The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1876-09-21
Farm and Household.
DIGEST OF CROP REPORTS.
From the Monthly Report of the Department Of
Agriculture.
Corn,

ACREAGE.-In New Hampshire,
New York, Michigan, and Minnesota
the area planted is slightly less than
last year. This is doubtless chiefly, if
not exclusively, due to the protracted
cold and wet spring in those states.
Tennessee also returns decrease of one
per cent. In Vermont, Delaware and
Maryland the extent Of area remains
unchanged. In all the remaining
states it has been enlarged. Among
the states reporting the largest relative
increase were, California, "a per cent;
Massachusetts, and Nebraska, 20; Tex
as, Is; Wisconsin, 1Ot Georgia and
Florida, 8; Rhode Island, Connecti-
cut aQd Indiana, 7; Ohio, 6; Arkan-
sas, 5; Maine, South Carolina, Ala
bama, West Virginia, Illinois, Iowa
and Oregon. 4.
Returns from the southern states in
dictate a tendency to increase the corn
and grain crops, from growing con-
victiOn that the production Of home
supplies will be more conducive to ag-
ricultural prosperity than the hitherto
prevalent system of overproduction of
cotton, which not only depresses its
own prices, but also enhances the cost
of provisions, clothing, &C., produced
elsewhere by extending the market for
their consumption.
The increase of the entire corn-area
of the country, over last year, amounts
to five per cent.
CONDITION. The crop, in several
sections, is in a condition of more than
ordinary thrift and promise. In the
northern sections of the eastern, mid
die and northwestern states, it is more
backward than usual, owing to delay in
planting, Occasioned by protracted
cold and wet weather; but it is gen.
orally in thrifty growing state. In
the states on the Atlantic coast the con-
diton ranges from one hundred to one
hundred and eight, as far as, and in
Guiding, Virginia; south of Virginia
an extraordinary rainfall, of six to
seven days duration, about the third
week in June, resulted in extensive
Overfows, Occasioned extensive injuries |
to the crop. In many localities along |
the water-courses, where it was extern
sively washed out or otherwise ruined |
by foods, it has been replanted, and
the second growth is pushing forward |
vigorously. With the execution of |
that prOtracted tain storm along the |
coast, tie weather throughout the |
southern states has been generally ia
vorable to clean cultivation and healthy
growth. In Texas an extraordinary
crop is nearly matured. The returns
show a condition of one hundred and
twelve, with an increase in acreage of
fifteen per cent. Throughout the |
Ohio and northern Mississippi valleys, |
and in Michigan, June was a very wet
month; the rainfall was 50 excessive
as to seriously interfere with timely |
cultivation and to foster an extraOrdi- |
nary growth of weeds, Owing to this |
cause principally, the condition in that |
section ranges from one hundred in |
Indiana down to Lightweight in Iowa,
Illinois being eighty.niue and Missou-
ri ninety-seven. Like causes have re-
duced the condition in Kansas to nine
ty-six. On the Pacific coast the crop !
is unusually promising, the figures be-
ing for California one hundred and
FIVE, and for Oregon one hundred and
one.
Insect injuries have been limited to
depredations by worms, and those not
extensive or serious.
No droughts over extended areas are