170 THE SOILS AND CROPS OF THE FARM. 



duction for the two decades, 1870-79 and 1880-89 is 

 given below: 



1870-79. 1880-89. 



Area, acres, 11,000,000 22,000,000 



Yield, bushels 314,000,000 584,000,000 



Value, dollars, 111,000,000 181,000,000 



Value, per bushel, dollars 0.35 0.31 



Yield, per acre, bushels, 28.4 26.6 



Value per acres, dollars, 10.00 8.22 



While the increase in the yield of wheat and corn 

 during the last decade over the previous one was 44 

 per cent, the increase in the yield of oats has been 86 

 per cent. The area sown to this crop has doubled. 

 This is the largest increase of any of our cereal crops. 

 The total value of the crops has increased 63 per 

 cent. The value per bushel has decreased four cents 

 and the yield per acre less than two bushels. The 

 average value of an acre of oats is less than any other 

 of our more important cereal crops. Oats occupy 

 about one- eighth of the tillage area of the United 

 States. ^ 



The principal oat-raising states are New York, 

 Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Indiaiia,\^Wi^cons>n, 

 Illinois, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas and 

 Nebraska. These twelve sfetes raise over four-:^fths 

 of the crop. The only otjier important oat-raising^f 

 state is Texas. New York raises more oats than any 

 other cereal. 



We export very few oats, usually less than half a 

 million bushels annually. In 1889, however, we ex- 

 ported ten million pounds of oatmeal. 



The proportion of straw may vary from one to three 

 and one half pounds of straw for each pound of 

 grain. Probably two pounds of straw for each pound 



