Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1886-02-06
Changes in Agricultural Figures

Changes in Agricultural Figures
From the New York Tribune: Two
striking facts appear in the December
report of the Bureau of Agriculture
which dispatches have not mentioned.
The first is that Dakota. not yet a state
because guilty of being inclined to Re.
p~ublicanism. produced O wheat
last year than any state in the Union
except three. the increase OF acreage
in the territories being about a third OF
the entire acreage winter killed last
year. The second is that the acreage
sowed for the crop of 1886 bids fairs to
ne larger than vas harvested last year,
and warrants the hope, il fair climate
conditions prevail such as have thus
far favored the winter wheat, that the
next crop will exceed 440, 600, 900 BUSH
els. Each OF these facts has its melan-
choly side. 1t is melancholy that o
territory in which moro than 2,1S7,0 900
acres have already produced wheat
should be excluded from producing a
crop of votes. 1t js also melancholy
20 reflect that in all probability sundry
journals will presently begin to pour
out warnings of an approaching fam
inc in wheat, with gloomy crop news
manufactured for the benefit Of specu-
lators.
Minnesota appears to lead all states
in wheat production last year, yielding
"a, 1926, 900 bushels. Michigan comes
next with 81, pol. 600, and her Iowa
with 80, 1872, 600. Next in rank of all
the wheat producers was Dakota, with
81, 913, 600, o little exceeding Indiana
md California. But Washington Ter
ritorv has also gained marvelously,
Yielding 7.412 900, making with Ore
gon 2l,300, 900 from a region that has
not long been al important contIibu-
tor to the national wealth, and exceed
ing the yield in any OF the old states
of Ohio, Illinois, Wisconsin, Missouri,
Kansas or California. This fact places
in strong light the severe injury done
to the wheat crop by the last hard win
ter and the succeeding unfavorable
weather. The yield of tates which
have been among the largest in wheat
production was so reduced that it was
surpassed by a state and territory
which at the last census had together q
population of $50. 900, and also far sur
passed by a single territory, which
then hal a population of only 8 $1,000.
In another aspect the effects Of railroad
building are placed in strong relief.
Dakota and Washington, in 1880 had
2l0 600 population, and produced 4 800
600 bushels of wheat. But five years
and a railroad have increased the
wheat production Of these two terri
tories to $4,000 600 bushels, and there
ia no doubt that the increase in popu-
lation has also been enormous.
The return of winter wheat acreage
appears only in percentages compared
with last years harvesting. as if ON
purpose to hide from readers the CON
illusions 10 which it points. Comput-
ing the gains and losses. however, is
appears that there ia foreshadowed q
decrease of 3S1, 900 in the acreage in
winter wheat states. Beyond a doubt
the increase in Dakota alone will ex-
coed that; last year tho Increase in that
territory was about 600 600 acres, and
in all the territories about 900 600.
Evidently the opening of new and rich
land to cultivation along the northern
border has done much to make wheat
growing less profitable in some OF tho
winter wheat states, so the acreage .p-
pears to have declined 1853. 900 in llli-
nois, about Is 600 each in Missouri and
Kansas. and so, 600 in Oregon Other
changes including a gain of $4,000 in
indiana, and small gains in most Of
the southern states anc Pennsylvania,
nearly balance each other, but New
York appears to lose about $4,000
acres.