Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-08-31
THE FARmExs PROGRESS.

Our increase in all the chief articles Q
agricultural produce, as shown by the cen
sus report, Is something enormous.
Wine las increased fourteen-f,ld sine,
| 1850, and nearly doubled in the last decade
California being its chief producer.
Hops have increased seven fold in tht
same time, and more than doubled In the
last ten years, New York growing two
thirds Of the whole crop.
Barley has increased x-fold.
Flax SIX fold, and haxseed trebled.
Wheat trebled and oats doubled.
Irish potatoes have only increased one
third, and sweet decreased one half.
Live stock have trebled In value, and now
amount to the handsome total of one thou.
sand five hundred and twenty-five millions
OF dollars, or al average OF nearly two
hundred dollars for every family in Tie ma
ton. ss}2t --'f ls
Animals slaughtered have nearly quad
rupied In value, now amounting to four
hundred millions of dollars annually.
Wool has increased from sixty to one
hundred millions OF pounds.
Cotton is half q million of bales above
what it was In 1850, and three if.hs its
amount In 1860.
In only one instant is there q decrease
Of an important product, and that is the
Indian corn, which falls short of the
amount reported In 1850 by seventy eight
millions OF bushels, or ten per cent. Of the
whole.
In some Of the lesser products, however,
the dowLcOme Is considerable. Silk CO.
coons are only Q third of their former
amount, hemp a sixth, peas and beans and
rice aoout 8 third each. Buckwheat has
decreased from seventeen millions Of
bushels to nine. and rye from twenty oae
millions of bushels TO sixteen.
The farms themselves, as may be ex.
pectAd from this great increase IF product,
have risen in valne from three to nine
thousand millions Of dollsrs, while farmi g
implements, valued in 1850 at SI5l 5S7,-
63S, low foot up 1885,, S78 429, 40 annual
increase Of nine millions Of dollars. Few
minds can form even the remotest conc-p
ton Of what these numbers imply. The
value OF the farms in dollar bills would
take an expert accountant, capable of get
ting over one hundred minute, five hun
dred years to count them, or il COmmun
ISIS and In'ernatiOnalists had their way,
and their value was divided equally among
the whole people, it would afford one thou
sand dollars 10 each family, in addition To
the million or two which would be sure to
stick TO the hands of the dividers.
The farms have considerably increased
In number, but diminished ia size from 1893
to 1853 acres, being On an average so acres
each less than in 1850. This decrease ex
tends to every State iu the Union saw,
four-A kansas, Massachusetts, New
Hampshire and New MeX'cn. Ofthp pres
ent number # farms q CSC 4S5), 6, ST5 are
under three acres. Tbusr wi h more than
10 acrts sad less than 500 have incrp~ ed;
those with less than 10 deere sed NUN
Der. Que sixth of the whole are over 100
acres and under 500; but tire largest mum
b sr (847 $40 contain between 20 and so
acres.
Twenty years ago Kentucky supplied
nearly third Of all orr q X product, Vir-
giniz and New York about 8 million of
pounds each, making up together as much
As Kentucky, and Ohio supplied less than
halt million POUNDS. But now Ohio has
nearly forty times its former product, while
Kentucky has ONLY tenth Of its, and Vir-
GINA has gone down TO q seventh. Ohio,
1S,OO0,O00 pounds, or twpthirds of our
whole product of II, 1913 039 pounds Ihe
product In 1850 was Ouly 1909 676 pounds);
New York, 100000. AMI Illinois 1000,
600, while New England, with the excrp-
tion Of little in Maine and Vermont, may
be said to have ceased to be fax-producing,
as have also Alabama, Delaware, and Geor
gia.
New York has now, as hitherto. about 9
sixth Of the whole mich cows of the ma
ton, and used to occupy similar position
rs to working oxen; bat now Texas has
twice the number it can sho y. California
has increased its sheep from II. 754 to D.
1853, 1877, being an increase Of 100 fold, and
the largest made by any State in any i'm
pOrtant article. Louisiana still grows ne Ar
ly all the sugar, but the pigs have changed
their headquarters from Tennessee and
Kentucky to Illinois and Missouri. Penn
sylvania, which used to be highest in the
production Of wheat, lie now sixth on the
LIST, Illinois with 80, Iowa with 20, Ohio
and Indiana with q each, and Wisconsin
with 25, all coming before its 10 millions Of
bushels.