Year: 1866

Total. 6g5. .s33


Now this is the quantity We should have


had on hand last year at harvest and, from


all the information that ! have been able 10


get, | am well satisfied that the whole Of il


will be exhausted before any Of the new crop


will be in market was fully convinced at


harvest last year that we had on hand very


short supply of breadstuf5 to last US through


the ensuing year, and on several occasions


through last fall and winter wrote TO my


friends in the eastern cities, saying that if


gold declined 10 par it would have but a


temporary effect on breadstufis, that is, wheat
and -four and claimed that thesupply in the
country was sOsmall that we had none to spare
for export, and that prices must continue


30 advance until itreacheda point that would


admit Of importation from foreign countries,


or until we raised another and a better crop


than for the last two wears. Being engaged


in the manufacture of Bour, principally for


shipment 10 the eastern cities, and the crop


of 1865 around us being almost a total fail


ure, and not much better for 1864, we either


had 10 go from home 10 buy wheat, or let our


mill stand. The latter we did not wish to


do, as we had established a good and large


trade for our brands of -four, in the eastern


cities, and did not like to lose it, and know


ing that our brands would always command
the best price going, and believing that Ow-


ing 10 so much Of the wheat in the country
being poor, light, damaged and unsOund, if
We could succeed in getting high grades Of
old wheat, Of the crop Of 1864, to keep run
ming we could make money; for we thought
such grades as il would make must be high
er relatively than other grades. And in
pursuance Of this belief we went into the
Cincinnati market and for the last six
months or more / think we have bought full
three-iourths or more of all the choice old
red and white wheat that came into that
market and, until recently, succeeded in
getting enough Of such TO keep our wheels in
motion about three-fourths of the time
More recently, finding that old winter had
become very scarce, we have turned our
attention 20 Minnesota spring wheat,
extra and choice quality, and have
bought from GO,O0O to 10000 bushels Of IT,
which we are now making into a very nice
-four of choice quality, for spring wheat
flour Thus far the result Of the venture
has been far more favorable than we antici-
pated. and. while there are dozens Of mills |
along the river from pittsburg to Louisville |
! do not know Of one that has been so con-
stanty in motion as ours, or that has done |
more than a local trade. Owing to the high |
price of wheat, the difficulty of keeping up |
a supply and the relatively lower price for |
common and medium grades Of flour east, |
millers would not take the risk of bnying |
wheat and making -four for shipment east. !
Many Of them preferred letting their mills |
stand, while others run Just as much Of the |
time As was neces sary TO supply the local |
demand. Being thus engaged in the busi- |
ness, we have fully understood the necessity |
,,g G,I1 e fl,.
. yeef the stocks in the cuontry, and of the |
prospect for a supply from the growing |
crops and have made IL my business since |
last harvest to get all information on the |
subject possible; and principally with that
object in view have made eight trips from
this point 10 the eastcIn cities in that time
each trip from here down to Cincin-
matt, remaining there from one to six
DAYS each trip-while there picking |
up all the information ] could get. From
there passing up through the central part
of the State to Pittsburg, embracing all |
opportunities that presented themselves, to
gather information as 10 stocks in the coun-
try, prospects for growing crops, &c, return
ing sometimes bv the same route and some
times ria Baltimore, through Delaware and
Maryland. to Wheeling or Parker-burg, then |
10y the river home, thus having an opportu-
nifty of seeing and hearing from much wheat
growing territory. Have Just returned from
one Of those trips east, and after posting up
all information have collected, and from
my own observation, ! arrive at the follow
ing conclusion: l. That the stock Of wheat
and -four in the country is so nearly ex-
hausted that it cannot last longer than new
wheat makes its appearance, if that long.
=. That the States of New Jersey, Pennsyl-
NJ |
Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois Wiscon-
sin, Tennessee and Georgia, will not, under
any circumstances, have over one-third of
an average crop, and even that is yet subject
30 many casualties betwC n this and harvest
What New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland,
lower part of Illinois and Eastern Pennsvl-
vania will have in excess of this quantity, |
will be far more than lost in the balance of !
districts named. The quantity under one
third of an average crop in the State of Ohio
alone will be far greater than the excess, over
one-third named in the district above. This
county will not produce half as much as the
seed sown, so say many Of our best farmers. |
4 large portion Of the farmers throughout
the western States are now buving their
bread, a thing they were never known TO do
before, but they did not raise enough last
year for seed, and 10 bread them until this
harvest, and | know some who have already
commenced buying wheat and flour for next
years supply, and have had applications
from some farmers for seed for next falls
sowing, saving there would not be half
enough in this county for seed next fall, to
say nothing about bread. Ii is too early vet
20 make any reliable calculations about the
growing spring wheat crop, which, owing to
late heavy freezes and other causes, was
later i'm sowing than usual. Though, from
the information | have, there has been more
than the usual quantity of spring wheat
sown. much OF the ground sown in fall and
winter wheat having, after the failure Of
that, been plowed up and spring wheat sown
on IT, The average of the spring wheat
crop of 1865 believe is considered TO have
been very good one and will not probably
be any better, if as good this year. 1t has
certainly not had as favorable a start rs last
season. Last year il was sown early, this
wear very late, some Of il as late as the 10Th
of May. The agricultural report from
Washington for February, 1865, gives the
crop for the following States for 1864 as
follows


STATES vTSupgs.