In New England and the
South they IN short of grain und meat
for ther own consumption. We copy the
following table of the products of the u
States, and that Of the Northwest, (Ohio,
Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Wiscon.
sIn) as illustrative Of this fact, ffom the
Railroad Record:
United States, l29,000,000 bushels Wheat,
20. do. Gn0OOO,0O0 Corn,
Northwest, 55,9OO,O0O Wheat,
do 10O,000,000 Corn.
We thus see that the production of
Wheat in the FIVE North. western States
is 45 per cent. of that in the whole Tn.
ion; and Of Indian Corn 80 per cent.
The Average production Of Wheat in Ohio
for 1850 to 1858, inclusive, has been fully
equal to that of tlcenty States united, viz:
Six New England States, New Jersey,
Delaware, Maryland, North Carolina,
Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi,
Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas, Tennessee
aad Missouri
The production of lnGian Corn in Chic
is eqnal 10 The aggregate of thirteen Statas,
viz: The six New England States, New
Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Florida,
Louisiau, Texas and Arkansas.
The FEEDING POWER, therefore, is in
the Northwest. Cotton and tobacco can
not be eaten; nor can cotton and woolen
cIote. however necessary for raiment.
The feeding power is like coal to steam
essen ial to motive power. The stomach,
whether of man OF animals, is live steam
boiler-and the steam is r isei from grain
and vegetables. All human locomotives,
wherever placed, must cease when the
~ ply of grain ceases.
The production of Ohio and the North
west, then, is matter of vas. i'm mportance;
and without making it a matter of boast,
we propose to exhibit what Ohio does in
this way and what she may do.
The distribution Of lands in Ohio is as
follows viz
Improved Lands, 9,851 ,433 acres.
Unimproved Lands in Farms, 8,14G,00O
| Wild Lands, G,415,567
Total, 24,413.OOO
There are yet some tracts which have
not come to the Assessors Lists, but they
are inconsderable in amount. From this
statement it appears that about three
fourths the surface Of the State is owned
or increased as farms, but that only one
half The farms are improved, having near.
! ly two-thirds The entire surface of the
State uncultivated in any way. OF the
improved lands, the distribution in 1850,
was as follows:
In Wheat, 1897, 433 acres.
In Corn, 1888, 900
In Oats, Barley, SC. 4GG, 600
In Grass, Meadow, Orchards,
Gardens, Fullow, Roads, &c. 5,849,727 {"
Improved Lands, 9,951 ,433
The arabic (Dlowed) lands of Ohio
amounted in 1850 to 4,30l,706 acres, that
is about oas-stTth part Of The State.
The crop Of Wheat was immense, viz ::
t"irty five millions of bushels, or more
than one-fourth of what is now raised in
the United States; but since that, the
crops average twenty-five millions.
The average crop in any country, and
the crop on fertile lands well cultivated,
are very different things. We have
crops Of forty bushels of Wheat per acre,
and one hundred bushels of Corn; but
this is far above the common crops, and
when we come to throw in bad cultIva-
ton and second.rate land, there is wide
difference between these and the averages.
Averaging all seasons and all lands,
Ohio produces, uniformly, l6 bushels of
wheat and 33 bushels of corn per acre.
In IL good season, on the two millions OF
acres in wheat, we shall have over thirty
millions of bushels, and on the corn
lands seventy millions. We have raised
more than that in wheat. At the rate OF
the last three years we have raised wheat
enougn Cat the European allowance) for
four millions of people, which is double
the population of the S ate. Our corn
and cattle are in proportion, So that
somewhere in the world, we feed two
millions of other people. One million of
those people, fed by Ohio, are in New
England, to which we sell million Of
barrels of -four, with pork and lard to
match. We can iced a million more, and
those will be III Europe chiefly. With.
out at all infringing on proper proper
ton Of woods, meadows, pasture and fall
low, Ohio might cultivate twelve millions
of acres in arabic ground AT our pres
ent averages, this would give us eighty
millions of bushels of wheat, and one
hundred and sixty millions of corn-full
enough for the support Of twelve millions
of people
In such a case the population of the
State would be increased to five millions.