MONTHLY REPORTS ey 
te el 
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURKE= yt, OG 
Statistical Division I ch 43, 
Sir: I herewith present for publication a digest of headin mor ite 
March circular of the Statistical Division, showing the extén whi 
rotation is practiced in the country, and in what its courses consist; 
the methods of fertilization and soil amelioration practiced; hints of the 
relative profit of the different branches of farming, and the comparative 
practice of a restorative system; the comparative value of farm lands, 
‘and the causes of discouragement existing. and remedies proposed. Ac- 
companying are reports of the work of other Divisions of the Depart- 
ment. 
. J. R. DODGE, 
Statistician. 
Hon. FREDERICK WATTS, 
Commissioner. 
CONDITION OF AMERICAN AGRICULTURE. 
It has seemed important to obtain facts showing the present status of 
our agriculture, especially with reference to such vital points as rotation, 
soil-improvement, and the present comparative profit of its principal 
crops. It was not expected that so large a subject could be treated 
exhaustively, but it seemed probable that the views and facts of the 
farmers themselves, presented in homely garb, might at least furnish a 
glimpse of the truth upon the great questions involved. The following 
list of queries elicited responses from regular correspondents of more 
than half the counties of the United States: 
1. Is systematic rotation practiced by any portion of the farmers of your county? If 
so, what proportion of the whole number. of how many years does the course 
consist, of what crops, in what order, and with what preparation of soil for each? 
2. With those whose practice cannot in any sense be described as a rotation, what 
crops are most grown, with what preparation, and how many years in succession is any 
crop cultivated ? 
3. What efforts toward soil-improvements are made? What fertilizers used, and to 
what extent—“ commercial,” barn-yard, or green-soiling? Is “clovering” practiced ; 
and, if so, how, and to what extent? 
4. What proportion of your farmers consume the larger portion of their field pro- 
ducts upon the farm? Give illustrations, with accurate figures, of the comparative 
profit of selling and feeding hay and grain. 
5. What branch of farming (as the growing of corn or wheat, the raising of stock, or 
production of wool or meat, dairying, fruit-growing, market-gardening, &e.) is at 
present deemed most profitable, and why? — : 
6. Are farm-lands increasing or decreasing in value at present, and what is the 
average market-value of farms compared with their value in 1860? ‘ 
7. What causes of discouragement exist among farmers, and what suggestions of 
remedies can you make ? What form of co-operation or combination will aid in giving 
effect to such remedies ? 
RK NG 
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