The New York herald., 1879-11-27
DBO GRA7IAS.
Our Broad and Fruitful Home for
Untold Millions.
PRESENT AND PROSPECTIVE GREATNESS.
A Contrast with the Nations
of Old Europe.
THE CELEBRATION TO-DAY.

How the American Festival OF
Thanks Will Be Observed.
It is difieult to give in words any more complete
impression Of the material strength Of this nation
than is conveyed by the graphical presentation Of
the areas OF our States and Territories as compared
those OF the most civilized and densely populated
countries of Europe, II we consider the proportion
of these areas to occupied by the principal
crops on which our material welfare mainly de-
ponds.
Upon one-fourteenth part Of our whole soil or
upon onsseventh part Of that which is t for agri-
culture We produce the hay and roots that re-
quire. and all the grains and cotton that we need
ourselves. with much more that even IL we did
not produce an ounce of gold or silver within our
borders we could command the treasures of the
world. Yet IL We consider the average product per
acre in respect to every Of these crops we find
that it does not exceed one-half the quantity that
even reasonably good system of agriculture would
which each and all of these great crops of gran hay
and cotton are produced we find they represent
in the lesser degree only. the art Of agriculture.
THE GREAT WHEAT REGIONS.
Not many years since the Genesee Valley and the
central parts of the State Of New York were mainly
devoted to the production Of wheat from that point
its cultivation gradually moved westward and
northward. and now Minnesota and Kansas take
the lead in this great crop. But this change
does not mark the decay rather the progress Of
agriculture in the regions from which the cul-
ture Of wheat has mainly passed. In the great
Mississippi Valley wheat has found its natural
home upon the L0ess formation, the boundaries of
which arc not yet known. The soil Of this same
formation has been cropped with wheat for cen-
turies in China without exhaustion. The value of
speech. in which the Of this country are
ably presented The eastern boundary Of this
formation is somewhere in Ohio, the western ex-
tends the great plains west Of the Mississippi.
Tho farms of Central New York are better culti-
vsssd and moro productive than whom fhey wSfs
oovOtco TO wheat. Even In the more sterile state
Of Massachusetts the data Of the last national
census (which were quite <nadequate in re-
spect 10 the products OF agriculture Of that
State) disclosed the fact that Worcester county
stood only third among the county divisions Of the
whole country in the value Of the products Of agr
culture. The first was Lancaster county. Pa; the
second the great dairy county of st. Lawrence N.
Y; the fourth was Hartford county. Conn: not
until the fifth did we reach tho corn country. La
Salle county. ILL.,; sixth. tho wheat country. Oakland
county Mich. and next we come back to Burlington
county. In New Jersey
HIGHER AGRICULTURE.
In 1870 the value Of the products Of agriculture Of
the Ave counties Of Lancaster. Pa; ST. Lawrence.
N. Y; Worcester. Mass; Hartford, Conn., and Bur-
lington, N. j.. all situated in tho far East, was
$38. 24O. Yet the of improved land which
this value was produced was only 3O5S square miles.
an area that would bc graphically represented on the
scale of the chart by this square:-
The value Of the farms Of these five Eastern
counties represented by this square was. in 1870,
$1s2 7s6.611. The value of all tho improved lands
In the great State of Illinois only fve times
great; the value of all tho farms in the great
wheat State of Minnesota little more than onehalf
much and in tho great cotton state Of Mississippi
less than onc-half.
In this country corn and wheat are but the
pioneers Of agriculture and tho cultivation OF cot
ton almost semi-barbarous under Its present
improved conditions of free labor-less than half
bale to an tho average. and that is the pro-
duct Of land under the rudest methods and most
unit conditions of cultivation or of the poorest
kind. One bale of cotton an acre is the minimum
Of good cultivation.
DAIRY PRODUCTS.
The dairy products of the nation cannot readily
bo graphically presented by o limo representing n
specific Of land. but tho value of the butter
and cheese is nearly il not quite great that OF
the cotton crop; and, il the value Of the milk
sumed food be added. the total value of
the dairy product is more than that OF the cotton
crop and as much or more than that of the wheat
crop.
TOBACCO, SUGAR, RICE.
Tobacco, sugar and rice occupy small space
that tho scale OF the chart will hardly suffice to pic
ture them.
WOOL.
The production of wool cannot bo graphically de-
nned Its final home may be upon the cotton field
where sheep fed upon the cake that left after the
oil has been taken from the kernel of the seed will
fertizo tho SOIL double the crop of cotton and add
the wool clip to tho profit of tho crop.
THE uoME OF ONE HUNDRED MILLIONS.
We number now nearly quite $4,000 900 people:
lQO.uOO 900 could ba susiaineL without increas1nn