ANNUAL REPORT—AGRICULTURE. 
23 
distributed have been so few and meager as to warrant no gen¬ 
eral conclusiois as to their value. 
THE OAT CROP 
01 1869 was considerably larger than usual-r—the agricultural 
department says 25 per cent, larger than in 1868, with an 
average yield of 36.2 bushels per acre—and the price has been 
correspondingly lower: the average for the year, at Milwaukee, 
being 51 cents per bushel. During the past two or three years, 
several new varieties have been introduced from foreign coun¬ 
tries. Of these, the.Swedish, the English Excelsior, the Nor¬ 
way, and the Saxony oats are favorably reported upon by 
those who have experimented with them. 
THE RYE CROP 
Of Wisconsin, though less in yield, per acre, than in 1868— 
the proportion being as 15 bushels to 18.6—was probably al¬ 
most the same in the aggregate, and of a better quality than 
in most of the northwestern states. The average price of rye 
at Milwaukee during the year was about $1.00 ; the price at 
the beginning of the year being $1.10; the highest price 
reached, $1.15 ; and the price at the close of the year having 
declined to $0.71 to $0.74. 
CORN. 
Owing to the cool and wet weather during those months in 
which the corn crop requires attention, it was but poorly culti¬ 
vated ; besides which the weather bad a directly injurious ef¬ 
fect in preventing a proper development and maturity of the 
crop. Accordingly, notwithstanding the more favorable condi¬ 
tions of September, a large portion of it was found'at the end 
of the season less than fully ripe—a. fact which not only seri¬ 
ously affected its value for home consumption and its price in 
the market, but which is likely to result unfavorably to the 
succeeding crop by leading to the use of seed that will not 
germinate. This is especially true of the dent varieties, which, 
in this climate, require a combination of favorable circum¬ 
stances to insure their maturing. 
