Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1885-11-20

James IL. baynes, agricultural status
tician for Dakota, has made his report
on the wheat crop of 1885 in the terri
tory. The following is an extract from
his report:
There were at least two counties that
in the census year (l87O did not raise a
busnel of wheat that in 1885 produced
100000 bushels each. The develop
ment has been SO rapid that the most
radical estimates did not keep pace with
1t. The writer's estimate OF the yield of
wheat for 1884 per acre was 1872 bushels
whereas the yield as shown by the GEN.
sus taken this year, and is Official, is III
bushels per acre, which, covering go
large scope of territory, greater than
Indiana and Illinois, with crop thai
varied from two to forty-two bushels per
acre, to say the least, was as close as
could be expected under the circum-
stances. The guess that was wide of the
mark was in the acreage. We made 1t
l,615,200 acres, while the census figures
are 2,22S, l02 acres. We made the yield
of 1884, rs, l66,240 bushels. The United
States agricultural department. cut 1t
down to 22. 100000 bushels. This is 12,.
100000 greater than given by our
report and over l5,000,OOO more
than the department officials report,
in which the total yield for the
United States is given at 512,763,90C
bushels. 1t increases the total yield O,
1884 10 52S,60O,313 bushels. These ex.
ira 15,000,000 bushels account in part
for the large visible supply that refused
to go down during last summer and
spring. We now have the crop of 1884
as determined by the census, to figure
out the crops of 1885. Had it not been
for the European war news that gave
boom to prices just prior to seeding
allied with the sweeping reports of dam.
age to crops throughout the winter wheat
section, there would have been decrease
| in acreage for 1885 from that OF the pre-
cedlng year, but these conditions were
promising outlook for the marketing Of
| the next crop, and spurred up farmers
to seed more than they would otherwise
| have done. The price at which the crop
| of 1884 was marketed was discouraging
to wheat producers, and much of the
andln the large wheat belt was moi
! ploughed during the fall. In the south
and central part of the territory many
| acres that would have been sown with
wheat with good prices pre-.
ValiluB, were seeQeQ With max
With careful survey of the
field we are of the opinion that the land
broke up in 1884 and sewn to crop for
| the first time in 1885, will about offset
the decrease of acreage from the causes
| before mentioned. The acreage of 1886
is therefore equal to that of 1884 The
yield shows nearly as great range as
the crop of 1884 There were some
localities of drought, others of wide
reaching hail storms, while the prevail
ing specially hot weather during the
middle stage also worked injury all over
the territory We believe that the har.
| vest also ended with an average yield of
fourteen and one-half bushels per acre.
Loss before thrashing, from rains aud
prairie fires, the latter being more disas.
| trous than was ever known before,
amounted to represent over 1882, ,29f
bushels. when being deducted would
make the remaining crop for 1851. ).
0l5,183 bushels. This shows nearly
25000.000 of wheat produced by Dakota
in 1884 and 1885 more than was figured
in any calculations by statjst1cians or ir
the official report of the department OF
agriculture at Washington. It places
Dakota in the front rank of the great
wheat producing states.