Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1873-08-14
The Greatest Crop Of the World.

a question widely discussed involves
the relative value OF the wheat, cotton,
tea and hay crops Of the world. Which
Of these products employ the greatest
amount OF the worlds capital? 1t is
said that hay leads the rest, and the
items that enter into the account as
stated are somewhat startling, and will
make granger's hair stand on end.
Cotton and tea are local crops. while
hay IS produced everywhere the world
over, and thus the hay crop greatly out
weighs either Of the other two. The
aggregate reported value of all farm
products for 1870 was s., 447, 538, 65S;
but as this includes additions to stock,
betterments, etc, it is probably too
high. Now the hay crop for that year
that is the grass dried and cured for
use or solids reported at over q, OOO.-
coo tons. This, at half the selling price
III the large cities, would amount to
$405, 600, 600, and is far greater than
| the aggregate home value Of the cotton
crop or any other crop. But the cured
hay IS but portion Of the grass
crop. The other portion is used on the
ground, and it requires considerable
calculation to get at the value so used,
even III a rough way. In the first place
live stock, including horned cattle,
horses, sheep, swine, ETC., to the value
OF 81 ,525, GOO, 900, were fed from it that
year. Averaging the lives Of these at
five years, we have one-ffth Of that sum
as representing the grass fed to them ia
1870, VIZ: $305, 900, 900; next we ind
the value of the animals slaughtered
Tor food III that year to be 5000, 600, 600.
and as this is an annual product, the
whole Of 1t will for the present be cred
tied to the grass crop next we find that
the butter crop of 1870 was 514, 200, 600
pounds, which at the low average Of IS
cents, amounts to 1928, 900, 900, and this
goes to the credit Of grass; next we
have 235, 900, 900 gallons Of milk, which,
averaged at the low estimate of 10 cents
a gallon, adds SO, 900, 900 more to the
credit Of the grass crop; then we have
100, 900, 900 pounds of wool at % cents
pound, adding $50, coo, 900 more and
finally 53, 100000 pounds Of cheese at
10 cents, adding over S., 900, 900 to the
total Of these credits to the grass crop
of 1870, which aggregates 1887, 600. 900.
Now let rs add the value Of the e hay 2
crop as given above-viz., S405, 600. 600
-tuu we have u grand IOtaI IOf nay
and the products Of grass consumed on
the ground amounting to 81 ,292, 900, 600.
This is of course subject to the deduc-
ton, as the meat, butter, milk, cheese
and producing animals consume
other food besides grass and hay. Tc
make ample allowance for this we deduct
the entire value Of the corn and oat
crops Of 1870, estimated at S27O, 900,
600, and this leaves a remainder 81
81, 0S2, 000,0 900 to be credited to the hay
and grass crop Of that year, when the
reported aggregate Of all farm products
was s., 447, 53S, 65S. If our estimates
make even the toughest approach to ac-
curacy, the value Of that crop was two
tifths Of the aggregate value Of all farm
products, and hence we may infer thai
two-ffths of the capital then invested
in agricultural pursuits was devoted t
the grass crop, and this ii the United
States equals lin round numbers
S4,575, 600, 900. From these figures til,
deduction IS palpable that king cotton
is uncrowned and dethroned, and ",
may be forced to admit that s'all flesh
and all else is hay, if not grass. -
Memphis appeal.