﻿COMMISSIOXER 
  OF 
  AgRICULTUKE. 
  65 
  

  

  Acres. 
  

  

  To 
  1889 
  17,026,092 
  

  

  To 
  1890 
  12,665,532 
  

  

  To 
  1891 
  10,357,232 
  

  

  To 
  1892 
  13,566,552 
  

  

  To 
  1893 
  11,801,686 
  

  

  To 
  1894 
  10,377,225 
  

  

  To 
  1895 
  8,364,300 
  

  

  To 
  1896 
  13,174,071 
  

  

  This 
  shows 
  an 
  alienation 
  to 
  private 
  ownership 
  of 
  nearly 
  23,000 
  

   square 
  miles 
  per 
  annum, 
  or 
  1,305,041 
  acres 
  per 
  month, 
  or 
  43,501 
  

   «cres 
  per 
  day, 
  or 
  1,812 
  acres 
  per 
  hour, 
  or 
  30 
  acres 
  per 
  minute, 
  

   that 
  is 
  1 
  acre 
  every 
  two 
  seconds. 
  It 
  is 
  fair 
  to 
  estimate 
  that 
  the 
  

   produce 
  of 
  this 
  land 
  went 
  into 
  direct 
  and 
  immediate 
  competition 
  

   with 
  the 
  products 
  of 
  the 
  farms 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  of 
  'New 
  York, 
  which 
  

   "were 
  valued 
  at 
  from 
  fifty 
  to 
  one 
  hundred 
  and 
  fifty 
  dollars, 
  per 
  

   acre, 
  and 
  v/hich 
  had 
  been 
  farmed 
  until 
  the 
  soil 
  required 
  much 
  

   fertilizing. 
  The 
  western 
  lands 
  had 
  been 
  untilled, 
  were 
  rich 
  and 
  

   required 
  no 
  fertilizer. 
  Then, 
  in 
  addition 
  to 
  that 
  advantage, 
  the 
  

   western 
  farmer 
  was 
  enabled 
  to 
  place 
  his 
  goods 
  upon 
  the 
  eastern 
  

   markets 
  by 
  paying 
  greatly 
  reduced 
  freight 
  rates, 
  in 
  some 
  cases 
  

   l)eing 
  able 
  to 
  put 
  his 
  goods 
  on 
  the 
  market 
  for 
  as 
  little 
  money 
  as 
  

   the 
  eastern 
  farmer 
  had 
  to 
  pay 
  for 
  placing 
  his 
  there. 
  

  

  In 
  a 
  report 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Geo. 
  T. 
  Powell, 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  of 
  'S&w 
  York, 
  

   upon 
  agricultural 
  conditions 
  and 
  needs, 
  he 
  calls 
  attention 
  to 
  the 
  fact 
  

   that 
  in 
  1870 
  the 
  freight 
  on 
  a 
  bushel 
  of 
  wheat 
  from 
  Chicago 
  to 
  

   ]Srew 
  York 
  was 
  thirty 
  cents, 
  while 
  in 
  1890 
  it 
  was 
  reduced 
  to 
  four- 
  

   teen 
  and 
  one-half 
  cents, 
  a 
  decrease 
  of 
  52 
  per 
  cent., 
  and 
  that 
  in 
  

   the 
  year 
  1870, 
  the 
  freight 
  from 
  Chicago 
  to 
  'New 
  York, 
  by 
  rail, 
  on 
  

   a 
  bushel 
  of 
  corn 
  was 
  twenty-eight 
  cents, 
  while 
  in 
  1890 
  it 
  was 
  re- 
  

   <luced 
  to 
  eleven 
  and 
  one-third 
  cents, 
  a 
  decrease 
  of 
  59 
  per 
  cent. 
  

   No 
  similar 
  decrease 
  in 
  freight 
  rates 
  in 
  favor 
  of 
  ISTew 
  York 
  farmers 
  

   -who 
  desired 
  to 
  send 
  their 
  goods 
  to 
  Xew 
  York 
  markets 
  was 
  made 
  

  

  