1863 



THE ILLINOIS FAEMER. 



243 



wool market. Kentucky and Miesouri raised, in 

 1862, 2,039,601 sheep, and the ravages of war have 

 destroyed largely of these. Deducting 1,000,000 

 on this account, and we have the following table : 



Whole number in 1850 24,823,566 



From which take — 



Mistake in Indiana returns 1,166,200 



Sheep of the disloyal States 5,717,587 



Loss in Kentucky and Missouri.. 1,000,000 



.- — 7,883,787 



Number in loyal States in 1860 16,939,77a 



The increaee, in 1863, reported in the June re- 

 ports to this department, is twenty-five per cent., 

 and allowing it to be the same in 1861 and 1862, 

 the whole number for 1861 would be 21, 174,724, 

 and in 1862, 26,468,405. This is the number from 

 which the clip of 1863 was taken. 



The average yield of sheep, per head, according 

 to the census returns in 1850, was 2.42 pounds, 

 and by those of 1860, 2.55 pounds. But this is 

 clearly tooj^low for the principal sheep-producing 

 States of the north. 



The number of the sheep of the loyal States was 

 17,198,219 in 1860, and the pounds" of wool, 50,- 

 183,626, making the yield of wool 2.92 pounds per 

 head. The number of sheep of the disloyal States 

 was 6,097,587, and the pounds of wool, 9,748,702, 

 making but 1.59 pounds per sheep. 



The following table shows the yield, per head, 

 of the following five large wool-producing States, 

 according to the census returns of 1850, 1860, and 

 the returns of the correspondents of this depart- 

 ment in June of this year : 



1850. 1860. 1863. 



New York 2.91 3.69 3.80 



Pennsylvania 2.46 2.82 3.33 



Ohio 2.58 3.33 3.53 



Michigan 2.87 2.68 3.67 



Vermont 3.35 4.02 4.53 



Average 2.83 3.31 3.77 



From all these data,pt is safe to assume the yield 

 in the loyal States at three pounds per head. The 

 estimated number of sheep for last year being 26,- 

 468,405, the clip of 1863 would be 79,405,215 

 pounds. 



Horghum. — The increase of this crop, as stated 

 in the June table, is twenty-seven per cent. In 

 appearance, it is but little affected by the drought. 

 Supposing that the increase, as given in the May 

 tables, was too large, the inquiry as to the amount 

 was renewed in the circulars for June, as the 

 amount could be better ascertained. The greater 

 number of the returns for this month are also in 

 their favor, and hence the increase of twenty-sev- 

 en per cent, is, doubtless, correct. 



Ootton. — So far the appearance of this crop fav- 

 orable. The dry weather enabled farmers to clear 

 the crop from weeds and grass. During the 

 drought it was but one -tenth below the average of 

 a good crop ; and, in amount, the increase is 80 

 per cent, over last year in the localities where it is 

 now cultivated, which are much fewer than those 

 of last year. 



TFeoiAer — ^TJnder this general heading will be 

 found in the first four columns the number of 

 counties which have made returns of the weather, 

 and the character of it with reference to the crops. 

 ■^ good many correspondents did not make returns 



of it, and hence their counties are not represented 

 in the table. 



The first column shows the number of counties 

 where the weather was favorable to crops ; the 

 second, where it was dry, not injuring them, but 

 holding them back •, the third, where it was very 

 dry, producing an injury to them, especailly to 

 grass and oats during the month of June ; the 

 fourth, where it was wet, so much so as to be un- 

 favorable to wheat and the cultivation of corn. 

 The fifth column shows the average amount of rain 

 that has fallen during the month, expressed in 

 inches and hundredths of an inch ; thus, 150 means 

 an inch and a half. The sixth shows the times 

 when the rain fell, whether in the beginning, mid- 

 dle, or end of the month. The word " distribut- 

 ed " shows that the rain has fallen at different 

 times during the whole month. The seventh col- 

 umn indicates the number of observations from 

 which the mean of the amount of rain was de- 

 rived. These statements of the amount of rain 

 are derived chiefly from the reports of the observ- 

 ers of the Smithsonian Institution. Hereafter it 

 is expected to prepare a separate table of the mat- 

 ters connected with the weather ; but, as these re- 

 ports are not in, it is thought best to connect them 

 at this time with this table. 



The table of the weather presents much that is 

 highly interesting. In most of the States the month 

 of June has been very dry, but in Kansas, Ken- . 

 tucky, and Missouri, there has been enough rain. 

 In Ohio and Pennsylvania plenty has fallen, but 

 during the last half only of the month. The re- 

 port from Michigan is very extraordinary, showing 

 a depth of rain of 19.07 inches, ten of which fell 

 on one day. 



The returns of the farmers corroborate those 

 relative to the fall of rain, by the Smithsonian ob- 

 servers. They are, in other respects, exceeding- 

 ly interesting. Thus we see in Kansas (which lies 

 on the line separating the showery sum- 

 mer climate of the States from the dry one of 

 California and New Mexico) the entire returns pre- 

 sent an abundance of rain. So, too, but not quite 

 to the same extent, are the reports from Missouri, 

 of which, however, there are few on account of 

 the war. But Iowa is the reverse of Missouri, re- 

 porting fifty-one counties very dry ; Wisconsin has 

 fourteen very dry, eleven dry against twelve favor- 

 able, and the entire returns from Minnesota exhib- 

 it every county as very dry. Why this remarka- 

 ble difference between Kansas and Minnesota ? 

 Again : all the States lying east of the great lakes 

 have had much more rain than those south of 

 them during the first three weeks of June. Whence 

 have these rains come ? Were they produced by 

 the cold west winds condensing the evaporation 

 from the lakes ? And why do Kansas and Missou- 

 ri receive so liberally from the evaporations of the 

 equator, whilst the States north of them have 

 so little, and Minnesota none ? The answer to 

 these questions, to be understood, must be preced- 

 ed by an explanation of that wonderful atmospher- 

 ical machinery which the Creator has designed for 

 the diffusion of heat and the distribution of mois- 

 ture. The reports for the Smithsonian Institution 

 must be closely scrutinized as to the temperatures, 

 the direction of the winds and clouds, and the al- 

 titude of each place of observation. An article 

 on these matters will he prepared for the ensuing 

 monthly report. 



