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THE ILLINOIS FARMER. 



195 



1 



ject, let him in addition to what has al- 

 ready been said above, consider what fol- 

 lows. 



After some other comparative tables, 

 tending to show that the above figures are 

 not up to the ratio of former increase, the 

 Preys proceeds to bring more surprising 

 evidence. 



In 1850, the aiea under cultivation within 

 the State of Illinois was 5,039,545 acres. 

 There were little over 12,000,000 acres 

 under fence, but only the foregoing area 

 was actually under cultivation that year, a 

 year of depression and of short crops. If 

 we deduct from this area the amount de- 

 voted to meadow, to orchards, to turnips, 

 potat^oes and gardens, we shall have proba- 

 bly 3,600,000 acres of corn, wheat and oats, 

 and by the census returns this area gave a 

 total yield of 77,232,184 bushels, or an 

 average of about twenty-two bushels per 

 acre. At the present time there cannot be 

 less than 12,000,000 acres under cultivation 

 within the State, of which we suppose at 

 least 10,000,000 are devoted to grain. We 

 have already stated that the yield per acre 

 in 1849, was unusually small, and that the 

 yield this year is about the average. But 

 in 1842 the average of wheat, oats and 

 corn was about twenty two bushels per 

 acre ; this year it will certainly not be less 

 than thirty bushels per acre. If this esti- 

 mate is not too high, then the production 

 of this year should be 300,000,000 bushels, 

 which is fifteen million bushels in excess of 

 oar estimate. 



What is here shown by pei'fectly conclu- 

 sive facts in regard to Illinois, may 'with like 

 ease, to a considerable extent, be establish- 

 ed in the case of every Western State. 

 They are all marked by the most amazitg 

 growth in population, and increase of pro- 

 duction. They are all turning out an in- 

 calculable yield on the capital and labor em- 

 ployed in them; and the "West" will show 

 a heavier dividend, this year, in corn, wheat 

 and oats, in beef and pork, and in railroad 

 earnings — yes, and in "corner lots," too— 

 than has been made on capital anywhere 

 else invested in the civilized world. 



Importance of Attention to tlie Breeding of Stock. 



The Gardeners' Chronicle, London, gives 

 some excellent advice,- throagh a corres- 

 pondent, Willonghby Wood, on this sub- 

 ject. It is^ equally important in America 

 as in Great Britain. The points insisted 

 on are: 1st, The propriety of using none 

 but a pure bred ball to improve a herd: 

 2d, The stock to be liberally kept daring 

 the first year. "Bad breeding and early 

 starvation, are the two main causes of deter- 

 ioration among stock, and ought to be 

 abandoned, along with undrained land, foul 

 crops and crooked fences, as relics of an age 

 less enlightened than the present." 



The contrast between good and bad man- 

 agement in breeding cattle is thus graphi- 

 cally urged by Mr. Wood: ^ 



"He who wishes to lose by breeding," 

 says Mr. Wood, "has only to follow the ex- 

 ample of Mr. Thriftless, who buys at hazard 

 any animals he may see at market, being 

 guided solely by their nominal cheapness. 

 He disregards the indications of breed, and 

 pays no attention to nniformity of charac- 

 ter, provided he has to. pay a trifle extra 

 for the qualities. Health and strength of 

 constitution he considers as utterly unworthy 

 of notice. When he has got together a 

 heterogeneous assemblage of cows of all 

 breeds and crosses, the next step is to find 

 a bull. Here again, cheapness being the 

 main consideration, he takes the first male 

 animal which a neighbor offers him. He 

 makes no inquiry as to pedigree, because 

 'he is not one of your fancy breeders.' For 

 a similar reason, he is contented to overlook 

 the most glaring defects of shape, and the 

 fatal absence of quality. He deludes him- 

 self with the idea that the worthless 

 mongrel is eheap, whereas, in reality, he is 

 dear at any price. 



"Thus does Mr. Thriftless glide down the 

 easy slopeof ignor ance and indolence, until 

 after the lapse of years, he finds, to his m- 

 tonishment, that no entreaties wHl induce 

 customers to buy his weedy, raw-boned 

 mongrels, while they are eagerly contending 

 for the thriving stock of his neighbor, Mr. 

 Thoughtful, who has pursued a course in 

 every respect the opposite to that whith 

 has entailed such heavy losses uptfh Mm. 



"Mr. Thoughtful had a few g<M>d cows, 

 of the ordinary Short Horn breed, on ^is 

 farm, which he considered as well adapted 

 for producing promising stock as they bad 



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