The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1875-11-11
THE EXTENT OF THE CORN


A letter from a corn grower in
Champaign county, Illinois, to the
Country Gentleman, gives some very
suggestive figures as to the ccrn
crop of 1875; and to those who never
looked at the aggregate results of a
crop so common as this, the figures
will justly seem enormous.
The county of Champaign, Illinois,
to begin with, has, according to the
correspondent, an area of 75S,000
acres, and of this amount, the Asses
sors return 21S,000 as being this year
in corn. There are 1O2 counties in
the State, and he estimates that rs
of them will, this year. have as large
an area of corn IS Champaign, and
the other rs will average at least half
the amount returned from that coun-
ty. This would give an aggregate
of 10 ,702,0 900 acres, or, say in round
numbers twenty millions of acres de.
voted to the growth of corn in that
one State alone.
The appearance of this crop
throughout Illinois may be classed,
without any aggregation, as magni-
%ficent; and the correspondent refer
red to declares that he is putting the
average at an exceedingly low figure
when he puts it at thirty bushels to
the acre. The average will, beyond
all doubt, be largely in excess of this
figure. This would give a total for
Illinois of 600, 600, 900 bushels.
Then it is safe to say that Iowa,
Indiana, Ohio and Missouri will each
have a crop nearly, if not quite as
large as Illinois. But putting Ohio
at half, 100000, 600 bushels, Indiana
at 400, 000, 900, and Iowa and Mis-
souri, at 100000 600 each, and we
have for these five States, a grand to
tai of 1900, 900, 900 bushels. Besides
these States, Michigan, Minnesota
Wisconsin, Nebraska, Kansas, Ark
ansas, Tennessee, Kentucky and Vir
ginia, all are large corn-producine
States, and it is safe to put the ag
gregate of these nine States at LOO,
100000, bringing up the aggregate
to 3,400, 000, 200 for the entire I'm
ion.
1t is difficult to grasp such figure,
as these, and comprehend fully thei
import; but we may get at a practi
cal result by yaluing this enormou
crop at fifty cents a bushes. Attha
: price the crop would yield $4,000,
600, 600, or enough to pay off the Ma
tional debt!
And this is but one item of tn
years product. There are wheat
rye, barley, oats, potatoes, hay, tc
bacco, fruit, hemp, and other variou
smaller items, to say nothing of cot
ton, sugar and rice. Leaving on
these three articles last named an
what an enormous aggregate is pre-
| sented! We have no means of ascel
tanning even the approximate total
, of the grain crop; the wheat crop {
the country, alone-not the export;
BILE surplus, but the entire yield
would certainly come very near til
: corn crop in actual value.
In the days of the discussion Owe
> the various aspects of the SLAYER
question, the cotton crop was exalte
, into great prominence, as to valu
because the bulk of it was exported
! but the census returns were invoke
to show that the hay crop of II
country was equal to it, and excellc
it II value. The hay crop was Col
/ sumed at home, and hence did Mt
enter into the statistics of produ
q ton TO any extent; but its actu
worth was Is great as that of an
other product. We may infer, ther
fore, that the various crops whic
o enter but little or not at all into tt
{ export trade are none the less of in
{, mense Importance in computing tt
actual value of the total agricultur
productions of the country.
. The capacity, the productivenes
4 and the real wealth of the. countl
! have never yet been fully compr
u hended; and it is only when we g
1. down to the details of such a crop:
o tie corn crop, for instance, that v
get a glimpse ofthe actual facts. III
county is rich, beyond all questio
in the immensely of its production
and a country possessing such abun
; ant sources of wealth has no goo
excuse for not being prosperous.
The Eaton Register is still at tt