The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-10-29
AMERICAN FARMERS.

figure, comprising spa, ma, bub, Sis and th'
baby; but, besides these aboriginal con
stituents of family, there may be one o.
ten more children; there may often and mus
sometimes be mother-in-law; there is offer
hired man, or q house girl, or both
one farm in five has q grandmother
ON it, and some are blessed with two
grandparents These with other attaches
swell the average family number until eight
to farm is about fair allowance, although
it often happens that twenty or more white
people make their entire subsistence from one
farm of less than 200 acres But, allowing
eight to each farm household, it would ap-
pear that 81, 2SO 900 people get their subslst-
ence from Providence at first hands, owing ii
alone to that source and their own industry.
The average size of farms is 153 acres Vi
farms of thousand acres or more each there
we're only 1920; between five hundred and a
| thousand acres there were 15 673; the farms
over one hundred and under five hundred
acres numbered $4,000.
OF farms between fifty and one hundred
tween twenty and fifty acres were still more
numerous, counting up nearly S4S, 900. There
were 1874, 607 farms between ten and twenty
acres in size, and about 1900 under ten
acres, large nurseries, large gardens, etc, en-
ploying the labor of at least one man for the
entire year being clagsed as farms, while mere
appendant gardens, lawns, lots and sauce
patches were not taken into the account at
all.
The total acreage Of farms was 407, 49,, O4l,
of which lS8, 1921 600 was improved and 2lS,-
814, 900 unim proved, being about 50 per cent
of the latter. In some States the percentage
is much greater. The average size of farms
in eighteen States and Territories falls short
of 1853 acres, the average for the whole.
The total value of farms was 50. 262, 500, S6l
and the total value of farming implements
and machinery was 1896, 1878, 429. Home
manufac ures Of 1870, made on farms, were
valued at 1913, 1923, 900; forest products at $780,
$685. OOO garden sauce at $50. 7l9, 600; fruits
at s47, 335, 900; and the wages paid during the
wear, including the value Of board, 1910, 1885,
900.
These farms produced in that year 2S5, 000,-
600 bushels of wheat II, 600, 900 bushels of rye,
761, OOO 600 OF corn, 2S2 900. 600 Of OATS nearly
80 OOO, 600 of barley, and 982l, 900 bushels Of
the raw material for buckwheat cakes and
slap-j acks.
On the farms there were 7,142,S49 horses,
%, 800, 600 neat CATTLE while the number of
horses not on farms was 1,547O00, and the
number Of cattle 4,274,00O.
Besides the grain, ETC., above given, the
lands of the United States produced SOL, 1896
bales of cotton, of 400 pounds each, ~, 1885,
900 pounds of fax (of which 1880, 624
pounds were produced in Ohio alone), H. TAG
tons of hemp, of which Kentucky produced
TIT tons, little silk 1887 pounds), and
100, 1O2, 1897 pounds of wool, making total Of
67S. 313 tons Of textile materials.
The farmers moved and cured "a, 900
tons of hay, gathered 1866 pounds of
hops, raised 73,635,t0O pounds of rice, and
provided the chewers, smokers and snuffers of
the world with 262, 1876, 900 pounds of to-
bacco
They produced S7,043 hogsheids of cane
sugar, "a of sorghum. %, 443, 900 pounds OF
maple sugar and about $4,000, 900 gallons of
molasses. The Irish potato crop was 143, 337,-
600 bushels, sweet potatoes 81, zoe, 1874, peas
and beans $4,000 bushels, Al, 762, 900
pounds of honey, 100000 gallons wine,
639, 600 bushels of clover seed, 100000 Of
fax seed and 5000 of grass seed, besides
631, 900 pounds of beeswax and other truck
not enumerated in the book from which We
copy these entertaining statistics.
The live stock on farms in 1870 was valued
at 81, 525, 276 900, and consisted of z, las. $40
horses, 1,125000 mules, 8,935,332 COVE
about l4,sSO,OOO working oxen and other
cattle 2S,478,000 sheep, and 25,OO0,OOO
swine. New York had the largest share Of
live stock, being of the value of SIG, 100000.
Illinois had the largest number of horses,
about 654 600. Missouri had the most mules,
111,OOO New York had the lead in cows,
being 1850. Gel. Ohio was foremost in sheep,
4, 92S. OOO but in hogs Was out voted by Hi
nois with 2, 7O3, 900.
Such is birds-eye view of the twenty-five
million farmers of the United States, of the
farms which they till, of the crops which they
raise, of tho animals which they possess, and
of the value of their wealth as compared with
that of other classes.
But what are the other eighteen millions OF
our people doing? Whatever they eat or
wear certainly comes from the farms of the
country directly or otherwise What do they
give the tillers of the soil in exchange! DO
farmers get an equivalent for what they
sellS What is the process by which
the crops and stock of farmers, the
results of their care and hard work, are
transfused into the bonds, the shares, the
bank stock, the stores, the palaces and the
overwhelming power Of the millionaires who
neither toll nor spin Those who work
Farmers and mechanics) produce all the
wealth. What then<is the hocus pocus, the
continuation and the mighty magic by which