EXHAUSTIOX OF THE SOIL AXD FERTILIZATION OF THE CROP. 455 



Tlie two tables given must be studied together, siuce many of the 

 states showing large j)ercentage iucrease are at present very low in 

 their actual acreage yield, in comparison with other states which have 

 declined in their percentage yield. For example, while South Caro- 

 lina shows an iucrease of 17 per cent in her acreage yield of wheat, and 

 Conuecticut a slight decrease, yet the actual acreage yield of wheat 

 duriug the past few years in Connecticut is about two and oue-half 

 times greater than in South Carolina. 



For the purpose of showing which of the states are actually produc- 

 ing less than the average yield of the whole country, the average acre- 

 age yield of the principal crops in the United States is here given : 



AVERAGE ACREAGE YIELD OF VXITED STATES IN 1S80. 



Corn 27 6 bushels. 



Wheat IS 1 



Rve IS 9 



Oats 25 8 



Barley 24.5 " 



Buckwheat 17.7 bushels. 



Potatoes 91 



Tobacco 740 pounds. 



Hay 2.460 



Cottou l!>4 5 



Of the 36 states given upon the table, the production is as follows: 



Corn 22 above the average and 14 below. 



Wheat 18 " " 18 



Rve 20 " " 16 " 



Oats 20 " " 16 •' 



Barley 7 " " 29 " 



Buckwheat 10 " " 19 " 



Potatoes 10 " " 26 " 



Tobacco 17 " " 17 " 



Hay 20 " " 16 



In the following table I have taken the average acreage yield for 

 the United States of the principal crops in 1880 as a basis, and calcu- 

 lated the percentage yield of these crops in the several states in the 

 year 1879. 



For example, Maine produced per acre, in 1879, 16.7 per cent more 

 corn and 4.6 per cent more wheat than the average acrpage yield of 

 these crops in the United States ; while South Carolina produced per 

 acre but 33.5 per cent of the average acreage yield of corn in the 

 United States, and but 52.9 per cent of the average acreage yield of 

 wheat in the United States. I have selected only those crops of gen- 

 eral cultivation throughout the country, and which are most largely 

 produced. The aggregate value of the corn, wheat, oat, potato, and 

 hay crops amounts to 81,608,007,820, equal to 83.7 per cent of the 

 value of all our leading agricultural crops. 



