176 



III Alabama few couuties produce wheat except to a very limited ex, 

 teiit. Tweuty-one make reports wliicb are quite promising. Area 105- 

 conditiou 115. 



Only nine returns of wheat come from Mississippi. These indicate a 

 decrease of 5 per cent, in area, and place condition at 104. 



From Texas only ten counties make returns. These indicate an in- 

 crease of 15 per cent, in area, and place the average condition high, at 

 117. 



. Wheat is in fine condition in Arkansas, (110,) though there is always 

 quite too small an area, and that of the present year has declined 10 

 per cent, from last year. 



Thirty-seven counties in Tennessee -make returns of wheat, only four 

 of which present condition below 100. It is noted that better tillage is 

 beginning to prevail, and that a good harvest is assured from lands, 

 properlj^ tilled. The reported area is 3 per cent, greater than that of 

 last year, and condition high, averaging 117. 



In West Virginia there is no decrease in the wheat area, but its con- 

 dition is not promising, being represented by 85 ; Jeflterson, a county 

 famous for flourisliiug wheat-fields, by 62. Three-fourths of the twenty- 

 eight counties reported make low returns of condition. There was 

 some injury by winter-killing, and more by drought inMa^y. 



A diminution in area of 8 per cent, is apparent in Kentucky, but the 

 crop is in superior condition, averaging 108, only six counties standing 

 below 100 of the thirty-eight reporting. Seven counties, representing 

 one-fifth of the cro]) of the State — Christian, Hardin, Jefferson, Mercer, 

 Shelby, Spencer, and Warren — average 115 in condition. 



Returns from fifty-three counties in Ohio indicate a reduction of 12 

 per cent, in the area, and 22 in condition. Ten counties, Butler, Craw- 

 ford, Darke, Fairfield, Greene, Logan, Miami, Montgomery, Seneca, and 

 Stark, representing one-fourth of the usual product of the State, average 

 a depreciation of 20 per cent, in condition. Sciota and Butler are placed 

 at 110, and Fairfield and Huron stand at 100, Trumbull and Delaware 

 reporting 95; Hamilton, Geauga, and Seneca, 90 5 Holmes and Mahon- 

 ing 85, and all others falling still lower. The reported causes of damage 

 are freezing, drought, the Hessian fly, and poor tillage. 



The prospect is almost equally gloomy in Michigan. A reduction of 

 8 per cent, in area is reported, and the average condition is placed at 

 75. Thirty-five counties are represented, among which are Oakland, 

 Washtenaw, Jackson, Kalamazoo, Cass, Lenawee, Livingston, Barry, 

 and Genesee, which produce nearly as much wheat as all the remaining 

 counties of the State. The Counties named indicate a reduction of 8 per 

 cent, in area, and a condition 30 per cent, below average. Drilled 

 wheat is more promising than that sown broadcast. 



In Indiana the area is represented by 94, condition by 85. There is 

 great variety in the returns ; among those counties which have produced 

 half a million bushels each, Carroll stands at 100, Shelby 95, Park and 

 St. Joseph 80, Johnson 75, Kosciusko GO, Randolph 50. Fifty-six coun- 

 ties are reported, of which thirty-eight are below an average in condi- 

 tion, and but ten above. In Kosciusko frost as late as May 3 injured 

 the crop. In some places the fly is reported, in others the chinch-bug, 

 while drought has been general, though of unequal duration, and at 

 some places it still continues. The superior advantage of drilling and 

 good tillage is repeatedly stated. 



In Illinois the Hessian-fly is found ia many places, and the chinch- 

 bug is troublesome. The area in winter wheat is undiminished, 



