tion of the country, and with the increasing demand for it in 

 our cities and towns, all will be needed that can be produced. 



But the value to the farmer of the crops that he is called 

 upon to abandon has been much exaggerated. From statistics 

 of the productions of the State of Massachusetts in 1870, it 

 appears that the whole amount of grain produced in the State 

 that year from which bread can be made, is as follows : 



Indian Corn - - - 1,327,000 bushels. 



Wheat - - - 35,000 do. 



Rye ... 232,000 do. 



Oats - - - 733,000 do. 



Barley - - - 126,000 do. 



Total - 2,153,000 bushels. 



It has been estimated that eight bushels of grain are required 

 to furnish bread-stuffs for each inhabitant. The population of 

 Massachusetts in 1870 was 1,457,354, so that the whole amount 

 of grain for bread-stuffs raised amounted to less than two 

 bushels to each inhabitant, sufficient to supply less than one 

 quarter part of the bread-stuffs required for consumption by the 

 people of the State. The value of it, at present prices, would 

 be about $1,700,000, and upon comparison of the statistics of 

 these crops made in 1870 with those made in 1840, it will 

 appear that there has been no considerable increase or decrease 

 in the production of either, whilst in that period our population 

 has doubled. 



From the same statistics, it appears that the hay crop of 

 Massacliusetts in 1870 amounted to 507,000 tons, which at 

 $35.00 per ton would be of the value of $17,745,000, or more 

 than ten times the value of all the corn, wheat, rye, oats and 

 barley grown in the State the same year. 



Whilst, then, it is plain that our farmers cannot raise cereals 

 as cheaply as they can be furnished from the West, yet it by 

 no means follows that the necessary abandonment of their cul- 

 tivation here is injurious to our farming interest. If our 

 farmers can raise equivalents in the place of these crops, and 

 purchase the grains that they need for their own use even. 



