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Agricultural Resources Of The Western States

Agricultural Resources Of The Western States image
Parent Issue
Day
1
Month
September
Year
1881
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

A distinguished Gemían writer has reeeutly said tliat the unsyinpathetic farmet of our vast western prairies is slowly but surely pressing to the wal! tlie lamled aristocraey of England. Xo doubt an increase iu the far Western States of nearly 233 pér cent. in the 1 production in twenty years (136 per cent. in the last ten), will have a teadeney to bring about a cliange in the social structure oí' the older counter In 1880 our total cereal product was 1,229,039,616 bushels. In 1870 it was 1,387,295,523 bushels, an increase of a little more than 13 per cent. The census returns just issued, show that the total cereal product of the country for 1880 was millions of bush'U in excess of the estiinates of the Agí cultural Burean, and the most sanguine expectation of the erop prophete, viz., no less than 2,714,602,681 Imshds, au necease during the 'lust decade of nearly % per cent. Of tuis increase uearl.y 2 per cent. may be attributed to the iSjejv England States, nearly 11 per cent. to the Middle States uearly 48 per cent. to the Southern Siates, over 136 per cent. to the ten Westetn States, and nearly HO per i Bilt. to the Pacific States and Territories. VVith tlii.i wonderful increase in the cereal product, vihli ltion cheapefling, with the. balance of trade ■30 per cent, in our favor, with un actual increase of American industry in ten ycars of 2.tó5 miliion dollars, with ourjron industries producing one-flfth of fcheworld's iron and one-fourth of its steel, with our railroads more than deUbMng in ten years, and the national debt decreasinír inore rapidly thun the most sanguine of our financiers anticipated, it is hardly surpriaing that sucjb a tide oí1 immigration Bhould have begun ils westward ftow. And yet'frhilé the proliflc soil of the prairie States is cheapening food for the European eonsumer, and lessening the prodtaa of the landed producers, aa yon Holst has uniquely put it, Europe ia playing to us the part of the rich parent by paying over annually to the Xevv World not only a handsome sum" in gold, but also sending us half a militen of its sturdiest sons and daHgliters, most of whóm are young and vigorous and have coat tlicir parent countries no small sum to bring them up and edvcate thena. Of the 2,71 l.i KJO,WU bushels öf grain no less than 2,2;J2,697,681 busJiels were of wheat and corn. or this 439,111,805 bushels oi! wheat and 1,297,550,262 bushels ot' corn were raised in 188U in the Western States. Of the total amount of cereals raised in the country, l,20,218,08."i bushels, or about 70 per cent, wa raised in the ten Western States. The cereal product of Michigan was as follows: 1860 26169,907 bushels; 1870, 40,722,298 bushels; 1880, 92,484,902 bushels. Every one of the Western States except Indiana has increased in its cereal producís during the decennial period covering the war and emling in 1870; theNewEngland States decreased in their cereal production f rom a deerease of a little over 5 per cent. in Vermont to as high as 85} per cent. in Massachusetts, making au average decrease of about 17J per cent. in the six New England States. During the same period Pennsylvania and Maryland were theonlytwo Mifldle States in which the cereal product incieased.Xew York decreasiBg very slightly, New Jersey 13 per cent., Delflware neariy 25 per cent., and the District of Columbia 66 peí uem. ur eourse mere was ;i general decrease iu the Üoutherw States, Texas alone showiug an iucrease of nearly 14 per cent, the average decrease amounting to nearly 28 per cent. The only territory that shows a decrease is X, , of nearly 9 per cent. In the decade just elosed, ouly two Staes,Maine andXewHampsbire, show a decrease in cereal production; every other state has increased; the New EHgland States nearly 2 per cent., the Middle States 15 per cent., the Southern States 48 per cent., the Pacific states ánd territories nearly 110 per cent., and the ten gíeftt Western States hot less than 10G.1, per cent.

Article

Subjects
Old News
Ann Arbor Democrat