, 1870-06-23
THE WHEAT CROP OF 1870.

WAsu1NGTos, June II.
The natural tendency OF Low pricea to reduce I
the acreage Of wheat has been apparent thus
year, though not to the extent threatened. !
LAST wear estimated tho increase over 1868 ut
more than Anflion acres, rnaEpG an aggregate
Of Is, ,O98, 600 acres. figure reduction thls
spring OF more than 800. 600 acres, OF nearly
S per cent Of last yesr's assumed acreage. THO
1ednrhon is greatest in H.inoss-.15 per ceat IN
winter wheat and IL III spring wheat Indians,
per cent IN winter and in spring; Wisconsin |
and lows (spsing Mostly, each per cent;
Missouri (yinter}, per cent; Minneaota,
with an increasing population, while thraaten-
ing to stop wbeat-gyowing, claims an increase
Of per cent; kansas also claims N increase
cent; West Virginia and Kentucky show =
larger breadth; North Carolina alone, in all
tue South, claims increase, some Of the cotton
States falling of 20 per cent; New York sp-
pea.s to have lost 4 per cent. xnd New Eng
land 2 per cent.
HrEsG OF wrxrER-Kul1sa,
sFreezing-ont" has not been general or
very serious in its results. The winter was
mid, and comparatively uniform, during its
earlier months especially February aud
March, the most critical pasiod for injury BY
freezing, were stormy and cool, With fas more
protection against the seasons ch.nses. Ii
view OF the general mildness and opannasa Of
the winter, from which severe winter killing
might naturally be expected, ths exemption ia
striking. In many instances this exemption 10
evidently due to the use Of the dtill. which
than the brush or harrow used in broadcaat
sowing. Abundant testimony hss this spring
been furnished to prove that the wheat drill ID
annuany worth millions to the agriculture OF
this country. Draining has also been means
Of preventing loss BY freezing. Wherever
rrSr+aY.lft1irr kra IL fua baat1
out whole counties or brosd
belts Of country; il has bean due moro to con-
diton Of soil than to extreme or frequent
changes Of Temperature; it has been sean IN
stiff soils, in hollows vhere water stands on
the surface, in half-pulverized soils, and IN
fields where the eee:l WIS., scattered upon the
surface. Very few good farmers have oecs-
zion this spring to complain OF the effect Of
frost, yet there has been eou1e loss, eonsidera-
bio in the aggregate, 40 there is each yez. but
scarcely as much as the years will average.
In Naw England snd Northern New York the
loss from freezing WAS small-the most COM
plant coming from Windsor County, VI. and
from New Haven County, Conn. In New York,
Chataaque suffered naost, sad, among other
s9Munties, Ni,g.5a, Warren, stenbsa, Oneida,
injunea. In New Jersey, Ocean, Morris, and
Union arc most prominent. In Pennsylvania,
wheat in many counties Tas injured
slightly, none very severely, On clsardeld
IL sat ~ss sea das9 Z s,s ss3 s aaa sa
we're nndrained; in Virginia, one-hfth Was
| Lancaster, Abemarle, Cumberland, Greene,
| Henry and Loudon. The Southern Ststes.
| from Carolina to Texas, have small ares, but
North Carolina the plant started vigorously in
| nine-tenths Of Ill the counties. In Tennessee.
Dyer, Fayette and Greene. suffered most; ind
| IN Kentucky, Butler. Galloway, Carroll, Nc
! Cracken, Gal!atln- In Missouri, only one
fourth OF stand is found in Lewis and Yer
non. fancy and Howard haze suffered. The
belt between IS deg. and SO deg, which rarely
hss much SNOW, and often pEeventa very bad
| stand Of winter grain, shows fewer bad Hpots
this 5eat than usual Kansas, in this zone, ia
this yesr almost entirely exempt from injury.
| Among the great grain fields Of tho West the
aeyerest injury Szom wintez-klling waa in Hi
| nois. Here, as elsewhere, early drilled wheat
on carefully prepared, dry OF drained soils,
escaped injury, Among the counties in which
wintez-klling was more or less severe, inTolv-
ing loss Of 10 to so per cent Of the plants,
are Wayne, St. Clair, Mena1d, Franklin Called
in prairie, but good il TIMBER, Marion, jack
ron, Henderson, Edwards. Peoria, Adams,
Crawford, TazeweT, Kendall Clay, EHnghArn,
Fulton, MAcoupin, Perry, Tusco1a, Knox, and
Monroe. In third Of the counties OF 1ndisna,
| 6Qlc1enL 4cas WAS buatAlneu 10 leuuE6 tA6
! general condition of wheat below the average.
Fully half the counties Of Ohio presented 10
early spring 1exs than average prospect, with
some injury from freezing, IN no case particn-
larly severe. North and west Of Illinois less
than tenth Of The crop i q the winter vasi-
ing. Michigan, an exception in its latitude
on account Of its insular poaition,
cultiysteH large proportion Of winter
wheat, and has not escaped injury
from frost, especially IN Montcalm,. Barry,
uillsdale, Van Dnren, Calhoun, Livingston,
SNOW furnished complete protection; IN En-
met It Waa three feet deep on the 1st Of April.
| LATE SOWING.
The feebleness aud unthrifty appearance Of
the plant, wherever apparent, has almost uni
verEa1ly been attributed more to late seeding
than to any other cauae. More than half the
crop w4s sown or drilled Later than it should
have been, and somewhat later than usual
The severe drought in the Middle and Southern
States, and the pressure of aummez work de-
layed by the unpropituous spring in the West,
together with the habit OF delay from which
farmers suffer a. we'll ~ other men, postponed
the mesking up Of Wheat lands while the
unusually osr]y cloaing in OF winter left the
plant scarcely above the frozen surface, and
In many instances not even visible.
| PAEsESr PROSPECTS.
l The seaeon has been moderately propitione
IS = WHOLE though not precisely AZ farmers
would haFe It in many localities There have
been fow showers and much sunshine, pushing
the crop into early maturity, but promising .
yield not equal to the thirteen or fourteen
equal to that Of 1868, bnt with an average o'
eleven bushels. In many places the prospect
was never better. In some localities there il
complaint Of too little rain. and in others O
too much. The rainfall in Nay Was quite
small in New England, New York, general.
1 uhn%1% hay nY71 frt ft,oon a.
In the Atlantic States south OF New York, OF
the contrary, rains have been excessive. i
New York much Of the winter grain is not j
an average condition; in Wash
worse at this eesson Of the year." i
late-sown is nnthrifty il Livingston. sprinl
,, grain looks better. n New Jersey, whsas hs'
.. .'made an extraordinary growth" in Cumber
, ! land, has "nuch improved" in Huntezdon
|, and the season has been unusually favorable
in Burlington, and Is looking well Throughout
appearance IN Pennsylgania, promises well j
MARYLAND, and good crop is cutting in vi
, ginia and North Carolina, With little loss f1or
; rust OF falling in consequence Of heavy raini
, Ihe crop IN the South is generally goot
, though Light in some placea, as ths result Q
partment OF Agricnlture) 10 great success
, ; IL lie Red River region, Te1aa, The weathe
. has been cool, and the crop late, but UNUSUAL
hne. It has been injured there only BY ha
! and other storms. The crop will be fair j
. Tennessee, with Bornc drawbacks, as lodging
! rust. etc, during recent heavy tains-
: In Illinois, . reduction Of perhaps Is pc
cent nav be expected in the yie1d IN som
/ counties tho crop appears well ; in some, fea1
q are entertained that little mote than haH
> crop wi1l be gathered, When the plant had
faah1o +S&%lt{V at r. tho dry weather hS
! nearly destroyed it. Accounts from Indian
:, arc vaEinble, ranging from failure to Su}lnest
!. Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin,, Iowa, Missour
q kansas, in fact all the Western States, repol
! more diecouraeements from feeble ero1tl
drought, hail, rain, and rust than for two yeal
past, and render probable much smaller Il
q gregate production than that last year, IN
p very likely smaller yield than that of 1853.
i THE CROP m CALIFORNIA.
:, Many gloomy reports md some forebodine
!: OF failure hare come from tho Golden Stat
i, Accustomed to broad heres, large yields, A.
a recent aiscouEngeaents, added to Aroductio
a | in price Of the crop Of 1869, with entire chee
:. f11ness. The WORT accounts hAve come tro1
: the San Joaquin River region On the nnrt
r side Of that stream, dozen miles back TO II
= foot hills Of the coast range, in San Josqui
= / and. HtanisiAus counties the winter Eain-fa
i haA been light, and the grim crops are pa
= t;al land in places q totAD f1iluxs. In II
"a southern portion Of tbs AnAdor Valley, ecAro
=! ly mora thzn tho seed will be obtained, and
Liyermore Valley the yield viii b as bad;
tt month ago it was thought that breadth
a, 100,0 300 acres in Paradise Valley, Stenisla'
~. County, between the stanislaus aad the Tu
n Iunne Rivers, would not yield moro than
=. third Of crop. South Of the Tuolumns Il
= parallel with the San Joaquin another area
= tlighted grain ia found. A fine belt Of whe
( stretches along the banks OF the stsnislau
~ aud another midway between the Tuoluml
= and Merced. Nearly fourth Of the wheat
calito1nls is usually prodaosd IN sha &c eoana 1