Wilmington daily commercial., 1873-10-14
FIRST EDITION..
Agriculture in Eas.ern Pennsylvania.

THE YIELD OF THE YEAR-coRN. POTATOES, WHEAT.
RYE-How GREAT CITIES AFFECT THE SYSTEM
PURSUED BY FARMERs-BEEF AND MUTTON.
Having been we'll ''posted" by an intelligent
Montgomery county, (Pa.) farmer, we lay the
following facts as to agriculture in that county
and the adjoining county of Bucks before our
readers.
CORN Is NOT MORE
Than half yield, at most. A few fields are
good, but the average is poor. From some rea-
son--some say poor seed-the first planting did
not come up, and the June drought fell on the
repanted grains, drying out the ground 80 they
did not germinate. Much was therefore put
into the ground very late, and IL the frosts had
not held off so we'll, the crop would have been
about failure.
THE POTATOES ARE VARIABLE,
Most of the extensive growers, who manured
we'll, having good crops. Many Of the farmers
''patches" are poor turn out. On the whole,
the crop is about average in amount, and gener-
ally good in quality. In Montgomery county
the most extensive growers are devoting them
selves to Peerless, Early Rose, and Jackson
Whites. The Peerless have done very well /;
they are large, of good quality, and make big
yield the Early Rose requires good soil and
heavy manuriDg, and with those conditions has
also done we'll but otherwise the tubers are
small, and few in hill. The Jackson Whites
have done poorly.
WHEAT HAS BEEN HEAVIER CROP
Than that of 1S72-probably one-third larger
The grain. like that of last year, is particularly
plump and fine. There has probably never beeD
better wheat in quality, raised in two successive
years than the wheat of 1872 and 1878, in this
section.
THE CULTIVATION OF RYE
Ia steadily increasing. 1t is an instance of the
wonderful influence exercised by proximity to
the great cities All farmers who are sufficient
lv daVnta labor
supply of the retail city markets, and do not
produce a dollars worth to be sold to the COM
mission merchant or otherwise at Wholesale
Their crops go directly from their wagons to the
consumers. This is the case with all the lower
half of Montgomery and Bucks counties, and near
ly true of the whole of those counties, having,
together population of 145 QUO people.
In regard to rye, the case simply is that the
great number of livery stables and other horse
keeping estai lishments in Philadelphia require
an immense amount OF straw for bedding. Ihey
prefer rye straw, and it commands high price
almost a. much as hay. 1t quotes, now, at
about 81 10 per hundred pounds. With the
traw at this price, rye pays great deal better
than wheat. and within a Circsit of twenty
miles around Philadelphia, (for which distance
the straw can profl ably be hauled,) it's culiva-
ton is increasing every year.
A COMPARATIVE SHOWING.
The figures for crop of rye and one Of wheat
on an acre of good land, are about as follows:
Wheat, 20 bushels grain @s1.55. ........S .SS1 90
~ tons straw @9Oc per 10O...... 27 90
Total $5s. 90
Rye, 80 bushel grain Cd)95c. ............ $28 so
az tons straw q I.10 per l0O........ 55 90
IOtal. s.s.s.s.s 's''Vo"'"V
Showing difference of $25. so per acre, in ia
vor of rye. From this, however, it is fair to de-
duct $3.50 for the increased labor in threshing
the rye which must be dOue with the hand fail,
in order to keep the straw straight and unbroken.
This leaves the nett advantage $l9 per acre
which is large sum and on farm where fifteen
acres or over are put in with winter grain makes
a big item in the farmers balance sheet.
AND BEsIDEs THIS GREATER PROFIT,
Rive will do better on thin soil than wheat,
and is more certain crop. The calculation
above is for good farm; where the land is not
rich, the difference in favor of rye will show re-
latively greater. Wheat has been so irregular
crop, within the past few years. up to 1879, that
farmers got discouraged with it, at any rate,
THE CROP OF APPLES,
Though much less than the prodigious yield Of
last year is a very fair one. The trees are well
filled with fruit in many orchards, the cider ap-
pie being, as usual. good bearer.
A great many more sheep are being kept than
formerly, and the fattening of cattle, in Bucks,
and Montgomery, as in Chester county and
Northern Delaware, is very much falling oil. In
fact there seems to be more mutton and lamb
eaten in the large cities and less ration of beef,
than formerly.