Secretary Gardner's Report

The following are some figures taken trom a recent report on chicken raising and sale of eggs in this state for tlie year euding June 1, 1894. Also on the product of meadows and eapaeity of silos at the same time: 'The nuniber of chickens in the State .Tune 1, 1894, was 7,102,007; turkeys, 273,578; geese, 75,146; ducks, 125,510. The numbcr of dozens of eggs sold during the year ending June 1, 1894, was 24,181,138, the value of which was $3.040.977, or 12.(i cents per dozen. By the United States census of 1890 the number of chickens in the State June 1, 1890, was 5,852,690, and of "all other follow," 357,534. The chickens reported in 1890 were 1.249.317 less, and "all other fowl," 116,700 less, than reported in the present census. The United States census return of eggs is 34,309,633 dozens. This is 10,127,495 dozens moro than sold in the year ending June 1, 1894, as shown by the present census. The number of acres of clover mown was 911, (99, and of meadows other than clover 1,351,477. making a total of 2.26'i, 1 76 acres of meadows harvested in 1893. The yield of clover hay was 1,238,185 tons, an average of 1.36 tons per acre, and of meadows other than clover 1,717,672 tons, an average of 1.27 tons per acre. The total hay erop was 2,955,857 tons. The number of bushels of clover seed harvested was 178,074 and of grass seed, 14,784. Compared with the totals in the State census of 1884, the area of clover meadows mown was 123,334 acres less. and the product was 184, 743 tons less than in 1883, while the area of meadows other than clover harvested was (7i tr2 acres more, and the product 852,453 tons moro than in 1883. The number of acres ot hay mown in the State in 1889, as shown by the United States census of 1890, was 2.C24. 736. and the tons harvested 2,385,155, an average of 1.18 tons per acre. The area harvested was 238,440 acres less, and the product 570,702 tons less than the area and product in 1893, as shown by the present census. There were 668,593 tons of hay sold during the year ending June 1, 1894. whioh is yalued at $5,247,555, an average of $7.85 per ton, and there were 53, 738 tons of straw sold, valued at $141,935. an average of $2.64 per ton. The tutire hay orop of the State, 2,955.857 tons, at the same value per ton as that sold, $7.8.5, was worth 23,203,477. The hay sold was 22.62 per cent of the entire erop. The hay left on farms was 2,287,264 tons, worth $17,955,022. The nnmber of silos in the State June 1, 1894, was 501 with a eapaeity of 52,846 tons. The number of acres of corn raised for silage in 1893 was 7,259, An average yield of 7.28 tons per acre from this acreage would be sufficient to fill the silos reported. The number and capacity of the silos returned from each of four sections of the State are as follows: Southern counties, number 327, capacity 34.412 tons; central counties, number, 98, capacity 11,717 tons; northern counties, number 89, capacity 5937; upper peninusla, number 7, capacity 780.