AGRICULTURE. 



duced 5 per cent, above a short crop last year. 

 The entire product is about 5 per cent, short 

 of that of 1875. 



Buckwheat. Last year the product exceeded 

 that of the previous crop ; this year it falls 

 about 8 per cent, short. Drought at the time 

 of filling was the principal cause of reduction ; 

 but in parts of Pennsylvania, Maryland, and 

 Virginia, storms of rain and wind in harvest, 

 or after the crop was matured, did much in- 

 jury. In parts of the Ohio Valley the crop did 

 not fill well, owing to excessive wet weather. 

 It was much reduced by grasshoppers in Iowa, 

 Kansas, Nebraska, and Colorado. Massachu- 

 setts and Connecticut report a product equal 

 to last year's ; but in New York it was 34 per 

 cent, less ; New Jersey, 23 ; Pennsylvania, 26. 

 North of the Ohio the comparative figures for 

 1875 and 1876 are, respectively : in Ohio, 105 

 and 90; Michigan, 132 and 88; Indiana, 112 

 and 92 ; Illinois, 83 and 96 ; Wisconsin, 45 and 

 155. High figures mean a large increase over 

 the previous crop; but if, for instance, the 

 product for 1875 was but a fourth of an average 

 crop, 200 for 1876 would only indicate half a 

 crop. West of the Mississippi the crop, except 

 in Minnesota, 109, was much less than in 1875, 

 the figures being, in Missouri, 237 and 93 ; Kan- 

 sas, 206 and 72 ; Nebraska, 544 and 78. The 

 product in Kentucky was 2 per cent, greater 

 than last year, and in Oregon 5 per cent. In 

 all the remaining States it fell below. 



Sorghum, Returns show an increase of 

 about 14 per cent, over last year's comparative- 

 ly large crop. The States indicating the highest 

 relative increase are : Georgia, 38 per cent. ; 

 Virginia, 37 ; Kentucky, 32 ; Texas, 27 ; Ala- 

 bama, 19; Tennessee, 14. The only States 

 reporting a product less than last year are: 

 Iowa, 11 per cent.; Maryland and Nebraska, 

 7; Kansas, 5. Good quality is generally re- 

 ported. Great improvement in the quality of 

 the sirup, resulting from the introduction of 

 improved machinery and methods of evaporat- 

 ing, is specified in different localities. 



Tobacco. The tobacco counties reporting 

 the comparative product make returns not 

 quite so favorable in the aggregate as those of 

 last year. A decrease of product is indicated 

 in Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, Ma- 

 ryland, Virginia, North Carolina, and Tennes- 

 see. An increase is indicated in Pennsylvania, 

 Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois. Kentucky reports 

 about the same as last year. 



In Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, the increase in 

 product is extraordinary. In Ohio, Montgom- 

 ery reports the best and finest crop of seed- 

 leaf tobacco ever produced ; Monroe, that the 

 quality was depreciated by excessively wet 

 weather. In Illinois, the season was very pro- 

 pitious for maturing and curing in Saline ; in 

 Johnson, the crop was eaten by worms, the rav- 

 ages of which were worse than for years. Ver- 

 non, Mo., also had more tobacco-worms than 

 ever before ; but other returns from Missouri 

 are favorable in respect to yield and quality. 



The quality of the entire crop averages about 

 the same as that of last year. The deprecia- 

 tion is not noticeable in Connecticut, Virginia, 

 and North Carolina. The average quality is 

 superior to that of the previous crop in New 

 Hampshire, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Ken- 

 tucky, Indiana, Missouri, Ohio, and Tennessee. 

 The reported causes of deterioration in North 

 Carolina are worms, early frosts, and the cut- 

 ting of late crops before maturity in order to 

 avoid frosts. In Tennessee and West Virginia, 

 only slight deterioration is reported from early 

 frosts and the cutting of late crops prematurely 

 to avoid frost. In Kentucky, Daviess returns 

 the largest crop ever grown, except that of 

 1872. The estimate for product is 10,000,000 

 pounds, of which not over 2 per cent, was in- 

 jured by frost ; but perhaps 10 per cent, was 

 not well cured, being cut rather too green. 



Flaxseed. Incomplete returns from Ohio 

 indicate a product equal to that of last year ; 

 Indiana, 1 per cent, less; Illinois (having an 

 extraordinary crop last year), 15 per cent. less. 

 These three States represent over three-fourths 

 of the entire crop. Among other States in 

 which the production is of any account, Iowa 

 alone indicates an increase over last year ; New 

 York, 1 per cent. less. Scattering returns from 

 the States west of the Mississippi indicate that 

 the production of flax is extending. 



Apples. Almost the only complaint about 

 the apple-crop is that its superabundance has 

 greatly diminished its market value. Maine 

 returns a yield 20 per cent, below that of 1875, 

 the causes being previous injury to the trees 

 by caterpillars, depredations by them this sea- 

 son, and, in the southwest part of the State, 

 too dry weather for the maturing of the crop. 

 Vermont falls 4 per cent, below, ascribed to 

 the effects of the severe winter. Drought 

 and September storms reduced the figures in 

 New Jersey to 95, in Delaware to 55, and in 

 Virginia to 92. Missouri reports a produc- 

 tion falling 28 per cent, below that of 1875. 

 Severe spring-frosts, canker- worms, coddling- 

 inoths, an insect allied to chinch-bugs, hail- 

 storms, and, chiefly, premature falling-off from 

 causes not explained, are the principal sources 

 of reduction. With these exceptions, in the en- 

 tire section north of the thirty-sixth parallel, 

 and east of the Pacific slope, the yield exceeds 

 that of last year; the average excess for the 

 whole area being not less than 17 per cent. 

 The excess in New York is 22 per cent. ; Penn- 

 sylvania, 23; Ohio, 41 ; Michigan, 24; Indiana, 

 39 ; Illinois, 16 ; Wisconsin, 54 ; Iowa, 43 ; New 

 Hampshire, 63. The coddling-moth was de- 

 structive to the crop in Utah. In California 

 and Oregon the product was slightly less than 

 last year. In the Southern States, in which 

 the crop is of less account, the general yield is 

 considerably below that of last year, owing 

 mainly to drought. South Carolina alone 

 comes up to 100. With rare local exceptions, 

 the quality is reported as superior, the fruit be- 

 ing comparatively large, and free from worms. 





