144 



REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF AGRICULTURE. 



French, esq., statistician of the Xew Jersey Cranberry Growers' Asso- 

 ciation, and gives the estimate of the crop for the last five years. To 

 his estimates of the Xew Jersey crop is added the small crop of New 

 York, which averages 4,000 bushels a year. 



1875. 



1876. 



1877. 



1878. 



1879. 



New England 

 Kew Jersey.. 

 Western 



Total... 



Bushels. 

 75, 000 

 115, 000 



40, 000 



Bushels. 

 65, 000 

 93, 000 

 40, 000 



Bushels. 



164,229 



157, 100 



79, 500 



Bushels. 



125, 000 

 63, 000 

 107, 7G9 



Bushels. 

 165, 000 

 78, 000 

 75, 000 



230, 000 



198,000 ! 400,829 



295, 769 



318,000 



It will be seen from the above table that the production varies greatly 

 each year ; per consequence, the price per bushel shows annually a cor- 

 responding fluctuation. The crop of 1879 was a very large one in New 

 England, and ripened very early ; the market in the East was over- 

 stocked, and prices fell as low as $4.50 per barrel. Later in the season 

 the price rallied, and was $2.50 to $3 per bushel. The yield of cranber- 

 ries is from 50 to 300 bushels per acre ; the latter, however, is on land 

 exceptionally productive. A fair average for the whole country is 110 

 bushels per acre. For preservation and facility of handling they are 

 generally picked in crates of one bushel each. The following is the size 

 adopted by the cranberry association of New Jersey : Bushel crate, 8f x 

 12x22 inches. 



FAEM LABOR AND WAGES. 



The following table of wages paid for labor in the farming districts 

 of the United States was compiled from returns made in the month of 

 April, 1880, and is placed in the report of this year. Apparently it 

 should be in the report of 1880 ; but as the returns are made in the 

 spring following the date of the report and before the funds to print the 

 report of that year are available, it is deemed best to place the facts be- 

 fore the public at as early a day as possible, and not wait till after the 

 close of the year. The same explauation applies to the table of labor 

 and wages published in the report of 1878, and which was the rate of 

 wages for April, 1879. 



