The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-03-27
THE FARMERS SHOWING.
Facts and Figures Which Place Ilie
nois AgricuIturists in the Lead.
The Soil of that Great State Made to Yield
in One Year Products Worth More
than $500, 600, 900.
special to the Indianapong journal

6R1NAA ~ tAO O0AA1
SPRINGFIELD, ILL.,, March 26.-The Agricul-
tural Department of this State is just COM
pleting a report on the crop and animal pro-
ducts of this State, which goes further in the
direction of explaining the growth in wealth
and prosperity of the people of Illinois than
anything of the kind ever before attempted.
Though all the material for the report has
been practically in hand since the beginning
OF the present year, the work of compiliLs
and arranging it has employed four expert
and experienced clerks more than two and a
half months.
1t is impossible to present in a brief space
the array of facts and figures which are com
bined to exhibit Illinois as the foremost of
all the States in the value and volume of her
animal and crop productions. Of course
corn leads everything, the crop of 1882 being
worth 1852 $50. Great as this sum is, the
crop of 1881 was worth ST., co., 900 more.
The value of the yield for 1877, 1879 and
1880 also exceeded that for 1882, the yield
of the latter year being practically
counted a failure throughout the State
that is, it cost more to produce the crop
than the yield would have brought in the
HHHA a. ~ AoA DCCh OAo az NAC aNCldSS
price of the year. 1t will probably be curious
information to the country in general, butit
is true, that in the twenty-three years last
past, beginning with 1860, corn in Illinois
has been raised at q loss ten years, the net
profit per acre for the whole period being
only $1.13. Indeed, if we omit 1864, when
the net profit on the crop was $14.2 5 an acre.
and 1867, when it was $50, the value of the
corn has scarcely more than paid the cost of
raising it. During the present winter many
! large feeders have been obliged to buy corn
from other States, and some have shipped
hogs and cattle to localities that had more
abundant corn crops, The lessons enforced
by these facts are rapidly developing a
tendency to other farm products, and the
root crops are receiving greatly increased
attention.
EXPERIENCE WITH POTATOES.
The results of the cultivation of Irish
potatoes, as shown by this report, are in
strong contrast with those of corn. The
value of that crop each year is, of course,
much less than that of corn, being Sc, 261, 900
last year, on a yield of 10, 10000 bushels;
but the average net profit per acre, for the
twenty-three years mentioned, has been
$26.38, the profit in 1864 reaching as
high as $72.SS an acre, the lowest
figures being those of 1861, $2.64, and 1873,
$9.e6. The net profit per acre last year on
potatoes was $50, as against 1911 on wheat
and $6.59 on oats, while corn was raised OF a
loss of At cents an acre.
THE WHEAT PRODUCT
is treated in the report, for the period of %
years referred to above, there being simply a
note added in reference to the condition of
the present. or growing crop of winter wheat.
1t is shown that, in the period named, after
deduoting the amount consumed in the State
and the amount required for seed, there have
been produced 40S, o75,5 31 bushels for expor-
tation, valued at $427, 628, 695. The yield last
year was 50, 1923, 261 bushels, valued at $46.-
714,376. The yield of 1880, Sc, sos, 300 bushels,
alone exceeded this figure; but the value of
the crop of 1867, which was $50, 900, 900, is the
largest for any year in the history of the
State.
THE OATS CROP
of last year was 80, 275, $50 bushels, being 90
per cent. of the oats crop of the country. 1t
was the largest yield in the history of the
State, and is valued at $41, O62, Gil. 1t isl
curious fact, as shown, that in the past
t%wenty-three years there were fourteen years
in which this crop was grown at a loss. The
most profitable years for this crop were 1867 y
($S.05 an acre) and 1881 ($3.16l The most
improbable was 1878, when the crop was
raised at all actual loss of $5.03 an acre.
RESULTS IN GENERAL.
The value of last years product of grain,
roots and fruits, live stock and seeds, is set
Town at $317, 1876, $50, being largely in excess
of the product of any previous year. A few
of the items entering into this total, omit
ting those already mentioned, may be given,
as follows: Tobacco cultivated, 3,79S acres,
value OF product, $1G5, 700; broom-corn,
o oSiUS0 s assSs' s sS75 ,a7s; Si'o Clover ;DaS' s s%,
1882, 546i sweet potatoes, $163, 140;
grapes and wine, $137, $50; apples, 50, O90,s13;
peaches, $105, 046; other fruits and berries,
5000, 1877. The value of horses reaches $25,-
1852, 131; of cattle, $20,497 966; of mules and
asses, So, 439,8 $50; OF sheep, $1,34S, 181; and of
hogs, 1886, 161.
The value Of the wool clip of 1882 was
81, 1876, $50; of milk sold, Sc, 299,625. The av-
erage price received for milk was Is cents a
gallon, a figure which has not nearly been
approached in recent years. Cream sold,
reached LAG S1 gallons, valued at $791, 722. .
Butter footed up 81, 700, 610 pounds, valued
at &c. 07 ,449; and cheese, $3.50, 554 pounds,
valued at S652,0S4. McHenry county leads
the State in its product of wool, milk, butter
and cheese.
The average number of horses to the
square mile in the State is II; of cattle, 81;
Of hogs, 60; and of sheep, %.
The report has a valuable section on the
increased effort at drainage, showing that the
tillable area OF the State is being thus con-
stantly enlarged and the reliability of its pro-
dnction increased. The report shows that
while there had been, Up to Jan. l, 1882,
about go, 800, 900 feet of drain tile laid in the
State, the amount had Increased at the LIST of
last January to $50, 900, 900 feet, or nearly 5O,-
900 miles. Putnam and Kendall counties
lead in drainage.
The total value of all products in the State
last year ($317, 1875, $500 is equivalent to an