4 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 



as well as ollici' eastern states. The Pennsylvania farmer has 

 not been abk^ to compete with his western n(Mi;hbor, whose loeation 

 enables liim to earry his live stock of all classes through the 

 entire year williout the necessity of providing shelter for them 

 and with very little feed, other than the dried BulTalo grass, which 

 they gather for themsehes and on which they become almost as 

 well fitted for market as the grain-fed stock of the east. Al- 

 thoHgh the amount of live stock raised in the State is, for the reason 

 mentioned, not as large as our extent of territory would seem to 

 indicate that it should be, the industry is still one of importance 

 and decided progress is being made in the quality of the stock 

 jiroduced. Horses, cattle, sheep and swine are being more care- 

 fullv bred than formerlv. The importance of our dairv industrv 

 has led to the careful breeding of dairy stock, and at the present 

 time mnny herds of exceptionally fine cattle of most prominent 

 d«iry breeds may be found in the State. The live stock in the State 

 at the cloae of last 3'ear was estimated as to numbers and value as 

 follows: 



Horses, 578,247 valued at $147,055,151 



Mules, 37,035 valued at 3,386,185 



Milch cows, 1,044,025 valued at 32,047,472 



Other neat cattle, 1,000,000 valued at 14,000,000 



Sheep, 11,333,437 valued at 3.850,025 



Swine 1,000,000 valued at 10,000.000 



Milking a total valuation of ii?211,239,433. 



A few Pennsylvania farmers have undertaken the raising of An- 

 gora goats, but as j'et the interest in Angoras is not large enough 

 to attract attention to their production as one of th(> distinct 

 animal industries of the State, \^'ith the large areas of land in 

 the mountain r(?gions of the State from which the timber has re- 

 cently been removed, that is especially adapted to the production 

 of the kind of browse suited to these animals, there is every reason 

 to believe that the Angora will, in the near future, occupy a much 

 more prominent place in Pennsylvania than it does at present. 



EVIDENCES OF IMPROVEMENT. 



f 



The best way to determine whether the agriculture of our State 

 is in a more flourishing condition at the preseat time than it was 

 at any given time in the past, is to compare results. The compari- 

 son should not be for too short a period. I, therefore, take the 

 figures given in the Eleventh U. S, Census Report, showing the 

 lolul producHon of some of the leading farm crops of tin.' State in 

 the year ISSO. IMncing these figures by the side of those given in 

 ilie Crop Reporter, issued by tke U. S. Department of Agriculture, 



