The Grange advance., 1874-03-11
wears nameQ :
He then says:

.:It will be observed that since the year
1873? the proportion Of wheat grown in
the Atlantic States rapidly declined up
the States west OF the Mississip-
between the Alleghany Mountains and the
great river (the northwest territory in
creasing slowly up to 1865 and declining
slowly since that year. In 1889 the Attain
tic States produced 56 per cent. of the total
wheat crop: in l849 but 50 per cent. in
1859 but 81 per cent, and iu 1869 but 20
per cent Here the momentous decline
ceased. In 1870 it changed to an advance,
and the Atlantic States produced in that
year II per cent. Of the wheat crop The
statistics Of 1871 (the latest official s1atis-
tics in print) show that the advance contin-
ued :; for in that year the Atlantic States
produced p per cent. of the wheat crop.
Coincident with the increased cultivation
of wheat on the seaboard is that of its di-
minished cultivation in the Interior From
less than two per cent. in 1889 the trans
Mississippi States produced over 5 per cent,
Of the wheat crop in 1915: in 1949 nearly 8
per cent. in 1859 over 10 per cent in 1866
nearly l9per cent. in 1867 about 2S per
cent. in 1868 80 per cent. and in 1869
over 81 per cent. Here thi- extraordinary
movement-which has drawn after it not
only the population Of the New England
and Middle States, but nearly the entire
foreign immigration, planted rich cities in
the wilderness and dwarfed into relatively
insignificant powers the former giant States
of New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia
here this movement ceased: ceased from
sheer fatigue OF distance; noislessly and
unawares to the nation whose interests are
so largely bound up in the fact. Since 1869
the proportional wheat product Of the trans
Mississippi has declined to little more than
~ per cent.
While this extraordinary retardation was
taking place something was felt 20 be wrong
the trade ut Milwaukee, Chicago, etc.. tell
away; prices fell off and many other phe-
nomenal symptoms of some hidden trouble
were observed; but no one saw anything
more than ephemeral difficulties which
would soon be removed by topical treat
ment. such as the organization of special
freight lines and other remedies of the sort
Some Of the shrewder farmers, suspecting
the truth, must have abandoned further at
tempts to cultivate wheat for markets dis
tant 1000 miles by rail, and sometimes
1900 miles more by sea, and gone back to
the Atlantic States, evidence Of this being
found in the remarkable revival of wheat
culture in this State.".
Mr.. Delmar then shows that the wheat
crop of New York in 1889 was II 900, 600
bushels, rising in 1845 to l6, 200, 900 hush
els, after which time it constantly declined
until in 1864 it only produced 6,2O0,O 900,
and since that time it increased until in
1871 it produced 100000. He says that
similar facts are to be observed with refer
ence to Pennsylvania, Virginia, and other
Atlantic States.
In examining the causes Of these facts.
he claims that in attempting to compete
with the wheat growers of Russia. Austria
and Germany our farmers have taken the
plan Of exhausting the surface soil and then
moving further west, until they have got 50
far from market that with the high rates of
transportation they could not afford to raise
wheat at all, and that consequently they
have been compelled to raise larger guam
titles nearer the sea board. He concludes
that more thorough and systematic farming
must be resorted to if we would successful
y compete with the grain growers of the
old world, in which we agree with him, if
he will amend his proposition by adding
cheaper rates of transportation to the sea
board. He shows from the report of the
statistician of our Agricultural Department
for 1868, that the average yield of wheat in
England for that year was % bushels per
scre in Prussia II, in France IA, and in the
United States IL. The per cent. Of exhaus-
ton for that year was in England a3, in
Prussia As, in France "a and in the United
States go, while the per cent. Of restoratives
was was for these countries respectively 81,
II q = -