288 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



other wheat-producing country in the world, and as a matter of fact, there is nov 

 on hand a much larger supply than will be required, or will be consumed, until 

 the next harvest is secured. It is not probable, under these circumstances, th^t 

 there will be any advance in the price, at least for some time, and perhaps not for 

 years, for the reason that wheat can be raised in Russia and India much cheaper 

 than in the United States, on account of the low price of labor in these countries. 

 Under these circumstances, would it. not be sound policy for farmers in this conn- 

 try to materially reduce the acreage (f wheat? It appears by the reports from the 

 Agricultural Bureau at Washington City, that the area in wheat for tliis year Was 

 38,500,000 acres. The product of over 13,000,000 acres are in excess of thewante of 

 this country, and will have to be sold mainly in Liverpool, in competition with 

 the wheat raised by the cheap labor of India and Russia, and this is being done 

 now, and the result is a loss to the farmer on every bushel exported. And further, 

 the foreign market brings down the home market in the same ratio. Now, if the 

 area sown in wheat for 1885 was cut down in the United States to, say 26,000,000 

 acres, the home demand would consume the entire crop, and the price-? realized 

 would be satisfactory to the farmer, and this 13,000,000 acres, which was formerly 

 in wheat, could be cultivated in other grain crops or grasses. 



For instance, we import one-seventh of all the barley used in the United States 

 from foreign countries, and further, we pay annually $100,000,000 for foreign 

 sugars, and $45,000,000 in duties on the same. Now, as it is no longer a question 

 as to the practicability of making sugar profitably from the sorghuoi cane, there 

 is no doubt that in the near future this will be an important crop in the North and 

 West, and very profitable to the producer. 



Again, the statistics of England, France, Germany, and many other European 

 nations show that the increase of cattle, sheep, and hogs does not keep pace with 

 the increase in population in those nations, and the result is a constantly increas- 

 ing demand, which is mainly supplied by this country. This market for meats and 

 live stock in the foreign countries named, and the home consumption, which is 

 large and constantly increasij)g, will not likely be glutted by an over supply for 

 many years, and the present prices, wliich pay the stock raisers a fair profit, in all 

 probability will be maintained. From these facts, I arrive at the conclusion that 

 stock raising will be found much more profitable than wheat. 



But the object I had in view in directing attention to the wheat situation, is to 

 impress upon our farmers the necessity of producing a greater variety of farm pro- 

 ducts for market, and also the importance of studying the statistics as to the amount 

 raif-ed and consumed, and the usual market price of all articles that could be suc- 

 cessfully cultivated or produced in our State. Then we might to some extent reg- 

 ulate production so as to prevent an over supply of any particular article, and by 

 these means avoid heavy losses to the producers, without any injury to the consumer. 



There has been less improvements made this year than last, in this county, in 

 the item of buildings by the farmers. The cause of this, I think, is the low price 

 of grain and other farm products. There has been decidedly more tile draining 

 done than in any year pretious to this, and the results are very satisfactory. Noth- 

 ing has been done in timber culture in this county, except for shade or ornamental 

 purposes. The fencing in of stock does not seem to gain popular favor to any 



