Crop Report For October

The number of icves of growing wheat in tlie State last -May is show'u by the supervisors' returns was 1,513,919; the average yield per acre as found by threshing s 1B :46 bushels, and the total yield is found by inultiplyiiifi the nuniber of acres in eacli county by the average per acre in the same eouuty and footiug the producís. The average per acre in the southem couuties is 17.74 bushels; in the central, 13.36 bushels, and in the northern, 9.33 bushels. These averages are based upou a return of 117,250 acres threshed in the southern counties, more than 30,000 in the central counties and mure than 4,000 in the uorthern counties. The total number of bushels of iieat reported marketed by farmers sincé the September report was published is 2,447,282, and in the two months, August-September, 3,635,032. This is 1,463,775. bnshels more than reported marketed in the same months last year. Oats are estitnated to yield 25.79 bushels per acre, barley 21.18 busbels, and corn 64 bushels of ears, per acre. This estimste for corn is abuut three bushels less than the average yield in 1S9(. The yield of oats is from threshers' records. Considerable corn fodder has been injured by fróst. Potatoes are estimated to yield in the State 61 per cent of au average erop. m The estímate for the southern eounties is 55 per cent. Beans are estimateii to yield 86 per cent of an average erop. The percentages for winter apples are: Southern cnunties 11, central 28, nortliern 32 and State 18. These figures indícate no more than that the erop is a failute. The percentages for late peaches are : Southern counlies 8, central 32, northern lo and State 12. It is probable that tlie ground was never so dry in Michigan at the usual time of wheat sowing as this year. Tlie average rainfall in the state in August was 2.04 inches. and in September about 1.30 inches. While these figures show a deficieney each tnontb as compared with the normal, they do not convey any idea of the severity of the drouth. The rainfall during the latter part of August and most of September was inostly in the northern counties and upper península. Since about the about the middle of August the average rainfall in the southern and central counties, where 96 per cent. of the wheat erop is grown, bas nut been suffiiiient to be of appreciable benefit. The ground is thoroughly drietl out. Wheat sowed early has come tap, but uneveuly. That sowed later was "dusted in." and mucli of it will hardly grow, at least not until ïiiin comes. Muny farmers had not vet sowed on the lirst of ; her. Tliey were still waiting for rain. LIVE STOCK S 1807, AND SHEEI' AKI) j WOOL SUEAKED IN" 189t. The farm statistics for 1896-7, reported by supervisors, fnrnish the following statistics of live stock six months old and over, in the state iu May, 1807, and sheep and wool sheared in 1896: Horses, 425,821; milch cuws, 402,103; fiattle ntlier than milcli uows, 253.262; hogs, 395,(93; and sheep, I,225",66l. Sheep sheared in 1896, 1,333,127; pounds of wool, 8,372,742; average per head, 6.30 pounds.