The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1899-01-03
THR FARMERS TREMENDOUS
TASK,

IherS IS an ola poem, q refrain OF
which is:
But fall to each what'er hefalI,
The farmer feeds them all"
Probably very few farmers have any
adequate idea of the greatness of the
work he is engaged in while producing
his share of the food that goes to the
support of this nation. The New York
Sun recently compiled some as 5onish
ing figures on this subject which will
be Interesting to the readers of TIE
PROGRESSIVE FARMER.
During the last ten years the aver
aga wheat crop has been about 465,
OCO, 600 bushels, OF which this country
consumed each year 1926 600. 600 bush.
els. The average American consumes
q little less than a barrel of -four IN q
year, or 20, 600, 100 barrels for IS OOO,-
900. Were this -four made into Dread
it would make 20, 600, 600 one-pound
loavts which would pave a roadway
thirty six feet wide around the earth.
II a procession of bakery wagons each
containing 1000 loaves started out
with this bread il would be 60, 600
miles long, or eighteen abreast from
New York to San Francisco. Besides
the bread there would be quite a de-
cent array OF pies, cakcs and other
things made Ct -four.
The corn crop is about four times as
large as the wheat crop, but It Is large
ly made into beef, butter, milk, pork,
eggs and other animal products before
being eaten, although q large amount
goes Tor bread.
The 700, OOO, OOO bushels Of oats pro
duced each year are also used to a
large extent for animal feed, but an in
creasing amount is used for food pur
poses.
The average barley crop II 70 600, 900
BIZ shels, all but 8 600, coo bushels being
used 1t home. The ueual yield Of rye
is about %, 600, 900 bushels, ali of which,
practically, is used at homo With in
significant exceptions, barley and rye
crops are reduced to beverages before
being put into consumption
Some Is, 900, 600 bushels Of buck
wheat enter each year into consump
ton in the shape Of pancakes. TIE
amount of oats, barley, rye, buckwhear
and III used, added to the wheat,
would require a barrel twice as high as
the Washington monument and cor
respondinGlY large in circumference il
they were put into a receptacle of that
kind. Large as these figures are, they
amount to but three fourths of a pound
a day to q person IN the country.
Another popular food is t le potato,
of which we produce eacn year ABOUT
225 600, 900 bushels, all consumed at
home. We also have As 900 600 bush
els OF sweet potatoes TO dispose of in
our homes. The yield of peas ia 6
600, 900 bushels, of beans. 5000, 600
bushels, of onions, 2 500. 900 bushels,
besides we import 800 600 bushels of
onions. We also eat 800, 600, 900 pounds
of rice, of which hall Is imported This
nation eats four pounds of rice to ca n
person a year, / ten pounds in
Great Britain, 800 pounds in Japan
and 547 pounds / n the province If
B 'mOay, India.
Our sweet tooth is pretty we'll de
veloped, as we consume che astnnlsh
ing total of $500 900 pounds of sug~r
annually, Of which we produce ABOUT
one eighth, although we might easllv
produce every pound of I5. Last year
we produced 125 900 600 pounds of
beet sugar. Every man, woman and
child consumes an average of venty
three pounds Of sugar 10 a year.
For butter. milk. cht psa aud like
products we spend 5000 QUO, 600 a "a
counting it at ma keG prices. This
represents 1 { $50 600. 900 pounds Of but
ter, $50, 600, 600 pounds OF cheese and
1900, OOO, 600 quarts of milk.
We must not forget the eggs, of