964 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[September, 
Agriculturist Crop Eeports. 
Breadth, Condition, and Prospects of the 
Principal Crops, Reliable Reports 
Gathered from the Whole Country. 
On pages 282 and 283 will be found further con¬ 
densed and very valuable reports on'the state of 
the crops throughout the whole country. Except¬ 
ing for two or three crops, the reports are, on the 
whole, very favorable. The following summa¬ 
ry will be useful to those who have not the time 
and patience to examine the reports in detail. 
THE WEATHER.— A. The average for the 
whole country, for the month ending August 10, 
is 10 . 6 —(10 representing the average for five 
years past.) The best weather is reported from 
the States of Minnesota (13*.), Missouri (13.), 
Wisconsin (10*.), Michigan (10*.), Ohio (11*.), 
New-York (11.), and New-England (10.). In 
Indiana (9*.), and Illinois (9#.) 
WINTER WHEAT.— B. The area as com¬ 
pared with last year is, for the whole country as 
11.8 to 10 . This average prevails in almost all 
sections. In Wisconsin the area is 16|, against 
10 last year. In Ohio, 11#. In Illinois, 11.4. 
In Michigan, 13*.- G —The surface as com¬ 
pared with the average for five years past is, for 
the whole country, 13*, or one-third increase.— 
B —The prospective yield for the whole country 
averages 12 . 6 , that is fully one-fourth better than 
the average of other years! In the great wheat 
growing State of Ohio, the prospect averages 
over 16 ; in Indiana, 12*; in Wisconsin, 12. As 
these reports come from judicious observers, 
they indicate unmistakably that, for the whole 
country, with the increased surface (13*), and 
the excellent prospects (12.6), the crop of Win¬ 
ter Wheat is this year largely in excess of an 
average one. Here are the reports of the pros¬ 
pective yield per acre as they range by States: 
Ohio, 16.12; Indiana, 12.52; Illinois, 10.1; Iowa, 
10.5; Missouri, 11.5; Nebraska, 8; Minnesota, 
16.66; Wisconsin, 12; Michigan, 8.33 ; New- 
York, 11.15; Pennsylvania, 12.8; New-Jersey, 
15; New-England, 9.2.-Extensive ravages 
by the “Chinch Bug,” are reported in Dane and 
La Fayette Counties, Wisconsin; and also in 
Delaware, Cedar, Lucas, Linn and Madison 
Counties, Iowa.-The midge is reported as 
destructive in Orleans and Chautauqua Coun¬ 
ties, New-York. 
SPRING WHEAT.— E. The average area 
for the whole country as compared with last 
year, is reported at 12.*, or about one-fourth 
more. In Illinois, where much Spring Wheat 
is usually grown, the area as compared with 
last year is estimated at 7.6, or about one-fourtli 
less. In Iowa, it is 10.9.- F —The area of 
Spring Wheat this year, as compared with the 
average for five years past, is 17.8, or 78 per cent 
above the usual surface. In Illinois, this falls 
to 7, while in Iowa it rises to 25.-— G —The 
prospective yield per acre is, for the whole coun¬ 
try, 9, or one-tenth below the average. Illinois 
and Iowa report only a | average yield per acre; 
Michigan only * yield. The yield per acre, of 
Spring Wheat, will evidently be poor in those 
regions where this crop is most grown. The 
greater area will hardly make up the deficiency. 
INDIAN CORN.— H. The average surface 
for the whole country is reported as slightly 
above that of last year. In the great corn State 
of Illinois, the area is put 9 per cent below last 
year.-J—As compared with the past five 
years, the area is this year.put at 12.2 for the 
whole country. In Illinois it is 9*, and in Iowa 
20.8. K —The Prospects of the corn crop to 
August 10, are reported good, the average for 
the whole country being 10.2. Illinois stands 
at 10, or just an average. This, with a defi¬ 
ciency of 9 per cent in area, indicates a smaller 
crop than last year. Taking the whole of the 
great western corn-growing regions together, 
the increase of area, and the average good pros¬ 
pects, indicate about the same crop as last year. 
An early or late frost will, however, materially 
change the final yield. 
RYE—Column L, the area, and M.\ the pros¬ 
pects, indicate a yieid about five per cent above 
the average, taking the whole country together. 
OATS.—Column N represents the area, for 
the whole country, as being 12 per cent above 
the average; and 0, the prospective yield per 
acre, as 8 per cent below; or less than average 
crop, on the whole. A considerable number of 
reports, especially from N. Y. and Penn., speak 
of much harm from the “Aphis,” or “yellow 
insect.” At the West, “rust” is complained of. 
HAY.—Columns P and R, indicate the area, 
and the yield per acre, to be about 15 per cent 
above the average. In New-York State, the 
yield per acre is 9 per cent below the average. 
POTATOES.—Columns S and T. For the 
whole country the area and prospects, range 
above the average. 
FRUIT.— Apples ( U ) are very good in many 
States, the average prospect for the whole coun¬ 
try being about 70 per cent above average years. 
- Peaches ( V) are reported very good, or, for 
the whole country 2* times the average crop. 
The great apple growing regions report from a 
double to a triple crop, and few places any¬ 
where report less than a double one. 
SORGHUM.—Many reports from Ohio, Indi¬ 
ana, Illinois, and Iowa, represent a very large 
area. The prospects, in different localities dif¬ 
fer materially, ranging from poor to double. 
BARLEY.—Thirty,-five reports represent a 
larger area in most States except Ohio, and good 
prospects except in Licking Co., Ohio, Howard 
Co., Iowa, and Chenango and Otsego Co.’s N. Y. 
GENERAL SUMMARY.. 
A carefiil examination and comparison of 
the many hundreds of reports from all parts of 
the country, indicate that, taken as a whole, 
the present year has been unusually favorable 
to our great agricultural interests. There are 
local exceptions, in various sections, some of 
which are noted above, but these are not ex¬ 
tensive enough to affect the general result. 
•The Foreign Harvests. 
As we are now reasonably sure of a large sur¬ 
plus of breadstuff’s in this country, an important 
question is, whether our surplus will find a for¬ 
eign market, and on this subject we can speak 
with some degree of assurance. The Editor of 
the American Agriculturist has just returned 
from a trip through Great Britain, France, parts 
of Germany and Belgium, and reports: 
“ I found the wheat harvest in progress on the 
Continent. From wliat I saw, and from the state¬ 
ments of many farmers, I judge the yield to be 
below the average. The large area will in part 
make up the deficiency, but not wholly. In 
Great Britain the weather continued very wet 
up to the 24th of July, when a change occurred, 
and from that up to the 4th of August, the 
wheat crop continued to improve rapidly. But 
at the best, the damage to the growth by the 
wet weather all through the early Summer, can 
not be repaired. It is morally certain, therefore, 
that Great Britain will require a considerable 
amount of breadstuff's From abroad. Much of 
this could probably be obtained from the Con¬ 
tinent at some figure, but not at the prices for 
which it can be.furnislied by the United States. 
My present opinion is, that our own surplus 
rain (unless unprecedentedly large) will mostly 
e taken at prices which will yield a fair remu¬ 
neration to American farmers; but that very 
high prices can hardly be looked for. The 
present premium on gold is decidedly advanta¬ 
geous to the American grain markets. A gold 
“sovereign,” counts at about $5 50 in the pur¬ 
chase of grain in America; in Russia, and Cen¬ 
tral Europe, it counts only as $4 75 or $4 80.” 
Home Again. 
Unexpectedly, the writer has returned just 
in time to report himself in the closing editorial 
column of this paper.—After devoting some 
weeks to Great Britain, at the Royal Agricultural 
and Horticultural Shows, etc., we started on a 
tour through France, Switzerland, Germany 
and Belgium, intending to study the agricul¬ 
ture, and agricultural Schools of those coun¬ 
tries. We had proceeded as far as Lyons, the 
great silk-growing region of France, when news 
came (by the way of London, of course,) that the 
principal army of our country was annihilated, 
that 75,000 men were hors du combat, and that 
the remnant of the army was about. to surren¬ 
der unconditionally. With such disastrous news, 
false indeed as it proved, but told as truth, our 
future journey lost its interest, and we immedi¬ 
ately wrote to Liverpool and secured a passage 
to America in the first rapid steamer available. 
We felt it a duty to hurry home, if not to go 
into the army personally, at least to fill the 
place of some one who could do efficient ser¬ 
vice, to be ready to encourage our own brothers 
in the field, and to do all we could to promote the 
cultivation and profitable marketing of the great¬ 
est possible amount of the products of the soil, 
for the feeding our armies, and for sustain¬ 
ing our government.—But as hurried as was our 
journey abroad, by the diligent use of the time, 
and with unusual good health during every day’s 
absence, we were able to see and learn much 
that will, we trust, be of future use to our read¬ 
ers. We have no intention of writing out a 
connected journal of our travels, but will drop 
a hint here and there, from time to time, as may 
seem .desirable. O. J. 
Our Country. 
“ Every man to Ills Post! ” 
If one thing more than another would make 
us earnest in our efforts to preserve our coun¬ 
try entire, it is the desire cf the aristocracy of 
the Old World, everywhere manifested—and es¬ 
pecially so in England—to see this great Repub¬ 
lic of ours split up into fractions, with jarring 
interests and a prospect of unending strifes. 
Better that we make any required sacrifice of 
life and substance now, however great, than 
that our National Unity be dissolved, and war 
and discord be our perpetual heritage. We have 
recently stood upon some of the battle-fields of 
Europe, where the very soil is still fertile with 
the blood of hundreds of thousands of men— 
men slain in the wars concerning imaginary 
lines where Nature has made none. Our coun¬ 
try has no natural dividing lines. Let us bo 
forewarned against all attempts to set up artifi¬ 
cial ones. Let every true American, native or 
foreign born, spare no effort now to preserve our 
country intact. It is even “ sweet to die for one’s 
country.” Let “ Bulce est pro patria mori ” be the 
watchword of eveiy man who would vaiue a 
patriot’s grave above an ignoble life in a country 
rent to pieces by traitorous hands. 
