The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1881-09-24
American Wheat Fields.

Nation show greater breadth in the
golden grain? Within three wears a
prominent statesman gave to France
the leading position in wheat produc-
ton. Yet the United States has ranked
the wheat growing Nations of the world
in quantity for half a dozen wears; in
area, for period twice as long. Thir-
ty years ago the area did not probably
much exceed 100000 acres. or the
breadth of wheat now to be found in
three leading States. Twenty years
since the area had increased to nearly
Is, 900, 900 acres, and in ten wears more
to about 20,000,000. The great advance
has occurred within ten years, the most
of it within five. under the stimulus of
high prices caused by increase of a
prosperous population and an extraor-
binary foreign demand.
The census Tin its first count. which
corrections will not materially change)
makes the area producing in the year
1879 no less than 80, 4S7, O65 acres,
which is equivalent to nearly $4,000
square miles, or the entire superfcies
of the State of Illinois. This grain is
grown in every State and Territory of
the Union, but is by no means equally
distributed, either through the great
geographical sections or even through
out one of the great wheat-producing
States. First as to large districts The
Seaboard and Gulf Cotton States. nine
in number, furnish but per cent. of
the wheat area and 3 per cent. OF the
produce-2, l76, Psi acres ;nd I3068,-
299 approximately three
fourths in North Carolina, Georgia and
Texas. 1t is not so much a lack of
suitable soil or favorable climate that a
result so unpromising is seen. for forty
bushels of wheat per acre have been
grown in this belt. ard there are more
than twenty counties in Texas well
adapted to wheat culture, and suitable
soils in all the other States. 1t is be-
cause cotton dominates the cultivation
of that region and corn supplies the
bread of large portion of the popula-
ton. The time will come when much
more wheat will be grown there.
New England is scarcely noticeable
in wheat production, with 10000 acres
and 1927, 1877 bushels -225-1000 of one
per cent of the total area, and 267-10O0
of one per cent of the product. 1t is
seen that that rate of yield-15.5 BUSH
els--is above the average for the co un-
try, which is nearly thirteen bushels.
New York and Pennsylvania, in the
Middle States and Virginia and Ten
nessee, in the Southern, neither adj
vance nor retrograde perceptibly. Penn
sylvania, with 1,445,3S4, is the only
Eastern States with breadth of mill
ion acres, and is the twelfth in rank,
standing next to Nebraska in area.
California and Oregon are prominent
States in wheat culture that do not
quite show at their best in 1879, having
six per cent. of the aggregate area and
eight per cent. of the product. In a
good year it should be tenth of the
crop. We now come to the central area
living between the lakes and the Ohio
River, and in the valleys of the Missouri
and Upper Mississippi. Here are len
States and one Territory. The
other twenty-eight States and eight
Territories reported in the census
have little less than one-third
of the whole breadth of wheat,
and less than three-tenths OF the pro-
duction. They have no surplus, with
the exception of two Pacific States and
one Territory, and most OF them are
compelled to draw upon this central
granary to supplement their own de-
iiciency. 1t had in 1879 about a, 000,-
600 acres in crop, and produced over
49,, 600, 900 bushels, very nearly four
teen bushels per acre. This was 49,
600, 900 bushels more than the yield of
this district in the good wheat year of
1869, an increase of seventy per cent.
This fact accounts for the possibility
of the expectation of 1870, 10000 bush
els of that crop which were actually
sent abroad.
There is another fact that may con-
travene popular impression 1t is
frequently assumed that the soil of the
old States is wearing out, that wheat
culture is moving westward, because
the yield per acre is dwindling. Our
English cousins have adopted this con-
solatory view. and express surprise that
wheat should continue to pour in upon
them. 1t is great mistake. The re-
verse is the fact, as to the most pro-
gressive and advanced of the older
States that grow wheat. l will admit
that seasons vary; that in 1879 the Ohio
Valley had good crops and the country
beyond the Mississippi not quite so
good. The fact stands, nevertheless,
that in a series of years the Ohio Valley
produces more winter wheat per acre
than does the northwestern spring
wheat region. The four States Mich
igan, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois pro-
duced about 1S0,000,000 bushels on a
little more than 100000 acres, or
about seventeen bushels per acre.
The spring wheat States Wisconsin,
Minnesota, Iowa. Nebraska and the
Territory of Dakota-produced no.
900, 900 bushels on an almost equal area,
nearly 100000 acres, or about eleven
bushels per acre, say two-thirds as much
per acre as the winter wheat States
east of the Mississippi. where farming
has variety and wheat comes in rota-
ton. In ten years, comparing the pres
ent with the previous census. the in
creased production in these four winter
wheat States amounted to $4,000, 900
bushels, and only 34,000.OOO in the
spring wheat territory. In one case
improved culture and tile draining is
increasing the rate of yield; and the