Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1877-08-01
TIE YEAR OF BOUNTY.
Abundant Crops Everywhere---The Real
Wealth of the Country.
Toledo Blade

NeHltH Ol GHt COttHIy.
Toledo Blade.
The crop now being harvested is the
| largest the country ever had. The acre
age Of wheat is largely IN excess OF any
since the settlement of the country, and
the yield per acre is infinitely greater.
In Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois,
and in fact all the wheat growing States,
the average will not fall much below
twenty-five bushels to the acre. To put
it at twenty would be entirely safe Hay
is magnificent, and has been secured
in the very best condition. The wealth
er has been especially favorable, and
the quantity of the crop is not only inn
mense, but the quality is better than it
has been for years. Corn is now GER
tainty. Never was the eye gladdened
with the sight Of such fields The stalks
tower gloriously, and the color is superb.
In some localities there has been dam
age done by an excess of rain, but the
splendid weather of the past few weeks
has brought much of that safely out,
and fields that were given up three
weeks ago now promise an average
yield These spots are SO small and so
widely scattered as to be nothing but
specks upon the smooth surface of our
prosperity. This crop is so far along
that the yield is certain to be immense,
even though we do not have another
drop of rain during the season. The
situation is peculiarly favorable This
enormous harvest finds the country
comparatively bare Of grain, and with
very high prices ruling. The war in
Europe makes it certain that prices re-
munerative to the farmer will be main
tanned for year at least, even though
they should drop far below what they
now are. The wheat will be marketed
Immediately, and a vast amount of
money will be put IN circulation. AL
ready the small buyers on the network
of railroads that centre in Toledo are
telegraphing for currency with which to
move the crop, and already the first
fruits of the great harvest are beginning
to come in. Last week we received
wheat from southern Indiana and H.
linois, this week there will be more,
and next an avalanche. 1t is to be pre-
sumed that the same condition of things
exists, though In less degree, at the other
grain centres of the country
We can obtain some conception of the
immense benefits to be showered upon
the whole land by the consideration of
the statistics of that portion of the coun-
try's grain business which is transacted
through this city. The last abundant
crop of wheat in the West was in 1874
Of that there was received at this port
the enormous quantity of 1O,1O7 1888
bushels of wheat, and 967 ,766 barrels of
flour, making altogether IA, 946, 226 bush
els of wheat. During the harvesting of
that year the prospects of large yield
were not nearly SO satisfactory to the
farmers everywhere as now. There was
vastly more croaking and grumbling
than there is at this time If we are
allowed to judge at all by this, the pro-
duct per acre must be at least 20 per
cent. more than that Of 1874. Then
comes in another important condition
The wheat producing area is much
greater than in 1874; the number
of farms is greater; there is more coun-
try cleared, and more ground reduced
to cultivation. The farming interest
has developed greatly in the last few
years, because other enterprises have
stood still. Then, again, every farmer
was convinced that high prices were to
rule this year, and he strained every
nerve to seed down the last acre that
his resources would admit Of The in
creased acreage devoted to grain has
been placed by some observers as high
as 80 per cent, and by none at less than
20 per cent. 1t is not extravaganza to
estimate that the joint effect of these
causes will swell the volume of grain to
pour into this city alone to 100000 or
70, 100000 bushels. There is hardly a
possibility that the average price Of this
grain will fall as low as ST bushel; it is
much more likely to range in the neigh
borhood Of $3.50; but at 81, even, it will
bring III money enough to swell all the
currents Of commerce bank full
In 1874 there was also a good corn
crop, but no better than this years prom
ises to be. The total number of bushels
received here was II ,O31 1896. The same
reasoning in regard to extension of acre
age of wheat applies with equal force
to this crop, and we can accordingly
confidently expect our corn receipts to
swell to 5O,O0O,000 bushels ranging in
price from 40 to 60 cents. At an aver
age of even 40 cents, it will bring $12,-
100000, but it is more likely to realize
more money than the Alabama award
amounted to. Oats, which have been a
failure since 1874, will this year yield
very much more than they did then,
when we received 6,46O,247 bushels.
If we get no more than then, and they
average no higher than 80 cents bush
ell, they will add nearly 100000 to the
amount that will swell the farmers
pockets. That there will be an imme-
date improvement in business is beyond
question. It cannot be prevented. The
golden tide is now flowing upon the
farms, and it will turn from thence to
the retailer, from thence to the jobber,
and from thence to the manufacturer.
Money will begin to circulate, and en-
terprises Of moment, long deferred, and
business operations which prudent men
have held in allegiance till there should
be some show of vitality, will now be
taken up and pushed to completion.