, 1870-08-06
THE MINNESOTA WHEAT CROP
OF 1870.

AAS AAAAA i0o4d H11Eh1 VAUE
OF 1870.
Diminished Average FaeId nnd Az.
EFrEntc Product - Fifteen million
Enthusiastically Improved Quail.
" OF No. 1 Whcut-Ihc Net Value
Of the Wheat Crop Double thnt OF
Last Hcor-lSarlcy, Oats, and Corn.
Fro.s the St Paul Press. Aug, 1
Mr.. fusey, the Commissioner of Statistics
returned two or three days ngo from prctts
extensive tour Of observation through the as-
fcultura1 districts OF the State, undertaken,
OF tEa wheat and other cropa beforo The
imminent reaper had swept them from
tho fields lii. pusey has had considerable
e1peiaence rs practical farmer, 10
that his conclusions are doubly valuable a. i,o-
tnE based on the minute and careful observe
tlons and inquiries Of All expert, and the in-
telliGent gentralzatious Of tho practical ssa-
tik'ician.
lie informs ue that he has uever found it 80
uitEcnlt as this season to form reliable iuiic-
ment OF the average condition anl field OF the
wheat crop, and thls on account of the extra
ordinary Inequalities in the state OF this cron.
which prevails not only III different districts
and localities of tue State. but IN the sauo
localities and in the ZANE fie]d..
!. Tho random. fit3ul, and unequal distribu-
ton VI the summer raius las nroIuced rrelt
disparities in different parts u! .ue State. As
general rule, the river counties, as they are
ealled-that il to say, those adjacent to the
Mississippi lGver--hare enjoyed ! better .u,,-
ply Of rain than the interior counties trayers-
ed BY the Milwaukee L st. Paul 1lallrpad. and
through the Minnesota Valley. where The July
drouth ragged with fearfu! intensity. The
crops in the former. therefore, wil! 10 up to
tho full average; willis III the latter, tbs. ia
tn aI0J1T anil ehk S1f fttn e.
Paul load, through tic Minnesota and Blue
Earth Valleys, the c1ups will ba consider
ably below the average. North Of the Mime.
sofa 1iFet. however, in aud west OF the Big
Woods cotntly-eaLecially tho northwestern,
frontier co1nties-the seorrhing July drouth
abundant on the frontier, aud lLo crons
through tas Nhoie district will be genorally
full average, with some local exceptions.
Among the r1seE counties, the crop III Good
hue is said to be in the best General condition.
In Mcleod and Meeker, Nr. rusey aays lhov
Will yield fair average; and bsyund them,
i'll douglas, Redwood. Pope, ETC. more than
Average results asereporselbyhs correspond
cntb,
q But apart from inequalities produced by
the capricsous rain dlstribu,ion the crpp il
everywhere marked by very great local didas-
cnees, resulting wholly from the manner in
which the crop was put in. Wheat sown on
%'fNSt~A$ VIA AGGF f4QHl4Ey u
generally aood crop, ercu III the dEoau,ti,-
stricken districts, While tAat sown On sprinr
slowinE is thin and sluAted, aud this dctelio.
ration is aggravated By the shallow plo.,ng
~lach generally prevails.
Now it happened that last fall the farners
throughout the State, discourage bv the
sninously low prices Of wheat and hindsrcl by
the premature cold enap. ver7 ceueratIv
neglected their fall plowine, OF did yev much
less OF it than usual. Dut when tha warm
AUG early spring, withits improving prospects.
came round, many OF them attempted to make
spring plowing, and It thus happened ehat :
considerable part Of the crop tI,is wear
WIS sown on this inferior tiith. Tha
contrast in the result Of the two mo1es
u cnltiFatou was never moro stt;kinclr
et1a...hted than this rear. Or two patches 81
whcat in the eAne field, that sown in deep
fall ploWins is found to have good and thick
,ng Averages in the di-tricfs where the July
drought prevailed, Of eighteen, twenty, and.
in eome cases, Thirty and thirtv-tiye 6uebeI.
per acre, as the conditions were more or less
favorable, and the cultivation moro OF Ies.
thorough while that eowu On shallow spring
plo~lng Is thin and short, with meagre head,
AMI viii hardly produce from ei8 to eight BUSH
esa per acre, and the quality aud qua;.tity Of
tue crop generally correspond accuratelr to The
ntde Of cultivation. In Halnsey Cuunty. fhonr},
wo nave lew farmers. they are generally good
farmers, and the result is thai. though the
cfonsh las been nowhere mort eesere than
aereahout, some Of the farms in the yiciuity
OF Lake Como will produce from thi-tv to
fhlsty-nve bushels per acre. The general ex-
rctlcnee is that tie Ju1v irouth, intense AZ II
was, had comparatively little effect on what
soTn On soil plowed in the fall, plowed deep.
and thoroughly cultivated, except to stunt thn
ft1aH. while it blasted and ali put dentrovad
that Gown On the shallow spring ploning. The
Result Of the harvest Will, therefore. ba an
emphatic lesson in favor Of thorough cultjya-
tion, aa the best security against drouth and
other acciden OF the weather.
T.. " reaeon OF these remarkable dtversities
u the character Of tho crops IN the saune aud
different local ties, resulting from these pecu-
lar conditions, it is difficult to arrive at any
safe estimate Of the average sield throughout
the State, but Mr.. Pusey's conclusion is that
1t will be Aoout fourteen CT fifteen bushels Der
acre, or sone u per cent below tho average,
which, in this State, for \ sctiey Of vaatn. il
seventeen or eighteen bushels per acre.
Tue Asc4 OF the wheat crop be estimates to
Dc about The came ae last year. or \ little over
an1lion 1csre- In consequence OF the low
price Of wheat last fall and winter, farmers
uaronshout the State have generally put less
land in wheat. hut even in the old eountic,
this contraction OF the wheat tillase h,s hcen
10 some exient compensated by The extension
OF wheat cultivation in the new settlemeuts OF
the frontier conuties- In consequence of the
diminished yield, tho aggregate product will
ne somewhat less than last 5eaz. or probably
about 15,oo0,000 bushels, Agaia-t Is, So, ,0W
last ycar
But the diminished quantity is moro than
conpensatcd for by the improved quality of
tho crop. The berry is almost universally
plump, white, and hoAvt, and even Nhe{e the
stalk 10 hEhtest tho grain is good. Ar. rusey
1ound nowhere ANY appearance Of the alght-
est deterioration Of the t71jr frrr, .2s.e
Light, or other cansss Nearly he entirss
wheat crop Of Minnesota this year will crsja
AZ No. !, while last year various circuustsu sucea.
and chef among them tho hot, sulsrv Eeather
1h'le the wheat was hesdlng ont, and the
heavy rains. during md after harvest, greatly
damaged the wheat, 30 that nearly the whoIe
crop graded As Nos. 2 and 2. Unlike las, ,.aa
son. when the heavy saius interrupted md de-
Iaycd the harvest and ruined much az tLe
wheat; the cool clear weather go fAr has been
exceedingly favorable to the harvest, which ia
already far advanced. and ali the eign, iudI-
cate that the crop will be gathered, th:eAhcd.
and sent to market in excellent copdit;on'
Moreover, cur farmers are enjoying another
Ereat advantage over last year in the ahun-
dance OF bArres: hands II moderate prices,
ray S1.50 per day. Last year hanls could
only b. obtained 1t from IS to Is or
even &c per d2v. and in consequences
Of the delays in harvesting, occsaioned
BY the heavy and continued rains, the cost
OF EataellnS &n6 crop Was immensely in
creased And just rs the harvest was ended
the Price fell to a ruiupualy low standard So
that there were few farmers who from this
combination OF misfartunes did no: lose
money On their csops- Bat thi. vea1 the cyop
is harvested upon = high aud rising rpsrket,
and will probably call for nearly or quite dou-
BE the price realized for lxst Years crop,
TAkinE info account tie greatly improved
quality of the wheat. the much iets expense
u cu1tirating aud gathering it, and the great
" enhanced prices, there can hari,S be- 4
Doubt thst The present wheat crop Of Mime
rota is worth double As much money to nnr
farners - th1t Of last year.
Daz@ey was n-a ally mAtured before drourht
begin TO tell on vegetation, and 1t is, there
FIRE. N excellent crop, ylel1ing more thaa
the full average.
Oats have suffered more than any other of
the srains from the drought, and is uea,ir
everywhere \ thin. light aud meagro c,un'
Last year The oat crop vas 1u1urinnt
Loyond precedent, Yielding about forty-nya
bushels to the acre, and weighed about 10 ner
cent more Per bushel thAo tie legal stanl.M
This year ii Will hardly rroduce mora thsn
twenty burhels to the acre, while the weight
1ln s-u veJT largely below the Legal staudssd.
and the seAsou, On tho Wnv-, IVA been f.yor,