WHEAT. 



167 



tuations in price than many other farm products, and is not so 

 likely to be depressed by an unusually heavy crop. 



The aggregate production of wheat in the United States has 

 rapidly increased during the last ten years. 



The following table shows the total production, value, and 

 area of the wheat crop of the United States from 1871 to 1880, 

 inclusive : 



It will be noticed that the average price for the entire period 

 of ten years is $1.05i per bushel; the average yield per acre, 13 

 bushels ; the acreage nearly doubled during the ten years ; and 

 the average per acre for the last four years is 15 bushels against 

 12 for the first four years, and 13 for the entire period. 



This increase in the amount of wheat grown is due to several 

 causes, among which are the opening up of new and fertile wheat 

 lands in Minnesota, Dakota, etc.; the introduction of new and 

 greatly improved machinery for handling the crop ; the stimula- 

 tion of good prices consequent upon a heavy foreign demand; 

 the introduction of better modes of cultivation, and the use of 

 more fertilizers, both home-made and commercial. 



One gratifying feature of this increase in wheat production 

 is that it is not due merely to the opening of new and fertile 

 lands in the West, but in the States which have been longest 

 under cultivation, the improvement has been striking. Take, 

 for example, the statistics of Ohio, the leading wheat growing 

 State of the Union. Dividing the thirty-three years, from 1850 

 to 1882, inclusive, into three periods of nine years each, and one 



