443 



and very nearly the same state of facts exists in France. The folloAving is the 

 estimated acreage and product of France : 



Year, Hectares sown. Hectolitres obtained. 



1861 6,754,227 75,116,287 



1862 6,881,613 99,292,224 



1863 6,918,768 116,781,794 



1864 6,839,073 111,274,018 



1865 6,891,440 95,431,028 



The decline is thus expressed for the last three years : Per hectare, succes- 

 sively, 16.88, 16,15, and 13.85 hectolitres. The hectare is 2.471 of our acre, 

 and the hectolitre 2.8375 bushels, equivalent, per acre, to 19.3, 19, and 15.9 

 bushels. 



The report of the Commissioner of Agriculture to the President, for the cur- 

 rent year, thus sums up the wheat estimates of the season : " The M'heat crop 

 of 1863 in the twenty-two States reported was veiy large; in 1864 the estimate 

 was, in round numbers, 13,000,000 bushels less, or 160,000,000; in 1865,. 

 148,000,000; and the present estimate is still further reduced to 143,000,000.. 

 Returns from the eleven southern States, so far as received, warrant an estimate 

 of 17,000,000 for that section. Texas has produced a large crop; the other- 

 southern States less than half the avei^e product. The crop of the Pacific 

 States is very heavy, leaving a far greater surplus for export then the entire- 

 amount of the crop of 1860. From all the data received in the department the 

 total amount of wheat produced in 1866 may be estimated at 180,000,000i' 

 bushels. The crop of 1859 was 173,000,000, and that of the present year, at 

 the ratio of increase from 1850 to 1860, should have reached 242,000,000. The 

 supply is about five bushels to each inhabitant, or half a bushel less than in 

 1859." 



Sorghum has become an almost universal farm crop. In New England and 

 the States of the northern border the climate is not favorab'e to its growth. 

 The States of Maryland and Delaware have given increased attention to it the 

 past year. Ohio, as seen in the table, shows a large yield ; Indiana is credited 

 with nearly an average ; Kansas has a full average ; •While Illinois, Iowa and 

 Missouri do not appear to have secured their last year's supply. 



The estimate for potatoes, including all except the Pacific States, is 104,000,000 

 bushels. The crop of the seven southern States, not incfuding sweet potatoes, is 

 placed at 5,884,000 bushels. The estimate for twenty-two States in 1865 was 

 101,000,000. A slight falling off from last year's product is indicated. Maine, 

 New Hampshire, West Virginia, Kentucky and Texas, considerably exceeded 

 an average ; the West failed generally to secure a full crop, and heavy losses 

 from rot were sustained in some localities. It is evident that new and vigorous 

 varieties are needed in the west. The northeastern States, after a period of 

 deterioration and sweeping destruction, have obtained and disseminated prolific 

 seedlings of excellent quality, and are reaping the results of the change of seed. 

 This department, in its experiments with ferty-three varieties of potatoes, found 

 the Orouo, Samaritan and Early Goodrich to be the most desirable varieties. 



The hay crop is deficient; the estimate falls a little short of 21,000,000 

 tons, including the South. The figures for the last year exceeded 23,500,000, 

 without the eleven southern States, which, however, make a diff"erence of scarcely 

 1,000,000 tons. The quality has been very good. 



The tobacco crop has been augmented by large products in the south ; the 

 estimate for Virginia is 95,000,000 pounds ; Tennessee, 40.000,000 ; North 

 Carolina, 30,000,000. The total estimate is 350,000,000 pounds, of which 

 about half was grown in the States hitherto reported, of which Kentucky pro- 

 duces about 55,000,000 pounds. 



The estimates of the cotton crop made in our October report) upon data of 



