Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-08-08
CULTIVATED AREA OF THE COUNTRY
Interesting and Instructive Data Concern
ing the Principal Crops.

Interesting and Instructive Data Concern
ing the Principal Crops.
Tne breadth of cultivated area in
creases largely each season. In the new
er states and territories settlement is
rapid, and each year new areas almost
equal to states in their aggregate are
given over to the plow, while in older
sections east of the Mississippi river new
farms are appearing on hitherto unculti-
waited lands. The rapidity with which
this exte nsion has gone on during recent
years has been recently noted by the
national statistician, who furnishes the
data here given: In 1879 the four princi-
pal arabic crops-corn, wheat, oats and
cotton-occupied 12S, ,epO, 900 acres; in
1888 this area had increased to 159 ,0O0,-
ooo-an enlargement in nine years of
81 100000 acres. If the increase in all
titled and grass land has been in the
same proportion as that in these four
crops, we have now a total area of i'm
proved lands in farms of 500, 900, 900
acres, against 2S5, ,000, 900 in 1879.
With the rapid increase of aggregate
area there is generally but little change
In the comparative breadth given to each
of the principal staple crops. In the
minor crops the fluctuations are greater,
an extended area one year often result
ing IN low prices of the product and
diminished acreage the next. In some
seasons there is a forced change of pro-
portions, resulting from an unfavorabIe
planting time for one crop, or from other
natural causes. These variations are
only ten porary, the next favorable sea-
son finding the proportions restored to
the normal
Each of the principal crops the pres
ent season occupies its average proper
ton of The total area. In some sections
there is a tendency to change from one
crop to another, but an increase in one
place is balanced by a reduction else
where, 50 that aggregates are the same.
In the New England states there is a
tendency to more grass and dairy farm
ing, and the increase seems to be at the
expense Of corn and potatoes, the prices
of both of which have ruled low during
the year past. An increased acreage is
devoted TO oats in the middle and north
Atlantic states, with some enlargement
of grass land and increased attention to
truck farming and market gardening
The cotton states show the usual increase
in the acreage of their staple, with more
determined effort than usual to grow a
home supply of grains and food stuffs.
In Alabama and Georgia especially
there SEE ms to have been some success in
the effort to reduce the importance of
cotton, cue apparently to the direction
of farm RS associations The effort to
make tobacco staple crop in Florida is
being continued on larger acreage and
with apparent success. Elsewhere the
area of this crop has been very material
ly reduced both i'll the cigar and shipping
districts. The acreage of spring wheat
seems to have declined in Wisconsin and
Minnesota, owing to ravages of the
chinch lug. Flax shows a decline in
cultivation in the older districts and an
increase in the newer regions, where it
makes an excellent first crop. Increased
attention is being given to sorghum in
portions of Kansas and locally in some
other states.