Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1881-11-16
THE GREA TEST CROP OF THE
WORLD.

A question widely discussed involves
the relative value of the wheat, cotton,
tea, and hay crops Of the world. Which
Of these products involve the greatest
amount of the worlds capital? 1t is
said by the Hay Reporter that hay
leads the rest, and the items that enter
into tho account as stated are some
what startling. Cotton and tea are
local crops, while hay is produced
everywhere the world over, and the
hay crop greatly outweighs either Of
the other two. The aggregate re.
ported value of all farm products in
the United States for 1870 was 81.
447, ,53S,65S but as this includes add.
ton to stock, "betterments," etc, il
was probably too high then, but the
census Of 1880 will no doubt show
even larger figures Now the hay crop
for lS70-that is, the grass dried and
cured for use or solids reported at
over 100000 tons, This, at half
the selling price IN the large cities,
would amount TO s405,000,000, and is
far greater than tho aggregate home
value Of the cotton crop. But the
"eured" hay is but a portion of the
grass crop. The other portion is used
on the ground, and it requires consid.
cradle calculation to get at the value
so used, even in the toughest way.
In the first place, live stock, includ-
ing horned cattle, horses, sheep, swine,
etc. to tho value of S1,525,00O,O0O,
were ted from il that year. Averag.
ing the lives Of these at five years, we
have one fifth OF that sum as represent
ing the grass fed to them in 1870 viz,
S305, 900, 600 next, we find the value
of the animals slaughtered for food in
that year to be s3O9,000,0OO; and as
this is annual product, the whole of it
will, for the present, be credited to the
grass crop; next we find that the but
ter crop Of 1870 was 514,000,000,
pounds; which, at the low average of
25 cents, amounts to S12S, 100000 and
this goes to the credit of grass next,
We have 225,O00,0O0 gallons of milk,
which, averaged at the low estimate
of 10 cents per gallon, adds s25, 900, 900
more to the credit of the grass crop
then we have 1O0,000,O00 pounds Of
wool, at 20 cents pound, adding S25.
100000 more, and finally, 53,000,0O0,
pounds Of cheese at 10 cents, adding
over s5,OO0,OOO to the total of these
credits to the grass crop Of 1870, whicn
aggregates sss7, 100000.
Now let us add tho value of the
shay" crop as given above-viz., s405,.
000,0O0-and we have a grand total
for shay" and the products of grass
consumed on the ground amounting TO
81, 100000. This is, OF course, sub.
jeet to deduction, as the milk, butter,
cheese, and wool producing animals
consume other food besides grass and
hay. To make ample allowance for
this, we deduct the entire value of the
corn and oats crops Of 1870 estimated
at s270,000,0O0, and this leaves re.
mainder of sl,0s2, 900 600 to be cred
itod to the hay and grass crop of that
year, when the reported aggregate of
all farm products was 81, ,I47, ,42S, ,65S.
If our estimates make even the rough.
est approach TO accuracy, the value of
that crop was two.filths of the aggre.
gate value Of all farm products, and
hence VIC may infer that two-fiths of
the capital then invested in agricultu.
raj pursuits was devoted to the grass
crop and this in the United States
equals Qn round numbers) 4,575, ,OOO,.
600. From these figures the deduction
is palpablo that King Cotton is un.
crowned and dethroned.