Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1888-02-17

A Glance at the Reports-How Vermont
Compares with other states.


Written for the Free Press by N. o. Howe.l
The January report of the Department
of Agriculture Will be of special interest
to stockmen. 1t will give statistics OF
live stock IN the United States, with the
per cent of increase or decrease since
January /, 1886, and the prices of horses,
mules, cattle, sheep and swine, at differ
ent ages, and for each State. Though
these statistics are of course only esti-
mates, they are made by persons who
have had long experience in collecting
them from correspondents in each county
and from other available sources, and the
figures are generally, perhaps, as close an
approximation to accuracy as could be
had without an actual census. With few
exceptions, the estimates of the depart
ment for the census year were found to
correspond very nearly with the census
figures.
The December report contains a sum-
mary of crop statistics for 1887 also OIL
cial statistics OF production i'll the prin-
cipal countries of Europe in 1886, and
meteorological tables for the past year.
compiled from the records OF the sighal
service According TO the tables in this
report the average rainfall in New Eng
land for the five months from May to sep
TENDER, inclusive, was only ~. IL lncnes
or nearly four inches less than the average
tor series of years. That the quantity
of rain falling here during the growing
season last year should be reported less
than an average, is surprising. The rain
fall in larger part OF New England was
greater through the summer months than
had been known for many years before :;
if this is true record of the signal SER
vice, it can only be explained by suppos-
ing that the signal stations were located
where they failed to get the average RAIN
fall OF New England.
1t is stated that the year 1887 was one OF
not quite average production IN the united
States. The severe drought that pre-
vailed in the great corn growing states Oh
Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio
and kentucky, and in parts of other
States, reduced the total yield below that
of any year except one since the census OF
1850. The total crop Is estimated at ,45o,
l6l 600 bushels. The largest corn crop
ever raised was that of 1885, estimated at
m II than 100000 bushes. The avel-
age per acre that year was 700 bushels.
The average per acre in 1887, not includ
ing about 100000 acres that failed to
mature corn on account of the drought,
was 20, bushels. The average per acre
in Vermont was higher than IN any other
State, being 35.5 bushels. Though the
corn crop OF 1887 was less than the aver
age for the past eight years, it's money
value is greater than that of the crop of
any other year since 1888, the price having
been advanced {; but even at the enhanced
price the money value OF. an acre of corn
at the average i'll the United States is sur
prlsingly small. The highest average
value of the corn crop per acre has not,
in any one of the past five years, exceeded
80 Go, if we may credit the reports of the
Department of AGRICULTURE
The average value of the wheat crop
per acre Is about the same, or, of late
wears, a little less than the value of the
years the highest average value per acre
of the wheat crop in the United States
has not exceeded IS. a. For the four years
next following 1879, the average value of
an acre of wheat was about 81 The
average yield of wheat per acre last year
was ~ bushels, which was about the an
nual average of the past eight years. Da-
kota, Though yet territory leads all
the States. in the production or wheat
Her wheat crop for 1887 Is estimated at
81, OOO, 600 bushels-15 100000 bushels more
than the wheat crop OF Indiana, the next
highest in the rank of wheat production
The estimate for Dakota looks liltle
like eXaggeration. The total wheat crop
of 1887 is finally estimated at 45G,OOO,OO
bushels, which is a little sabove the aver
age of the past eight years ; in this period
the production OF wheat has Increased
over The average of 10 years preceding Al
per cent, while the population III the same
time has increased only % per cent. me
same is true, in greater or less degree,
of most of the other products of agricul
ture. Production has increased in higher
ratio than the Increase of population.
Newtale Vt, Feb. H.