Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1873-10-23
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 stlted, are some
what startling, and will make Changers
hair stand on end. Cotton and tea are
local crops, while hay is produced every
where the world over, and thus the hay
crop greatly outweighs either of the other
two. The aggregate reported value of all
farm products for 1870 was 2,447, 53S, 65S;
but as this includes additions to stocks
"betterments," etc, it is probably too
high. Now the Lay crop for that year
that is the grass dried and cured for use or
solids reported at over 100000 tons.
This, at half the selling price in the large
cities, would amount to $405, 100000, and
is far greater than the aggregate home
value of the cotton crop or any other
crop. But the cured shay" is but por-
ton 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 in the toughest way. In
the first place live stock, including horn
ed cattle, horses, sheep, swine, ETC., to the
value of $1,525, O00,0 0O, were fed from it
that year. Averaging the lives of these at
five years, we have one-fifth of that sum
as representing the grass fed to them in
1870, viz: 1906, 200, 900; next we find the
value of the animals slaughtered for
food in that year to be 5000, 100000
and as this is an annual product
the whole of it will for the present be
credited to the grass crop; next we find
that the butter crop of 1870 was 514 ,000,-
600 pounds, which, at the low average of
70 cents, amounts to $12S 100000, and this
goes to the credit of grass; next we have
235, 100000 gallons of milk, which, aver
aged at the low estimate of ten cents per
gallon, adds $25,O00,000 more to the credit
of the grass crop; then we have 100000,
900 pounds of wool, at % cents pound,
adding $25, 100000 more, and, finally, 3d.
ing over $5,O000O0 to the total of these
credits to the grass crop of 1870, which
aggregates 1887, 100000 Now, let us add
the value of the "hay'' crop as given above
viz: $405, O,000-and we have a grand
total for ebay" and the products of grass
consumed On the ground amounting to
81 ,292, 100000! This is, of course, subject
to the deduction, as the meat, butter,
milk, cheese, and wool producing animals
consume other food besides grass and hay.
To make ample allowance for this, we de-
duct the entire value of the corn and oat
crops of 1870, estimated at S27O,0OO, 600,
and this leaves remainder Of 81 ,0S2 ,O00,-
600 to be credited to the hay and grass
crop of that year, when the reported ag-
gregate of all farm products was $2,447,
53S,65S. If our estimates make even the
ron chest annrOach tO accuracy the value
of that crop was two-ffths Of the aggre-
gate value of all farm products, and hence
we may infer that two-ffths Of the capital
then invested in agricultural pursuits
was devoted to the grass crop, and this in
the United States equals, in round nun,
bers, $4,575, 100000. From these igures
the deduction is palpable that King Cot
ton is uncrowned and dethroned, and we
May be forced to admit that all flesh" and
all else is hay, if not "grass.'-Memphis
appeal.