

New. York AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 19 
i as well. The successful production of a crop depends upon so 
Inmany conditions that the changes in the chemical and physical 
conditions of the soil can not easily be recognized without extend- 
ing the comparison of products over long intervals of time and 
_ large areas of territory. 
From the reports of the Department of Agriculture the follow- 
ing statistics have been compiled, giving the average yield of the 
several leading crops during the past quarter of a century; and 
for convenience of comparison the averages are given for three 
periods —from 1862 to 1869, inclusive; from 1870 to 1878, 
inclusive ; and from 1879 to 1886, inclusive. 





1862-1869. | 1870-1878. | 1879-1886. 
PPL NUP LR i cee Bre U Sela alk n'y lahlety sided Ge ainta a 29.7 Ee 29.6 99.7 
PAV HOR. DUBNEIG EMO ede Oe Be cemsle ga weeds x4 15.1 14.7 14.9 98.7 
PRS eR ees Hansa Win Gaaieclels ay viata scale Welt 15.5 13.9 12.3 19.4 
Spain a OPER LSS OC ape ela vice ah uk wigan peda dire a eyes 30.1 33.1 29.8 99.0 
DoE ORIG GLE ce o's sic a's bre ¥'si¢ cin.se Side bound ulead abs 22.5 27 23.4 104.0 
. Buckwheat, TESTE: We ARI SCURS LN? ah 19.8 18.2 44,1): 73:3 
POPU R, DUS UOLS Ws a Vins eb oa ce sledppleapiew/era cts 103.8 91.3 81.3 78.3 
PP ORTGM GOL or ek Me eualstict cous han coi dita nies J 2524, 2420. 9298. 88.3 
TODA AO FDO UDLOGS Fe inst vies gaa. s(s </s)a.a a's'e Saale’ o hie 896. 931. 1382. 154.3 





The last column gives the percentage yield of the last period of 
eight years, and, as will be seen, the three principal cereal crops, 
wheat, corn and oats, have fallen off on an average less than one 
per cent, while barley, an important crop in our State, has 
increased in average yield four per cent. 
The two crops which show a falling off which is noteworthy are 
potatoes and hay, while tobacco, which makes unusual demands 
upon the soil, has increased over fifty-four per cent in its average 
_ yield per acre. 

The above record for New York will appear far more favorable 
when it is contrasted with that of several of the leading States of 
the west. 
In 1886 the ten States, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, 
Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska and California, 
produced 63.2 per cent of the corn erop of the United States, and 
_ 63.1 per cent of the wheat crop.’ Their crop of wheat had 60.3 
