

^^^^A 



DEVOTED TO AGRICULTURE IN 



AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS. 



We hope that more care Avill be observed in taking 

 the agricultural census tliis year, than was the case 

 in 18i0. Some years ago •\ve published an article 

 shoM'ing the gross errors of that census. It is far 

 better to have no agricultural statistics taken, than to 

 have them so erroneous. In many respects we can 

 guess far nearer the true items than is the marshal's 

 census, and certainly guessing would be a more eco- 

 nomical mode. 



Our attention was called to this subject a few 

 months ago, at the State House, when Mr. iMorse 

 was reading the report of the Committee of Super- 

 vision of the poultry exhibition, before the meeting for 

 forming a New England Poultry Association. We 

 are astonished that the good sense of the committee 

 had not led them to detect the great errors iu the 

 poultry statistics, or those of other items with which 

 they compared them. But instead of this, they gave 

 currency to them, and they have been copied into 

 l^apers, and into Dr. Bennett's Poultry Book without 

 comment as to the most glaring errors ever published. 



In the committee's report it is stated " that the 

 value of poultry in the state of New York was more 

 than the value of its sheep, the cntii-e value of its 

 neat cattle, and nearly five times the value of its 

 horses and mules." What absurdities ! Did the cora- 

 , mittee, and others %^ho gave currency to them, look 

 or think beyond the fallacious figures ? 



Now, let us examine this statement. New York is 

 mostly an agricultural state ; and in the cities and 

 large towns, where little or no attention is paid to 

 agriculture, the value of horses exceeds that of 

 poultry in a far greater proportion than in the rural 

 sections. 



Generally, in the country, each farmer has twenty 

 head of cattle, worth $25 each, making a total of 

 $500, where he has $25 worth of poultry. And 

 in case the farmer has only half that value in cattle, 

 he will usually have not more than half the value in 

 poultry, making, as we should guess, the neat stock 

 worth at least twenty times as mucli as the poultry. 

 And instead of the poultry being worth nearly five 

 times as much as the horses and mules, we believe 



that farmers average one to two horses, worth $100, 

 while they would not average $20 worth of poul- 

 try. Then, if we are correct, instead of the poultry 

 being worth five times as much as the horses and 

 mules, they are worth five times as much as the 

 poultry ; making the value of poultry only one 

 twenty-fifth part as much, in proportion to the value 

 of the horses and mules, as has been stated. We 

 have said enough to show the absurdity of relying 

 upon figures, when they are so far from the truth, 

 that a little reflection must show the error. The 

 good sense of the observing farmer will support us 

 in our guess-work. The reader will please to con- 

 sider that we have estimated fowls at usual prices 

 before this mania prevailed, that has led to specula- 

 tion and deception, and consequently given a ficti- 

 tious value to common and mongrel stock. 



LATE CROPS. 



As the spring has not only been backward, but. 

 there has been much wet weather, which has pre- 

 vented farmers despatching their business with usuA. 

 expedition, in such seasons, and as moist lands ara 

 too wet to work, and in some cases the seed is rotting 

 in the ground, it is impossible for farmers to attend 

 to their usual crops in due time ; therefore, as an ex- 

 pedient, they should raise late crops in order to get 

 their usual amount of produce. 



Canada corn, and other kinds of early corn, may 

 be planted as late as the 10th or 12th of June. Fre- 

 quently good crops may be obtained with so late 

 planting ; and if it is only partially ripe, it may be 

 cut on the approach of frost, and stocked, and it will 

 make sweet bread. 



Potatoes generally bear late planting well ; but 

 since their liability to rot, if planted late, it should 

 be on dry land, both to forward their growth, and 

 prevent injury from heavy rains in the fall, before 

 harvesting. When planted late, it is desirable to 

 plant early kinds. I-ast year, we planted early pota- 

 toes late in the season, and they obtained a full 

 growth in season for digging the former part of Sep- 

 tember, so that they rotted but little. 



