The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1873-08-17
The Greatest Crop OF the World.
Commercial Advertiser. !


Aouestion 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 capitalf 1t is said that hay leads
the rest, and the items that enter into the
aud will make oranges hair stand on end.
Cotton aud tea arc local crops, while hay
ia produced everywhere the world over,
and thus the hay crop greatly outweighs
either of tho two. The aggregate reported
value Of all farm products for 1870 was g.
447 ,533 65S; but as this includes additions to
stock, "betterment," ETC., it is probably
too high. Now the hay crop for that year
that is the grass dried and cnred for
use or solids reported at over q, 900, 900
tons. This at half the selling price in the
large cities, would amount to $l05 .OOO, 900,
and is far greater than the aggregate home
value of the cotton crop, or any other crop;
B ut the cured hay is but portion of the
grass crop. The other portion is used OF
the ground, and it requires considerable
calculation to get at the value so used,
even in the toughest way. In the first
horses, sheep. swine, etc, to the value of
$l,525 900, 900, were fed from it that year.
Averaging the lives of these at five years,
we have one-fifth of that sum as represent
ing the grass fed to them in 1870, viz :
$3O5, 600, 900 next we find that the value
U
year to be S309, O00,O 600, and as this is an
dnnaal product, the whole of it will for
the present be credited to the grass-crop,
next we find that the butter crop of 1871
was 5l4, O00, 900 pounds, which at the low
average of 25 cents amounts to Si2o,oo0,'
600, and this goes to the credit OF grass
!. next we have 1926 100000 gallons of milk
which averaged at the low estimate of II
cents gallon, adds $25 200, 600 more tt
the credit of the grass crop; then we have
lUO 900 900 pounds of wool at 25 cents {
pound, adding $25 100000 more /; ant
) finally SO, 100000 pounds Of cheese at lC
cents, adding over S. 100000 to the tota
/ of these credits to the grass crop OF 1871
a which aggregates 1887 100000. Now lie
y us add the value of the hay crop as givel
q above, viz S4O5, OO0, 900, and we have
\, | grand total for hay and the products Q
a grass consumed on the ground amountin
!. to 81 1872 600 900 This ie, of course, SUI
4 ject to deduction, as the meat, butter, mill
d cheese and wool producing animals con
n sumo other food besides grass and hay
To make ample allowance for this, we de
# duct the entire valuo of the corn and oat
,f crops of 1870, estimated at $27O, 600 ,0Ot
" and this leaves remainder of 81 ,022, 600
" 600, to be credited to the hay and gras
,e crop of that year, when the reported aggre
I, gate of all farm products was 81, 447 ,53o
II G5S. If our estimates make even til
to toughest approach to accuracy, the valu
ar of that crop was two fifths of the aggreSa'
"A value of all farm products, and hence "
n may infer that two tifths of the capital IL
mr. vested in agricultural pursuits was devo
as ed to the grass crop, and this in the U mite
r.. States equals lin round numbersl 81 80
900 900. From the figures the deductlc
is palpable that king cotton is uncrowne
and dethroned, and we may be forced
o admit that call flesh" and all else is ha
ey If not grass"