18 



counsellors there is wisdom, and our readers, therefore, will not object to the ad- 

 vice of our many correspondents, notwithstanding it is somewhat monotonous. 

 The unanimity of their recommendations proves them to be all the more trust- 

 worthy. The abundance of excellent straw for provender, and the power of 

 making it palatable, and of adding to its feeding power by the addition of meal, 

 linseed, carob pods, salt, and even sugar — this is what every one declares to be 

 our great resource in the difficulty of an almost lost crop of turnips, and of a 

 half crop of hay." 



" Wheat," says this paper, quoting from the letter of a correspondent, " could 

 be used with advantage ; it would mix well with Indian meal, and tend to make 

 it mellow ; it would also make flesh fast. The average price, as you know, is 

 only 40 shillings per quarter, or not quite 9 pounds per ton, (45 dols. per 2,240 

 pounds.) Using wheat for this purpose might also have a tendency to advance 

 the price ; if so, it would benefit the farmer in two ways." 



A correspondent writes as follows : " Root crops are generally bad, especially 

 the Swedes; in many cases a total failure. There will be a great loss in lamb 

 hoggs (weaned lambs) this winter. Dry food must be given at once ; where 

 that is not done they will certainly die." 



Another adds : " Second crops, after early potatoes, such as planted mangels, 

 common turnips, &c., are generally a failure ; and purchased food, such as In- 

 dian corn, linseed cake, cotton cake, linseed, bran, &c., must be resorted to." 



Another thus writes : ''If wheat continues near its present price a considera- 

 ble quantity no doubt will be used for feed in the room of cake, &c., and may 

 perhaps have some effect on its price in the ensuing spring." 



A fourth correspondent thus advises : " On the whole I should say that there 

 will not be more than a half supply. The hay crop is deficient by a third at least. 

 The grass was all dried up in the pastures, and the auiumn growth which our 

 graziers rely upon for the winter will come to nothing, for it is consumed as fast 

 as it grows. There will be no stock of it to carry on, and stock-masters will 

 have to draw on their fodder sooner than usual. Of aftermath there is none. 

 A very large number of beasts must be kept over the winter, which, under ordi- 

 nary circumstances, should have been sold out at this time. To meet these 

 wants we shall have recourse to the use of Indian corn, or, at the present low 

 prices, of inferior wheat, oats, peas, and beans, all of which are now cheaper 

 than the various descriptions of cake." 



It is not necessary to make further quotations from English papers to show 

 the character of the crops there used for stock- feeding. They have so greatly 

 failed that the inferior wheats will be used as stock food ; and as our own wheat 

 is unusually excellent, and much of that grown in Europe very inferior, it is 

 clear enough that American wheat will find better sales in the markets of Great 

 Britain than they are now doing, and that prices will improve more next spring 

 and summer than during the coming winter. 



Again, the facts and opinions presented in these extracts indicate a favorable 

 demand from Great Britain for our Indian corn. It, therefore, is of much 

 interest to know our capabilities of supplying Avhatever demand may be made 

 upon our present corn crop. To present some idea of that capability, it becomes 

 necessary to turn to that crop to ascertain what its amount is and what home 

 demand will be made upon it. 



THE CORN CROP OF THE UNITED STATES FOR 1864. 



By turning to the tables of the crops as estimated by this Department, in 

 this report, it will be seen that the corn crop for the past three years is as fol- 

 lows : 1862, 586,226,305 bushels; 1863, 451,967,959; 1864, 530,581,903. 

 That is, the crop of 1864 is less than that of 1862 by 55,644,902 bushels, and 

 greater than that of 1863 by 78,613,444 bushels. The crop of 1862 was much 



