6 Transactions of the 



THE WHEAT CROP. 



The wheat produced, sold at home and abroad, and stored to await 

 domestic consumption or transportation, during the year just closed, 

 amounts to fully forty millions of bushels. This is an increase of thirty- 

 three per cent over the preceding } T ear, and places us first in the list of 

 wheat-producing States. It is peculiarly gratifying to record the fact, 

 for the reason that this important cereal is, in a great degree, an index 

 to the volume of our agricultural prosperity; a large crop successfully 

 harvested being sure evidence that, other crops, both cereal and root, of 

 less value and of minor importance, have been fully as prosperous, and 

 have largely increased our material wealth. 



As a rule, the fields have been quite free from smut, rust, or anything 

 that might diminish their yield or injure the quality of the grain; the 

 evidence of which is readily seen on every table at home, and in the 

 price lists of all our foreign markets. 



WOOL. 



Bemarkable progress has been made since the year opened in sheep 

 breeding and wool raising. Much attention has been given to the 

 improvement of stock and fleeces. Importations of French and Spanish 

 Merinos. Southdown, Cotswold, Leicester, Shropshire, and other choice 

 breeds, have been continuously made, and by judicious crossing the 

 staple has been perceptibly improved. It yet remains true, that our 

 growers have not succeeded in generally producing the character of 

 wool that meets with the most ready sale — long stapled, well condi- 

 tioned, and of medium grade. 



Notwithstanding our greatly increased product — nearly, if not quite, 

 one fourth of all raised in the United States — no accumulation has 

 resulted, except during the last three months; but Eastern buyers and 

 home dealers have, as a rule, kept the market bare and prices satisfac- 

 tory. 



About seventy per cent of all our wool graded in eighteen hundred 

 and seventy-four, ranked as pronounced first class, and the remainder 

 was classed as but little inferior. This proportion and classification 

 having now been maintained for more than five years, may justly be 

 considered well established. 



The increased demand for valley land and rich soil for grain raising 

 has had the effect of forcing flocks to pastures more remote from mar- 

 ket centers, and perhaps less luxurious in feed; but the Spring clip was 

 as satisfactory in quality as it was remarkable for volume, and the Fall 

 clip doubtless owes its apparent deterioration to the general practice of 

 shearing too injudiciously and too hastily, in the endeavor to market at 

 attractive prices. It is worth while to suggest that our almost bound- 

 less facilities for sheep raising and wool producing have thus far been 

 only partially made available. We can point with a just pride to the 

 commanding position we have attained in respect to quantity, but the 

 quality, while excellent in many respects, is yet open to fair objections 

 from dealers who buy for particular purposes. The subject has been 

 given such intelligent attention by those who are immediately interested 

 that we do not deem it advisable to discuss it at length in this report; 

 feeling assured that the exact length of staple, and precise degree of 



