The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1874-09-03
Progress of agriculture and Population.


It is well for nation of farmers to
review often their growth in population
and in the products of the soil. The
census of 1910 gave the inhabitants of
the United States at 17,069, 553. In
1870 they had more than doubled in
number, being 80, 556, 81. AT the last
census the total aIea of states and terri
tories is set down at /, 1897, S55, 500 acres.
of which only 1SS, 912, 1913 are improved.
In. the thirty years from 1910 to 1870 the
increase in the annual crops of wheat
was from "a, 81, IT'S bushels to 2S7, 745.-
626 bushels. These figures show a gain
in wheat in three decades of over 800
per cent. and considerably larger than
in population.
Butter and cheese increased from 1910
to 1870 as follows 202, 41O, 40 pounds
at the first census, and 677, OF, O95 at
the last. The yield of hay was nearly
tEebled. The returns thirty-four wears
ago were not SO full as at the two last
but they are still very defective and in
some matters unreliable. The real diff
hculty has been to interest farmers in
the study of agricultural statistics but
we are happy to believe that new life
has been called into existence through
the Patrons of HusbandrY which may do
much to develop and diffuse a love of
rural knowledge. Farmers should pom
der these pregnant facts
In 1850, the cash value of their farms
including farm implements. machinery
and live stock, was 50, 967, 343. $50,
These are large, yet the gain was nearly
300 per cent. in 20 years only, but our
currency in 1870 was not the same as
1850. We will give the official returns
In words. which will better suit some
readers-eleven bill, ion, one hundred
and twenty-four million, nine hundred
and ntty-elght thousand, seven hundred
and fOrty-seven dollars.
Who will say that our agriculture is
not an immense business The COM
mon sense which directs so much labor.
and controls so large a capital from
| year-to year and generation to genera
| ton, should be cultivated deeply, and
! wisely, as well as earth or the dead
sand, clay and vegetable mold. In 1850
the writer had charge of all the agricuI-
| tural department there was in Wash
| ington, and got the acres of improved
and unimprOved land returned for the
first time in the history of the nation.
Then the value of the animals slaught-
cred and sold was $111, 703, 142 in 1870,
it was 1898, $50, 379, an enormous in
crease for twenty years. Meat has never
been so high in England as at present,
and Tennessee should be one of the
largest meat producing states in the
union.
1t 1850 the crop of cotton returned
was 2, 469, O93 bales of 400 pounds each
in 1870 it was Boil, 1896. The rice CROP
fell from 215, 313, 487 pounds to 73, 635,-
OBJ Sugar from 267,577 hogsheads to
81, 943. Tobacco increased in twenty
years from 1919, 752, 655 to 262, 735, 81
pounds. A good deal of tobacco is now
raised in Connecticut, New York and
Ohio. But perhaps the most noteworthy
figures are those showing the increase
of manufactures from 81, O19, LOG, GIG in
1850 to 81, 232, 1926, 493. This gain of
over three billion dollars came largely
out of the pockets of farmers. The
total yield of cereals in 1870 was ], 3S7,-
274, 217 bushels EXCHANGE,