The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1880-06-26
AnERIcAN oRAIN LANns.

ending June so, 1870. the shipments
reached the unprecedented figure Of 94O,.
: 10000 bushels, or nearly II per cent oil
the entire yield. The relative proportion
OF each crop retained Tor consumption Is,
In the case OF corn, 9Sl per cent, OF bar.
ley IS per cent, Of rye 50 per cent, Of
wheat IS per cent, Of oats % per cent,
! while OF buckwheAt the whole amount
produced Is used at home.
As TO barley, we observe that, although
I less than 10 per cent. Is sent out Of the
country, nearly oil Of Il Is moved from the
place Of its growth, and about one-third
IRON the States In which It Is produced.
Corn Is necessarily produced mainly In
the neighborhood Of It's production, and a
survey Of these statistics shows that,
/; though maize Is grown In every part Of
the country, and constitutes lye.elghths
Of the whole cereal harvest, less than \
fourth Of the States have corn supply
exceeding their requirements. Nearly all
Of the available surplus Is found In single
group, the river States OF the West-OhiU,
Indiana, Illinois. Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas
and Missouri. The so.cAlled lake States
Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota
have barely enough corn for home con.
sumption, which Is less per capita by q
fourth than the average OF the United
States. Their comparative deficiency in
this cereal Is best seen in the number OF
swine returned, which varies as 40 TO ll0
reported for the corn belt The proper
ton OF cattle. too, in the same sections was
as GO TO 81. The immense prepOnderence
OF corn growing In the seven central States
OF the great valley is atlested by the pro-
duet Of sixty.two bushels por head-this,
too, In o region less exclusively agricul.
tural and more conspicuous for manulac-
lures than any other section OF the West
or South.
The seat Of corn production was, we
need not say, formerly In the south. As
late as 1859 fifteen slave states produced 90
per cent Of the whole crop. In the year
1850 the Corn.growing States were ranked
as follows: Illinois, Ohio, Missouri, Indi.
ana, Kentucky, and Tennessee; but ten
years later Iowa had dislodged Ohio from
the second place. In 1878 Illinois and
Iowa retained the tirst and second rank
Missouri aud Kansas both passed Ohio
and then followed the other States men.
toned In the same order as In 1860. The
crop OF all the Southern States was only |
lAkGl AOlN kllAu II
was the year before the war, whereas that |
Of the other States has risen in the same
period from 400 900 600 to 300, 600 900 bush.
els. The centre Of production has moved,
however, more rapidly westward than
northward. Amid all these changes the |
relative yield OF the central belt between |
the AlleHhenies and the Mississippi river,
has declined by very slow degrees, and
will continue Tor time 10 recede slowly, |
until the lands OF the Missouri valley are
more fully occupied, Already, however,
the proportion Of the corn crop grown In
the trans-MiSsissippi zone reaches nearly
10 per cent. 1t is also clear from the latest
statistics that the increase Of cattle feeding
In Indiana and Illinois threatens to rele-
gate TO the country west Of the Mississippi
the business OF shipping corn In grain.
Thus the most bulky form In which this
cereal can be- exported Is that In which Il
Is tending TO be sent the greatest distance
to market-an apparent violation Of the
plAinest principle Of economy. OF course
the anomaly arises from the necessities OF
primitive agriculture, which lacks capital
10 buy the requisite animals for the con.
densation and conversion OF the grain.
OF our wheat crop, the Atlantic coast
now produces only il per cent against 30
per cent Ia the year before the war. The
central belt has fallen In the same period
from 81 per cent TO 10 per cent, while the
traus-A Mississippi region has risen from II
per cent 10 u per cent The surplus Is
now produced only Ia five States lying be-
tween the Ohio river and the lakes, and
In Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas,
Nebraska, California and Oregon. The
portions Of our own country requiring
part OF this surplus comprises New Eng.
land, the Middle States, and the cotton
States. New England produces only
three-tenths OF bushel for each inhabi.
tant; the Middle States grow three and
one-third bushels, or little more than
half the quantity necessary for 4 full sup
ply; the Southern Atlantic and Gulf
States almost as much, while Kentucky
and Tennessee, with nearly elk bushels
are sell supporting. OF course the re.
quirement Of wheat Is not the same, per
capita, In all sections. In the South there
Is q large quantity OF corn used, by whites
as well Us negroes, and taking the twelve
States from Maryland TO Texas together,
four bushels per bead Is deemed the mean
amount consumed.
While the westward progress Of corn
production has OF late been very slow,
the tendency OF the wheat centre 10 move
westward Is still active, and may continue
30 for many years as wheat culture sub.
dues the high plAteaus and mountain val.
leys between the Missouri and the Pacific
ocean. We must bear In mind that wheat
can he grown from 1000 10 5000 feet
above the level Of maize culture. For
Washington Territory, for instance, from
which maize growing Is virtually excluded,
competent observers predict yield Of
wheat, in the near future, three times as
large as large as the present supply Of
California. OF Dakota, 1t Is affirmed,
on Trustworthy authority, that the area
especially adapted to wheat growing does
not fall short Of 100000 acres. A con.
siderable part OF Wyoming and Idaho eau
be turned to account In the same dlrec-
ton, and even Montana, though better
suited 70 grazing purposes, was computed
by Prof. Thomas OF the Hayden expedi-
tion TO contain nearly 100000 acres on
which wheat could be raised. Counting
but one.tenth Of the intermountain region,
which includes two States and six Terri.
tories, with iour.tenths OF the era OF the
Pacific slope on the west, and Of Dakota
on the east, we have upwards Of loo, 600.
900 acres Of land, from much Of which
the growth Of maize will always be debAr-
red, but In which wheat farming will ulh-
mately exist as a specially, dominating for
q time all other arabic culture.
With such opportunities Of expansion,
Il Is plain that our wheat area cannot iail
10 supply any deficiency In the worlds
production for many generations, without
stinting the requirements Of our rapidly
increasing population.