Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1886-06-28
OUR AGRICULTURAL WEALTH.
Edw. Atkinson I'm Bradstreets.

or not under our laws 10y which land Is
directly taxed for the larger part of the ex-
penses OF local self-goverument there is any |
objection to the conditional title being held |
by aliens as well as 10y natives. 1t is also |
expedent that all the land grants to rail |
roads should be examined in order to see II |
the conditions have been met, or if any land
is really being withheld from use under eA-
isting grants
But II should by no means be in nferred, oe.
cause such Investigations are called for, that
the land of the United States has in any great
measure been either put 10 use or put out OF
the way of being used
In the accompanying diagram the outer
square indicates the total area ot THIS conn-
try, emitting Aaska-substantially SWNWo
| square miles. This square has been sub
| divided into three parts. The upper hall,
| or section, represents, in rough-and-ready
| way the arabic land OF the country. What
| IL called arabic land really constitutes q
| larger portion, but one half At least may be
| called fairly good land.
| The lower half is divided into two sections.
| one of these sections fairly represents pas
| ture or grazing land, too dry for agricul-
| ture without irrigation, but capable OF sus-
| tanning great tlocks and herds.
The other portion is assigned TO mountain
| aud timber. But even this part is permea-
| ted 10y fertile valleys, and much of 1t may be
made use of for the production of food.
| Within the lines OF the upper half, certain
| proportions drawn on the same scale rs the
| other square, which represents the total area,
| will be observed. These smaller sections
| represent prOportouately the actual culuvs-
ton, as 1t now il. in its ratio to the whole.
| THE CROPS OF THE COUNTRY.
Our average crop of Indian corn ranges
| from lS000, 100000 TO 2,0O10O0,0O0 bushels.
At - to 80 bushels to the acre the area of the
cornfeld is only IL, 500 square miles or less
than per cent of the total area of the coun-
try. Our customary average is less than 80
bushels, but on the best land 30 bushels are
| commonly produced, and often 100 Corn
may be reduced to pork at the ratio of
about l bushel to 10 pounds, including
waste.
Aoout 10000 square miles are all that are
required or are now under cultivation in
wheat. At only thirteen busheN to the acre
this little patch, constituting but per cent
of our total area, would yield 5uO,0O0,OOO
bushels OF wheat This quantity, after set
ting aside enough for seed, would su pply
81, 00O, 600 people with their customary aver.
age OF one barrel of flour per year.
4 hay crop of 10 600 900 tons at the average
OF a good season, tons per acre. calls tor
less than per cent, or 5OOOO,OOO square
miles.
The oat crop of between 500, coo, 600 an d
| COO 900 600 bushels, at 8 bushels to the acre,
calls fOr2 per cent, or 10000 square miles.
While the cotton crop has never reached
l NN.~
o | entire area of the country (less than 80 pei
| cent OF the area OF the strictly cotton states)
yet on this little patch, at the beggarly crop
of one half to three.tifths OF a bale to the acre
!, | 5000 600 to 1000, 900 bales can be made each
year.
e Lastly. of all miscellaneous crops of barley
. | hay, potatoes and other roots, of rice, sugar
tobacco, hemp aud garden vegetables arr
raised on ! per cent OF our area, or 3O,ON
/. square miles,
a POSSIRTIITIFS
o 1t is perfectly safe to affirm that were
% reasonably skillful mode of agricultur
II generally applied to these crops the area nov
d" under cultivation would yield all that coulC
IL be required by double the present population
n Of the United States, and would Yet leav
over as much as we now export
In the square W hich has been set aside I
represent pasture land certain subdivision
=, have been made which represent what Nigh
,e be done with the land, not what is done wit
o. it Onr cattle truly roam over a thousan
hills and over wide plains, under tue wOr,
possible conditions for the best production
meat, or even of dairy products. When a
c. intelligent ana an intensive system of farm
v ing shall have been adopted and when eaC
~ one OF the Eastern states with the possib
~ exception OF Delaware and Rhode Island
10 shall produce within its own limits all its Ow
III dairy products (as may soon hsppen) ii
"a area set Oft tor beef dairy, mutton and wot
)e Will more than suffice.
10 The area assigned to beef is $4,000 squar
10 miles. This would yield each one two.yea
j. old steer to every two acres. 1t is now az
n mtted, as has been frequently proved, ths
a, sufficient green fodder can be made and save
>, in pits, under the name of ensilage, to carr
u two steers to one acre. The additional muir
1t ment-meal from Indian corn, cottonsee
Is meal or hay-has been already provided fo
y in the area set off for these crops. At tn
rate Of one twO-year-Old steer taken Off eac
two acres each adult inhabitant of the Unite
States Counting two children of ten year
or under AS one adult) could be served wit
very nearly one pound of dressed beef pc
day
e The area set aside for dairy products is ais
3 $1,000 square miles. At the ratio of one COY
TO each two acres, fed on ensilage, cottonsee
meal and inOdicum Of hay, there would
ayleid oi % per cent more milk, butter an
cheese than the people OF the | Unitsd State
now enjoy while the eggs, valued at tn
l. present time at not less than 500 900 900 veal
10 and probably at Sl2O,OOO,0OO, could also b
Il doubled in the same area
h To a similar area of 6O,O00 square mile
a mutton and wool are assigned. Were shee
u folded and fed as they are in England and i
. some parts of this country, protected fror
cur dogs and properly nourished, wool to ID
Q amount OF JoGOOOO0O pounds year (whic
a is more than our present entire production
a and import) could be readily produced fror
this little patch, together with a create
sec ondary product OF mutton and lamb tha
D we now consume.
, | CONCLT SIONS.
1t may therefore be inferred that, for tn
present at least, there will DO no danger
starvation within the limits of this country
or Of the exhaustion Ofour land. No one ye
knows the productive capacity of a sir
gle acre of land anywhere. When land !
treated as laboratory, and not as a min,
. subsistence may become more Of scien G.
Il than II now is, and neither prosperity nc
adversely may then be attributed either
abundance or to lack of land.
A In this connection il may he well to sa
A that the distribution of the farm lands of ID
:, United States il one of the most importan
,, factors in the social order. In 1850 the ceI
u sus disclosed the following facts:
Total number Of observation-disclosures. IOns o
,r Cultivated by Owners.................... 2g~l q
Rented on : hares res.........,,............. 7tr .
Rented Tor money payments....,....... 3293
average size OF farm acres ................ L
49, Farms OF % &C cS or rlcss..............., rs
Farms over 90 and not exceeding 500
so
% faI uis Grover DO acres, 1853
The table opposite IL lar from conclusiy
The data are wanting for computing the Or
duct per capita of those who were engage
exclusively in agriculture or the value p
o acre OF the crops. The table is given only
10 matter of general information. 1t indicate
.e rather than proves, the places of create
q | prosperity in agriculture but il of interest