The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1890-02-08
FARMS ANDTHEIR PRODUCTS
Interesting Facts and Statistics Relative
to the Nations First Industry.
Acreage and Yield Of Different Crops, Value Of
Stock, and the Average Value of Farm Lands
BY Whom the Lands Are Titled.

a matter OF COURSE. the WOTk was uOuo W
j. X. Dodge. the Statistician of the depart
ment, of whom it is not necessary to add
that what he does not know about agr'-
cultural statistics he can find out very
quickly and very accurately. The album
consists of a series of sixteen MAPS, which
present every State and Territory, and set
OF by colors the facts which statistics on
the same page show in figures.
The first map is devoted to a percentage
Of ~un0ccupied and farm lands comprising
the superficial area of each State" There
is a quite general impression, derived from
those sensational orators who always labor
to alarm people, that the land in the
United States is largely embraced IN farms.
They ask: what will be done when the
last acre Of the tillable land of the United
States is taken up?" Statistician Dodge's
facts are calculated to allay any present
anxiety on that subject. Will you believe
it! In the whole country Ill acres of every
1000 is land hat is not taken for farms.
Farm lands comprise 2s9 acres in every LOCO,
of which 153 acres are productive or
improved area" 103 are in woodland and
thirty-three are u~nproductive, including
old fields, swamps u other technically
waste lands. AS a matter of course,
there is a good deal of waste land not EN-
braced in farms. The three States which
contain the smallest per cent. of land not
in farms are: Ohio, q per cent. Illinois, IL
per cent, and Indiana. ILL per cent. Della
ware comes next, and then Kentucky and
Vermont. Arizona and Wyoming have the
largest per cent. outside of farms. S9.S per
cent. which shows that next to none has
heau taken IA farms The DercaQtaQps OF
the great agricultural states of Dakota.
Nebraska and Oregon show that by far the
larger part of their lands are not IN farms.
In Indiana co. per cent. of the land IN
farms is productive; 25.S per cent. IS wood
land, and only 2.4per cent. of the farm land
Is unDroductive. In Illinois T2.9 per
cent. of the farms is productive, and 1913
per cent. is woodland. The average or
woodland in farms for the whole country is
1913 per cent, but four States and Terri
tories have none. Ohio has ) per cent. less
than Indiana. In several States the per
cent of woodland in farms is 40 and above.
In Tennessee it is ~. and in North Carolina,
A.6 per cent.
The second illustration shows the per
centage of zach grand division of farm
area in each State" This map show the
percentage of tillage. grass. woodland and
{, unproductive lands in farms. 1t shows that
41.6 per cent. of the LAND in farms is tillage,
It's grass, 35.5 woodland, and ia unpro-
ductive- In Indiana. 56.4 per cent. of the
farms is tillage, Ills grass, 29.1 woodland.
and only 81 u~nproductive. Illinois
farms are made "a up Of SoSa,.pp sr
and 2 per cent. u~nproductive. These
two States. with Ohio 10 per cent? con-
tain the smallest area of -unprOductive
lane of any States in the Union.
Acreage in corn per 1000 acres of super
fetal area" is the subject of the third map.
1t is arranged in colors showingthe product
of Estates. The corn States: in deep Sreenc col
ors, are Ohio, Indiana, Illinois. Iowa. Mis-
souri,, Kansas. Kentucky, Tennessee, Mary
if her soil was occupied TO the same extent.
In all of these States, except Nebraska.
over 101 acres OF every Loo are devoted to
corn. The eight Central States. however,
tion- but Kentucky and Tennessee have
very little surplus. Iowa leads, with 219
acres of every 1000; Illinois has OF: Indi-
ana. 157; Missouri. 149. In 1888 Iowa had
7,1T1,S40 acres; Illinois, 7.7SS,1 80; Indiana,
1905. 69i; Kansas. 5.924.566; Missouri, 6.534.-
i921 acres. Texas has 4.s14.965 acres, but
Texas is big enough to make three or four
Indianas, and have enough left for a good
sized state.
The acreage in wheat is shown by the
mex map In the series. Four States. In
diana. Ohio. Illinois and Iowa, which were
among he great corn States. are among the
daIA colors representing the greatest wheat
growers. Minnesota, Maryland and Della
WARE. strange as IL MAY appear, are III the
same colors.. not because of their large
product, but because they have over sixty
acres of each 1000 devoted to that cereal.
dakota. Nebraska. Missouri. Kentucky,
Tennessee. California. Wisconsin, Michigan
n Pennsylvania are in the next darkest
tcolor. while more than half the States pro-
duce very little of the noble cereal." If
the colOring were based upon the cultivated
area. Dakota would stand first. Dakota
NTH 2 0Qr otR uhflQ Indiana oonnao fh;rI
with 2.774.063 acres. Ohio has 2.657,SS4
acres. and Iowa and Illinois are neck-and-
neck. the former having a slight lead, with
2.46S.0s2 acres. But when it comes
to the 1000 acres of farm surface,
II na leads with 121 acres, while Ohio
fCilU1 at a distance with 102 acres. ILL
nos la IS and Iowa 20 acres per 1000.
DCiawaIs and Maryland. if they were large
Stat, would have q big crop, as 70 and IS
acre o. esch 1000 are devoted to that crop.
The average of the country is 20 acres TO
the LOO of farm surface.
The fifth chart is devoted TO the acreage
of oats. which is the most scattered crop.
Illinois leads with 3,S38,000 acres, and l07
acres in 1000. Iowa follows with 2,56O. $50
acres. and ~ to the 1,0Oo. Several States
precede Indiana, which just leads Ohio
with LOG. $50 across. or ~ to the 1000 acres
in farms. The total acreage of oats is n
third less than wheat, or 10 acres to every
LOCO in farms.
The next chart is devoted to the yield of
corr per acre. the average of States being
that of ten crops. OF the seven States hav-
ing the highest yield per acre four are in
New England. Maine. upon half of
which corn will not mature half the
seasons and is not planted, being next
the highest, and Vermont the highest-34.a
bushels per acre. The other three high
States are Ohio, Nebraska and Pennsyl-
vania. The average weld per acre in the
greater part of the States which produce
the greater part of the corn i'm the country
does not show a high average per acre.
This Is due TO the fact that in the Eastern
states high cultivation Is given few acres.
The average yield in Indiana is 20. 3 bushels
per acre; In Illinois, 26.3: in Iowa. 800: in
Ohio, 3D.: for the whole country. 242.
The highest yield of wheat per acre is
found IN Vermont. Massachusetts and Con.
necticut. and in the W estern Terri
tories and Colorado and Oregon. The high.
est yield is in Colorado-l9.6 bushels Der
acre. But the highest yield per acre is in
States and Territories having the fewest
acres. The average weld In Indiana il "A.
bushels per acre; IN Illinois. 1871; in Iowa
1913; in Minnesota. 126. and in the whole
country, l2.3.
The highest yield of oats Del
acre is in the new State OF
Washington. 37.3 bushels. Indiana show:
81 bushels per acre; Illinois. S3.4: Iowa
bushels.
The next chart is devoted to the averag,
value of horses. In only four States doe,
the price range from SS7.06 70 S96.21-th,
highest in New Jersey. And yet what citi
zen of the United States owns a horse tina
he does not ask 500 fort The averag,
value of horses in Indiana is S6Z.12; il