Juniata sentinel. [volume] (Mifflintown, Pa.) 1846-1873, 1871-08-16
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ARMER'S COLUMN.
FARM WEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA.

slider the grand Commonwealth of Penn
sylvania as coal, iron, and petroleum
State, that it is worth while to look at
her now and then in her other capacities.
Taking some of the returns of the re-
cent census showing the agricultural pro-
ductiors of Pennsylvania in 1870 and
the value of her farms, farm stock, farm
implements &c, we have set them side
by side with the returns for the same ar
iicles and subjects a. found in the census
returns for the year 1860 and 1850 re-
speetivcly. From these our readers can
judge how greatly the agricultural wealth
of our State has increased, and how
much more important the agricultural
interest is than any and all other inter
esis. vast and influential as some OF the
others are. Beginning with the cash
value OF the farms of the State. our
table shows that in 1850. the aggregate
value was S4O7, ,S76, ,099-ten years later
in 1869, it was S662, ,O50,707, and in 1870
it WAS returned at the magnificent figure
of 81 Sl,034,4Sl,5S2. This is au Increase
Of value in twenty years, Of one hun
dred and fifty per cent, and in the last
ten years of nearly eight per cent. The
value Of the farms of the State increas
ed from 1869 to 1870. more than twice
As fact as the population increased in
numbers. The next conspicuous aug
mentation of valuable agricultural pro-
perty is seen in the increased value of
iarm implements and machinery. The
total of this in 1850, was Sl4,722 Sal; in |
1860, the sum was So, 2,442,S42, an in
crease of about fifty per cent; and in
1870 the aggregate was S35 ,G5S, ,196, an
increase Of about sixty per cent; or
nearly three times as fast as the increase I
of population. We come next to the
value OF live stock on the farms, viz
horned cattle, horses, sheep. swine, &c ,
The total value of them in 1910 was
SAL ,500,053; in 1850 the total was S69,-
672,726, and in 1870, Notwithstanding
the great demands for slaughter during
the four years of the war, the aggregate .
was Sll5,647, ,O7j, showing an increase
of sixty-six per cent. during ten years
of extraordinary vicissitude among cat
tie. These are most unexpectedly pros
porous exhibits, telling most welcome
story Of the great progress in the agri-
cultural wealth of the State. ]
Going briefly into the details of the
live stock account of our farmers, we
find that horses have increased in num-
bers about twenty three thousand, pre-
seuting an array for any future cavalry /
Use (Which we trust may never come iu
any but peaceful parades,) of 46O. .339,
animals Mich cows have also increased .
about thirtythree thousand. Sheep
show an increase of about one hundred
and sixty thousand more than in 1850, !
though the gross number is about twen-
ty-eight thousand less than in 1850 :
Political economists and an inspection of |
the fluctuations in the wool trade, may
explain why sheep culture does not ad-
vance with our other great agricultural
staples, although the State has such
abundant grazing grounds admirably
adapted to the purpose. Swine are
steadily decreasing in numbers, there
being very marked decrease since Is
GO. But whilst sheep show no continu-
Gus progress in numbers, and swine are
diminishing, the value of animals slaugh.
tered for food purposes and sent to
market, shows an astonishing increase -
The value of this class of the agficul-
tural productions of Pennsylvania in
1850 was SS,219, ,S4S; in 1850 it was
Sl3, ,399,37S and in 1870 the value had
Increased to SlS,4l4,9O3. 4 compar-
son of the prices of beef, mutton, pork,
veal, &c, in 1850 and 1850, with the
current market rates, will explain in part
why this increase has reached the great
ratio of more than one hundred per cent.
The expanding proportions of the
corn, wheat, and oats crops are very
gratifying. Corn shows an aggregate of
SHOE, ,006, bushels in 1870 against 2S,-
1876, ,S2l, bushels in lS6O, and 1885,
PA bushels in 1870. Wheat shows
total 1862 ,967 bushels in 1870 against
l3,045,2 PSI in 1860, an increase of some
what over fifty per cent. though it should
be noted that the wheat crop was
less by two and quarter millions in
l760 than it was in 1880. The oats
crop is increasing steadily and largely,
that of 1870 being 36,47S,5S5 bushels
or more than nine millions of bushels
greater than that of 1850, which was
nearly six millions greater than in 1850.
Rye continues to decline, though the Rye
Whisky business is still active This is
an anomaly for the explanation of which
we can furnish 10 clue. And there is
another anomaly, for whilst the number
of sheep as already noted is but slightly
greater than in 1860, and not SO great as
in 1850, the wool clip of those three