ANNUAL REPORT—AGRICULTURE. 
21 
bringing it into extensive cultivation in all portions of tbe 
country. 
In Wisconsin, Indian Corn has gained even more ground 
than in many other states, though we can never hope to rival 
Illinois. 
Corn crop. Bushels. 
Of 1859. 7,517,300 
Of 1869.15,037,998 
Rate per cent, of increase, nearly 100. 1 
0 
The crop of 1870, the exact statistics of which are wanting, 
was undoubtedly the best we have had in ten years, and cer¬ 
tainly the largest, in the aggregate, the state has ever pro¬ 
duced. It would not be surprising if a correct showing would 
give us nearly or quite 20,000,000 bushels, as the total yield. 
The average yield per acre has been estimated by the Agri¬ 
cultural Department at 88 bushels. If this be correct—and 
. we do not think the figures too high—Wisconsin stands among 
the very foremost of the states, in point of yield. 
The opinion prevailed for a time that, with the exception of 
the southern tier of counties and the more favored counties 
further north, corn was not a safe crop in Wisconsin; or at 
least that none but the hardiest varieties could be relied on. 
Experience has shown that calculations based upon latitude 
merely were altogether erroneous—that, by reason of certain 
interesting and important peculiarities in the physical geogra¬ 
phy of our state, we are quite within the corn belt, and are 
able, with proper care, to produce good dent, and others of 
the more popular, though late-maturing, varieties so extensive¬ 
ly grown in Illinois, Indiana and Ohio. 
In the yield per acre, we can hardly compete with the rich 
corn lands of the Scioto, Miami and Mad river u bottoms,” 
where crops of 100 bushels and over are not uncommon ; nor, 
indeed, can any other part of the world, of which we have 
knowledge. 
Perhaps when our farmers have learned that corn is not in¬ 
jured by barnyard manure, and that deep plowing, and thor¬ 
ough cultivation, even up to a much later day in the season 
than is commonly practised, are sure means of increasing the 
