The weekly herald. [volume] (Cleveland, Tenn.) 1876-1888, 1881-12-02


A question widely discussed involves
the relative value OF the wheat. cotton,
tea and hay crops of the world. Which
OF these products involves the greatest
amount Of the worlds capital2 1t is
said by the fHay Rep@ferS that hay
leads the rest, and the items that enter
into the account as stated are omewhat
startling. Cotton and tea are local
cropF, while hsyisproduced everywhere
the world over, and the hay crop gen.
orally outweighs either Of the other two.
The aggregate reported value of all
farm products in the United States for
1870 was 10, AIT 5SS, ,65S; but as this
includes additions to- to stocks, "bet-
terments,', etc, ii was probably too
high then, but the census of 1880 viii
no doubt show even larger figures.
Now, the hay crop for lS70-that is, re-
ported at over 27,OOO,OOO tons. This,
at half the selling price in the large
cities, would amount to $i05, 600, 600,
and is far greater than the aggregate
home value of the cotton crop or any
other crop. But The ''cused" hay is
but portion of the grass crop. The
other portion is used on the ground,
and it requires considerable calculation
to get at the value so used, even in the
toughest way.
In the first place, live stock, including
horned cattle, horses, sheep, swine, ETC.,
to the value of S1,525, 900 600, we're fed
from it that year. Averaging the lives
of these at years, We have one fifth of
that sum as representing the grass fed
to them in lS70--viz., $3O5. 900, 900,
next, we find the value of animals
slaughtered for food in that year TO be
$309, 900, 600: and as this Is an annual
product, the whole of it will for the
present be credited to the grass crop /;
next We find that the butter crop of
1870 was 5l4, 0O0,00 pounds, which at
the low average of 25 cents, amounts
to 1928, 900, 600. and this goes to the
credit OF grass next, we have 225,000,-
coo gallons of milk, which average
at the low estimate of 10 cents
per gallon, adds $25, 600, 900 moro to the
credit of the grass crop then we have
100 0O0,0 600 pounds of wool at 25 cents
per pound, adding $4,000, 900 more,
and, finally, 53,000,O00 pounds of
cheese at 10 cents, adding over So, ,000,-
900 to the total of these credits to the
grass crop of 1870, which aggregates
$SS7, 900, 600.
Now says the "Hay Reporter' let us
add the value of the "hay" crop as
given above-viz: $4O5, 900, oO0-and
We have grand total for ''hay' and
the products of grass consumed on the
amounting to $l,292,OOO, 600. This is,
of course. subject to deduction, as the
meat, butter, milk, cheese, and the
wool-producing animals consume other
food besides grass and hay. To make
ample allowance for this, We deduct
the entire value of corn and oats Of
1870, estimated at $270,O00,O00, and
this leaves remainder of 81, 082 600, 600
to be credited to the hay and grass
crop of that year, when the reported ng-
gregated of all farm products was
$2,447, ,52S,65S. II our estimate makes
even the roughest approach to accuracy,
the value of that crop was two-fifths of
the aggregate value OF all farm pro-
ducts, aud beuce we may infer that two
ffths of the capital then invested III
agricultural pursuits was devoted to
the grass crop and this in the United
States equals in round numbers)
81, ,575, 600, 900.