The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-03-25
LAST YEARS CORN CROP.
Thirty Per Cent. of the Yield Still on Hand
in Indiana.

IN INDIANA
Special to the Indianapolis Journal.
WASHINGTON, March 24.-In the report ofthe
Commissioner of Agriculture, just issued, it is
stated that the corn on hand in Indiana on
March 1 was Is, 6S6, 900 bushels, which is 80 per
cent of the crop in the State last year. That re-
tanned for country consumption amounted to TO-
100000 bushels, or eighty per cent of the en-
tire crop. Eight per cent of the crop remains
in the field. Indiana raised surplus last year
of 28 CSC 600 bushels, against 49, 594 348 for the
year before. Indiana exceeded the surplus crop
of Ohio in 1882 by IL, 100000 bushels, and fell
short of Illinois 49, 900, 900 bushels In 1888 her
surplus was ID 100000 more than that of Ohio
and was SO, 900, 900 less than Illinois.
Prices of corn tell the true story of supply
In March, 1881, the price in Chicago was 81
cents, when the seven great corn raising States
had a stock of Alb, 900, 900 bushels remaining
But in March, 1882, after the disastrous failure
of 1881, the price was go cents, with stock of
200, 900, 900 bushels. This year the price is SO
cents at the same date, showing that the guam
tity, in view of the poor quality OF large pro-
portion of understandable grain, must be
greatly in excess of the stock of two years ago
The clamor in certain quarters, raised long after
the harvest-for at harvest time there was won
derful unanimity as to the probable product of
corn-has misled many, and created an exag-
gerated impression of the effect of local dsas-
tiers upon the general aggregate. In certain
districts the calamity could not have been much
worse. The error was in seeing the country
through local spectacles.
In 1883 Indiana raised &c. S53 800 bushels of
As, 766, 200 of understandable corn, worth $12,
679,212 Her merchantable corn averaged 48
cents, while that of Ohio was So and Illinois 43
cents a bushel.
Five-sXths of the the understandable corn is
found north of the Ohio river and west of Penn
sylvania. 1t averaged throughout the country
81 cents.
An inquiry conce rning diseases or loss of con-
dition from feeding damaged corn discovers no
serious injury. Occasional deaths are assumed
to result from that cause. Interrupted digestion,
shown in various forms of internal arrangement,
abortions, and a failure to take on fat, are re-
ported as results of eating injured corn. On the
other hand, correspondents declare that cattle
can consume such feed with entire immunity
from injurious results The Knox county In
diana) correspondent says he "has fed moldy or
unsound corn more than fifty years with no bad
effect, but on the contrary, with good results :"
In jefferson county in the same State, ut is
considered very good feed for stock CATTLE" and
in Jay the only complaint is that cattle do not
get enough of it" Similar testimony comes
from McHenry and Christian counties, Illinois.
The proportion of the corn crop destined to be
sent from the county where grown is only one
fifth of the whole. This was about the proper
ton last year. 1t may be assumed that four
ffths Of the cFn grown annually is consumedon
the farm, or within the county where grown.