Year: 1870

ciaI Report.


| The report of the National Commissioner


of Agriculture on the gathered aud growing


crops of the year throughout the United


States is encouraging, though not so good as


we hoped for, looking to the subsistence of


our own people and our prospective surplus


products for expectation. The present esti-


mate of this years aggregate wheat crop, as
compared with that of last year, makes a de-
fciency of forty-eight million bushels, the
estimate for this year being 2l0,O00,O00
bushels against 25O, 900 last year. The
Commissioner says, however, that future
reports of the condition at and after the har-
vest are still elements of the ultimate esti-
mate" which means that the harvest has not
yet been all gathered in or reported. We
cannot believe that there will be deficiency
of forty eight millions of bushels in this sea-


sons wheat crop as compared with the last,
or loss, say of seventy millions in single


crop of a single product. We rather incline to


the opinion that when all the reserves of the


harvest are ascertained the deficit will hardly
reach twenty million bushels. We have at
the same time on hand q considerable portion
of last years crop, which must be taken


into the account in estimating our actual
resources.


The Commissioner, on the other hand, says
that the increase in the breadth of corn (Indian
corn, our great staple of subsistence) is greater
than the decrease in the average of wheat. In
the States of the great Northwest the in
crease of acres planted in corn ranges from ten
to twenty five per cent, while the indications in
those States ''of good crop have never been
so general since the Inauguration of the
official crop returns" There is reason, then,
for the conclusion that the decrease in our
by the increase in our yield of Indian corn,
and the last was good year, too, in this i'm
portant staple.


In cotton, as compared with last year, there
is an increase of nearly million of acres in
the area planted. On the average of bale
for an acre this would give us an increase of a
million bales, or in gross receipts an increase
of hundred millions of dollars, assuming that
such is the general demand for the raw ma
terial that the average price will not be very
much reduced by the addition of million
bales to the crop of last year as the average
crop. The Commissioner, however, thinks
that this years crop will hardly exceed three
million five hundred thousand bales, against
last years crop of three million bales, which
will give us half million bales increase but
with cotton season Heightened out like that
Of last year we may count upon four millions of
bales. Such an extraordinarily favorable sea-
son is hardly to be expected.


The oat crop promises well, and with an
increased breadth of land of five per cent de-
voted to tobacco the indications are that we
shall have this year handsome gain in cash
from this cash articlein our foreign exchanges.
War or no war, French and Germans must
have their tobacco, with this difference, that
in war they will consume more than in peace.


The prospect for large apple yield is unusu-
ally fine Peaches will not be so abundant
Grapes promise good yield. Of the i'm
portant article Of potatoes. Irish or sweet, we
we have no report, but from the Irish potatoes
coming into this market from Jersey we should
Judge that in quality and quantity the crop
will be very fine. Upon the whole the Com
missioner's report is gratifying. In any event
within human foresight we shall have valua-
BILE surplus Of breadstnfs for expectation, and
from five hundred thousand to million
bales of cotton more than from last years
planting, which, with our tobacco crop, will
give MS splendid margin for turning the
balance Of European trade in our favor. Sex
cepiing those bonds Never, in short, has
any great nation in the history of mankind oc-
cupicd position so favorable or possessed ad-
vantages SO great for prosperity at home and
credit and influence abroad as these United
States possess at this important epoch in The
affairs of the civilized world.