Agricultural Report

We preseDt belovv a brief abstract of the annual report of th Stcretury of the State Board oí Agriculture, Mr. Saniord Howard. Upon entering on Lis du'ios, Mr. Uoward issued a oirculur, la which he stíited that he dosired to obtain correct ioformatioa in regard to the Agricultural resources oí the Stato. Witli th s view ba proposed anumberof ques.ions, (to which be invitod nnswers) in referen ce to tbe charaoter of tlio uril ; tho priceof differeüt kiüds of gritin, hay, etc., in varioua eoctions of the State ; tho oultivation of fruit and root crops, also iu reforence to üve stock, farming implementa, manures and 'miscellaneous eubjöuts. In reply to thc'fio interrogatories, bebas receivod reporta from different süoliüns of tho States, acid from tbeni is enabled to mako a report of tho agricnltural resources and prospecta of the Stato. From the indeöoiteness of the returns ho fouud it impossiblo to deduce a general average in the yiuld of orops for the State, or eyen for the countios, from which such returns hus jeen reeeived. WIIEAT. Id various instances the yield of wheat is iound to be lees, lattcrlj, than whea the soil was first cultivated, hile n other instanoes it is ascertained that ;Iaere has boen no decreaRe n yield, but d Borne cases an increase, wbiuh is at;nouted to a more general practico ol jood eultivation. The Secretary is led ;o beliove, from the evidence obtained, :hat tho principal causo in the decline in the yield of wheat, ia due not so mueh to a deturioation of the soil as to the ravages oí' certaiu ÍBseots, principal ainong whioh are the Hessian fiy and the wheat midge or weevü. The whea! orops of the State seem to have suffered more ftom tho ravages of the latter insect than of the lormer, and white wheat is moro'liable to lts ravages than red. The Secretary further states : "The faot ia wöll established that early winter wheat is less üable to injury by the rnidge than late. Tho explanation is, that it gets so far advancec by tho timo the iusect appears, as to be pussed by. The period in which wheat ia subject to the attnek of midge, extenda through a few days only. Henee tbe importaüce of hastening it throügh Lhis period is obvioui?, and should be kept in view in oultivation. A good preparalion of tho Buil and timely sowing, may ofteu be the means oi saving a erop froca the midgo by gaining a few days in maturity. Mr. Jobnston, of New York, whose large averag yield of wheat for many yoars has been a subjeet of frequent remark, attributen bis success in a great degrea to the earliness of bis crops, induoed by gooc oultivation. It ie worthy of mentiou that be han always raised white wbo:U ' Under favorable circumstanej there is a doublé adtantago in white wheat as it gives the lurgeat yield, and bring tbe highost prioe per busbel, aud betict it is a icaítor of greai importan se to farmers to know how thoy can rendar a erop of whiia wheüt most certuiu ani profitabla. The most esseutial point for this objtot is earliness. Upon thia point the Secretas y states that there are earry varietias of white wheat, gome o which have been tried in this' State witb so favorable resulta as to oomraeuc them to the attention of farmaM gener ally. A kind callad the early Botigbton, sent out fioiri the Depart ment of Agriculturo at Washington haa been Biiecessfully cultivated in eome iustances. It was growu the pas' eeason on the farm of S. S. Baily, o Grund Eapids. The yield was 33 buah els per acre, whüe the Soule's Yheat, on adjoimng land, with similar advantages except that it was sown several days earlier, yialdod 25 bushels per acre The early Boughton is a lightcolored plump, rather ilinty and heavy grain. Another variety sent out by the Department of Agriculture, is the Tap pahancoek. Samples were sown lab autumn on the tarni attached to the Agrioultural Collego. Tho grain resembles that called the early Boughton. Whatever differecces there are q the varieties, (shoald they prove to bo distinot.) will appear irotn their growth. ÏR0IT3. ■ The returns show that apples art ceiisidored a very profiiablo erop, anc there ia no doubt but that thoy will oou tiuue to be bo where proper attention i paid to the trees. Herotofore apple trees havo uaually been productive in Michigan with but little caro and atten tion. Feachea also do wcil over a con eiderable portion of tbe Stat. BOOT CROPS. Tuero appeara to be but little oultivated in thö State. The principal oh staolo to the brunch of furrr.ing is th amount of baad lubor requisito to tb ctiitiyation. DAlKY PRODtTCB. The returns show that this importan branoh of husbandry receivos too littl attw.tion in the SiHte. Butter ia no made in largo qnantities, and of ohees the quautity made fulla fhort of suppl) ing the populatioi!. No goad reaso can bo süoü wby thes r.rtiules Bhouli be cegleoted, SHEEP HUS3AKDBT. Sheep hcsbundry luis becomc . &n iuterost of great magnitude, iind Micnigsn etftntís promiuontly in thia gruat iuierest. It isnot unlikely that in a few yeare tha Stute will couhiin more ehoop in proportion to its population, than any other iu the Uuion. iír. Howaid saya: '' The variety of sheup likely to be most generaily profitabla hcro, ia tliu Merino. This breod 'viil produco more vvool for tha eost of (reeplbé tbaii üuy other, nnd, íd ordinary caees, it will bring most per pound. Tita remark in regard to the profitauloDcn oi' the Mt'rino breid, ti'lates wholly to tho productioa of woo', whieh is, and probably for soma tras will be the leasing o .]eet n ktj.ing ;jeep in this State." For mutión, howver. soma oi the Ecglish broeds - as he Cotawold, Leicester, aud the differnt variaties of Dowus, so oalled - would bo moro profita ble. aEEDS Oï CATTJ.H. tThe on'iy distjaot breeds of oettl which bavo beon introduced to any eiont into the State, are Short Horua and Devons. Uoth tbeso brcoda ure considorcd botter for beef tban tho ommon stock. The Secretary recoinnends tho introduction of otheibreeda, umong these the Herefordit, Ocilluwuy and Ayrosbiro. H0KSK8, The systotuatio breoding of horses has )eon but little attended to in tho State. 'dany of tho returns speak ia favorablo enes of tho croases with tho Morgan stock, espocially for ligbt vebicles on tho road. The Secretary beliuvea thut he infroduction of the brood known hs the Percheron would be bnbficial for arm purposos. They are a variety of tho Normandy horsea of Fraüee, ure usually from 15 to 16 hands high, weighing frotn 1,200 to 1,300 pounds. They are hardy, well adapted io farm work, and have so inuch aotivity that they are usod for tho pofltcoaehea [deligences) of the country. The report likewiete embraces iuforraation and suggestions in roferoDc to man uring, drainage, high oultivation, irrigatiou, eLc, as wcll as to the vast extent of woodland in -the Btats. Tho past season was, on the whole, less favorable than usual. to lh farmers, iha crops havicg been eerio'.isly injured by drought, exoept in a few of the southeastern counties of the State. But suoh unfavorablu teasons so soldom ocuur tbat they nood Hot discourage agrieultural enterprise. Judging frora all the circumstanses which affeot the operations of the farmera of Michigan, the tnay continue their labors with every reasonable expeotatioa of an abuadaut reward, STATE AGRICULTURA!, COLLKOB. Of tho 240,000 acres of land which the State reoeived from the General Govoramont, ebout 150,000 acres hare been located. The swamp lands of the College are being eold, tho precoeda of which are held for permanent inventnwnt, and for tho iraprovoment of unsold portions by drainage. The saleu thus far have baen of dotached lotn, on time, the reoeipts from which are $1,503. The report on the Gollego ornbnvcos facts in regard to tho management of the Colloge farm and gardon, and sUo to the experimenta tried upou Lbe farm during the past year. A young buil and hoifer, of the Ayeshire broed, wsro purühsed in Norembur lasí, and aro now oa the farm. A nurnbar of she p of tha Souihdown, Merino, 6Dd Silosian Merino breeda have alao beeu iutroduced upon the farm. The past year, oa account of tho severo droughta, was very favorable to the produetions of tho farm. The wheafc was eeriously injtrred by the winter, but the yield was 17 bushels per aero. Some experimenta V7ore attempted in root culture, but so few of the eeoda vegetated that the groued was subsequentiy sown to üiraips. ïhe Secretary suggests tbat parts of tb farm would be greatly b8nofittod by underdraining. The gardens have producod well. Tho apple orchard ha mado a vigoróse growth during the year, but is stil! too young to iurnish a supply of fruit.. Last year ninety standard end ooo hundred dwarf pear trees wore set out. The library h;is been increaeed by the addition of a complete eet of Siliiman'a Americiin Journal of Arts and Soiencos, and vuriou8 otber worbs. A large nuniber of donatioas have beea made to tlie Museum, Aceornpanying tha Secretary's roreport is one from the President of the College in referenoe to tho general management of the insdtution, tha labor of the Faculty, tho influoDC of tïi labor system on the student, th es tabliahment of a military Bohool in eAnnection with the Collega, and the subject of extending tke scope of iastruotion ie the Coliege.