52 American Economic Association [850 



plays the greatest part. It now becomes needful 

 to know the relative importance of the cereal and 

 hay crops in the different divisions of the country. 

 The following table shows for the United States and 

 for the several geographical divisions, the total number 

 of acres in all crops ; the total number of acres in 

 cereals and hay ; and the per cent, which the total 

 acreage in the cereals and hay bears to the total crop 

 acreage, as reported by the census of 1900. 



Total crop Total acreage in ^ 



acreage^ cereals and hay 2 



United States . ... 289,734,591 . . . 246,674,289 . . . 85.1 



North Atlantic div. . . . 24,683,365 . . . 21,876,493 . . . 88.6 



South Atlantic div. .. . 29,194,661 . . . 19,125,863 . . . 65.5 



North Central div. . . . 163,000,561 . . . 155,000,940 . . . 95.1 



South Central div. . . . 56,233,143 . . . 35,405,091 . . . 62.9 



Western div 16,622,861 . . . 15,265,902 . . . 91.8 



For the purpose of further narrowing the field of in- 

 vestigation, it may be assumed also, as a matter of com- 

 mon knowledge, that, although machinery is much 

 used in the production of hay, the work of hay produc- 

 tion constitutes relatively but a small portion of the 

 total work requisite for the production of both cereals 

 and hay. It is, therefore, the cereal producing regions 

 to 'which we must look for the most marked effects of 

 the use of farm machinery. 



The following table, taken from the report of the 

 Twelfth Census, 3 indicates the distribution of the cereal 

 crops and the relative importance of the cereal crops, 

 from the standpoint both of acreage devoted to their 

 production and of the value of the product as compared 

 with the acreage and value of all crops. 



1 Twelfth Census, Agriculture II, p. 62. 



2 See p. 102. 



3 Twelfth Census, Agriculture II, p. 62. 



