Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1868-01-10
ouR AeR1cuLruRE IN 1857.

OF that Department. m'sut very "eii pe
a document of great interest and value.
In looking over the pages Of the recent
report, however, for matters Of general
interest and permanent value, we find
them to be much fewer than we sup
posed could be the case in a review of
agricultural affairs for a whole year in
the United States. Those most avail
able for our purpose, in keeping Jul
readers we'll informed on useful subjects,
are the following:
Cotton is yielding better than last
year, and it is surmised by the Depart
men, that the crop will yield an aggre-
gate OF 2,5Oo,O 900 bales. This is but
little short Of tho heavy crop Of 1860,
and may, with reason, be held to be a
very sangaine estimate. 1t is almost
too much to expect that the great staple
production Of the Southern Atlantic
States is recovering at so rapid n rate.
The crop in 1866 was reported to be l.
l62, 745 bales. On this subject it may
be interesting to note the progress Of
other countries in the culture and sup
ply of cotton for export during the re-
bellion. India and China, which in
1860 supplied but 500, 900 bales, brought
into the channels Of commerce in 1865
the large amount Of l~,s66,ooo bales /;
Brazil increased from lo3, 900 bales to
4O7 900 bales and Egypt increased
from 10000 bales in 1860 to 3S4,OO 0
bales in 1865. OF the cotton imported
into England in the first ten months of
this year, amounting in all to s,544,333
pounds, the United States furnished but
4,lss, 094 pounds, or considerable less
than half. India aud China furnished
2,96s,557 pounds, and the rest were
from Brazil, Egypt, and other sources.
The Commissioner strongly recommends
the repeal Of the cotton tax.
The wheat crop, according to the es-
innate Of tho Department, amounts to
200, 0O0, 900 bushels for the whole couu-
try, including the Southern and the
Pacific States. Sheep have nearly
doubled in numbers since 1860, the
aggregate being forty millions now,
against tw~enty-three millions at that
time; and the clip" Of wool has aug
mented from sixty millions to n hun
dred and fifteen millions Of pounds.
Corn is not so hopefully spoken of, on
account Of serious losses to that crop,
principally in the Ohio valley. Horses
show a slight increase in numbers and
value over last year, though there is
still q decrease Of six per cent, as COM
| pored with tho census returns Of 1860.
Cows appear to DO increasing more rap
idly than other horned cattle, though
no figures are given for either by which
to make comparisons with former re-
turns. With a view to showing a grow
ing activity in improved methods Of
tillage and carrying on farm work
generally, it is noted that the issue Of
patents for agricultural implements has
increased from forty-three in ls4T, and
three hundred and ninety in 1868, to
seventeen hundred and se%venty-seven
in the first ten months of the present
year.
It appears from this report that the
| production of wheat per acre is decreas-
ing in the older States. The average
production in Ohio last year is set down
at between three and four bushels per
acre, instead Of twenty bushels, as it
should have been but for the bad cul-
ture and worse drainage, as alleged in
the report. The newer States always
yield we'll, but in q little while they
also show a %diminution. The improve
dent culture referred to is probably o
neglect of proper rotation Of crops, al
though this is not said in plain terms.
Complaint is made of the heavy freight
charges of the railway companies for
transportation of the crops to market
aud to the scaboard /; and under this
head it is stated that it costs more to
transport wheat from Chicago to the
Atlantic cities than it does to carry it
by sea from San Francisco around Cape
Horn to Philadelphia or New York.