Keports on Foreign Crops. 



95 



and production of the several crops in the United States in 

 1897 and 1896. It should be noted that in the case of wheat 

 the figures for 1897 are the results of a special investigation 

 made at the close of the harvest, and the Statistician states 

 that no entirely satisfactory comparison can be made between 

 the statistics of acreage and production of the year in 1897 

 and those for 1896, as it is believed that the returns for 

 earlier ysars were under-estimated (see page 36). 



Crop. 



Acreage. 



Production in Winchester 

 Bushels. 



1897. 



1896. 



1897. 



1896. 





Acres. 



Acres. 







Maize 



80,095,051 



81,027,156 



1,902,967,933 



2,283,875,165 



Wheat - 



39,465,066 





530,149,168 





Oats 



25,730,375 



27,565,985 



698,767,809 



707,346,404 



Barley 



2,719,116 



2,950,539 



66,685,127 



69,695,223 



Rye 



1,703,561 



1,831,201 



27,363,324 



24,369,047 



Buckwheat 



717,836 



754,898 



14,997,451 



14,089,783 



Potatoes 



2,534,577 



2,767,465 



164,015,964 



252,234,540 









Tons. 



Tons. 



Hay 



42,426,770 



43=259,756 



60,664,876 



59,282,158 



With respect to the reduced production of maize in 1897, 

 it is pointed out that the crop of 1896 was the largest on 

 record, and that even the diminished yield of 1897 is over 

 100 million bushels in excess of the average of the last ten 

 years. The average value per bushel of the crop is given as 

 13d , this being the highest average since 1894, and 

 ifd. per bushel higher than the average for 1896. 



The average yield per acre of wheat in 1897 for the entire 

 country was 13*4 bushels, this being 07 bushels per acre 

 higher than the average for the previous ten years, but of the 

 seven States having 2,000,000 acres ormorein wheat, all but two 

 produced a crop from 0*3 to 37 bushels per acre below their ten 

 year average, and had these five States, together with Illinois 

 and Missouri, had average crops, the total v/heat crop of the 

 country would have been nearly 50,000,000 bushels greater 

 than it was. The total value of the wheat crop is given as 

 ;£89,285,ooo, or 3s. 4ld. per bushel, this being the highest 

 average since 1891. 



