VOL. XVIII
INDIANAPOLIS, IND., SATURDAY, OCT. 20,1883.
NO. 43.
OUR MEAT EXPORTS.
Large Fsilling Off During  the
Year.
WHAT IT MEANS.
The Farmer has lately called attention to
this subject, and discussed Its bearings on the
future. We quote below from Bradstreets
Journal some further Important figures and
suggestions on tbe subject:
The late shrinkage In the general export
trade from the port of New York to British
and other European ports not only attracted
the attention of the general observer, who regarded it solely from a financial point of
view, but It became a special sourae of uneasiness to herd-owners and to dealers In cattle,
whether shippers or slaughterers. Thesevere
winter of 1881-82 caused wholesale losses
among the herds In the West and Northwest,
so that, although the older cattle-growing
states did not suffjr so. seriously, beeves advanced rapidly In price, from January, 1882,
until June of the same year. The highest
price was realised in tbat month, 17%c per
pound on net weights, 56(357 pounds being allowed, according to excellence of the quality
of the animal, which also frequently commanded during that month 58 poundsallow-
ance and $1 per head on every beast. In Jnly,
1832, 16c per pound was the highest rate paid;
again, In August, 18S2,15%c per pound was the
highest figure reached. During this year of
scarcity Spanish and Colorado herds advanced
in prices under the pressure of absolute nee*.
In the month of June, 18S2, such herds sold at
8*3IS?.**- P«r pound, In Jul*/at 9@12c per pound,
and for the three first weeks of August at 9(2
12o per pound, dropping, In the course of the
last week of that month, to 8® 10%o per pound.
Early In September, 1882, grass-fed beeves became plenty and values steadily declined
until they returned to their normal range.
As soon as a margin of profit was found the
export trade revived, for a European market
- ls always open at certain prices.
The British worklngraan eats beef when It
can be obtained at low prices, and rarely has
American-dressed beef fetched overdd.,British
currency per pound. Frequently, In years of
abundance and consequent cheapness, American beef has sold in Glasgow, Liverpool, London at 4d. per pound. When a glut has occurred 23. per pound has been accepted.
Eirly during the past summer (1683) the export trade took an upward bound, and the
volume increased until August 14,353 beeves
were exported, the appraised value of which
was $1,529,023. During the month of August,
1882, 788 beeves were exported, the appraised
value of which was 531,505. In 1881 (August)
4,093 beeves were exported, the appraised value
of which was $118,095. The export trade In
dressed beef varied also for the period under
review, as prices controlled the extentof business. For the year 1831,1882 and 1883 the export trade In sheep did not experience like
uncertainty, whereas mutton ran down the
scale, so that in June and August of 1832 there
were no export, of mutton. In July, 1882, 9,-
801 pounds were exported, the appraised value
of which was $380; for July, 1881,125,101 pounds
were exported, the appraised value of which
was $11,825. July, 1883, fell far short of this,
the exhibit being 09,195 pounds, and the appraised value of $5,630.
American-bred sheep are as yet not so good
In mutton as to command the trade In Great
Britain, while, on the other hand, American-
bred cattle can challenge the world as to excellence both of grain and flavor. American
grade herds are alsoquick to mature, especially so the Short-horn stock. From this lt Is
believed that with our breeders and herd
owners rests the control of the foreign market by the exercise of due care and sound
Judgment.   Oar climate affords grass, winter
keep and the diversity of temperature necessary to produce good beef at such a cost as
will enable exporters tosecnre a reasonable
profit. On the other hand, our flock owners
must improve their flocks, lf the United States
are to advance In supplying mutton for Europe. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
THE  CROPS.
Flgnres  Shotting the Yield of Wlit-at,
Corn, Oats and Barley for 1883.
Jitivtes Is'low, the general average condition
being R0.    ■
The October corn report of the Department
of Agriculture at Washington fully sustains
tbe summary of the 10th of September relative to Injuries by frost on the 8th, 9th and
10th. There were light frosts later, the most
noticeable being on the 18th In Northwest.
Tbe State averages of condition show the extent of Injury, which was greatest In Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio.New York. There was
also servere loss In Mlnnessotaand Dakota,
and some damages In the elev-teM portions of
Pennsylvania and West Virginia, and In the
northern counties of Indiana and Illinois, In
the least advanced fields; but scarcely any in
Nebraska, and none In Kansas. Frost, is reported in a few places In northern Kentucky
find Missouri. There ls no mention of frosts
In any States south of Pennsylvania. The
reductlon'ln State averages is: Michigan from
60 to 45; Wisconsin, from 76 to 60; Ohio, from
82 to 63; New York, from 77 to 67; the reduction
is seven points In Illlnolsand flveln Indiana.
The high September figures have been materially reduced by tbe frosts, aDd drouth has
become more apparent, causing slight reductions In tbe September estimates In many
Southern States. The general average condition for the field Is 78, six points less than on
the 1st of September,"Tour from frosts In the
North, and two from drouth on the Atlantic
seaboad. Sonth of the frost areas lt ls five
points below the Oitober average of 1882.
While there ls 4 percent, Increase In the area,
It'ls twenty-one points lower than the October average of the census crop. The product
of the year will be close to 1,690,000,000 bushels,
with more soft corn than last year, mostly in
regions that consume their entire crop.
The returns of yields of wheat per acre Indicate a production of about 2>,bushel» per acre
less than tho crop of last year. It Is but V/_
bushels per acre In Ohio, and 10 In Illinois,
and but a fraction above 10 In Indiana. It ls
above 12 In Michigan, and 13 In Minnesota,
Iowa and California., The Missouri average
Is 12 bushels: Dakota and Nebraska exceed 16,
and the Kansas average ls about 17. These
averages are, In several States, based on system etlc counts ofthe results. While a re-
vision of the records of the season may cause
slight local changes, lt Is certain that tbe
final average yield will not differ much from
1L3 bushels per acre. The aggregate will exceed 400,000.000 bushels, and may reach 420,000,-
000. The quality ls not up to the average
yield.
The yield of oats is a full average for*
series of years, or about 28 bushels for the
whole country. The range of State averages
In the West is from 30 In Missouri to 41 In
Kansas, and 86 In the Northwest. Nebraska
and Kansas have the largest yields. The crop
will aggregate about 600,000,000 bushels. The
quality ls high, averaging 89; 100 ls standard.
The barley crop will average between one
and two bushels per acre more than last
year, and will approximate 60,000,000 bushels,
California, New York, Minnesota and Wisconsin contribute three-fourths of the whole
crop. The total crop 1stnbetter condition
than In any year since 1875. The average is
93, while the October averages In 1872 and
1878 were each 80. The prospect is favorable
for a crop above medlnm.
The tobacco crop will be below the average
In yield. The average condition la Kentucky
is 77; in Virginia, 64; In Maryland, the crop
will be good
HEEDS OF THE BOIL.
From tbe August bulletin from the New
York Agricultural Experiment Station at
Geneva, N. Y., the following ls copied as an
analysis of the ashes of a yellow flint corn,
the "Wnushakura:"
1'otaib _._ _  81 E«
Bota „ oto
Magnesia.  _ ...11.61
Mme _ „ _ .10 78
Oxide of Iron _ _....   1.28
Pho»i hor'c acid  10 43
Sulphuric acid  z.80
Silica i 19 59
Chlorine..    . t»3
Carbonic acid 5 78
Total 90 88
The result of this series of experiments
shows the necessity of frequent re-enforcements of the nitrogenous elements of the soil
for the successful growth and ripening of the
corn crop.
FARMING STATISTICS
The rapidity of the growth of American
farming Industries ls admirably shown by
the figure**. In the latest census report. The
increase in the production of the principal
crops for the ten years from 1870 to 18S0 ls
shown in the table below:
■ •■ 1880.
43,007,495
-     11.817,327
-    1,751,591,670
.   -   407,858,999
Barley
Buckwheat -
Indian corn    -
Oats     -      -
Rye   -      -      -
Wheat-
Cotton
Wool     -      -      -
Potatos, Irish -
Potatoes, sweet   -
Hay, tons
Tobacco, lbs
Butter, lbs    -
Cheese, lbs
18T0.
29,761,305
9,821,721
750,944,549
-282,107,157
16,1118,705
287,745,626
3,011,996
100,102,387
143,337,473
21,709,824
27,816.048
262,735,311
611,092,683
63,492,153
for every four persons, and over two sheep
for every three persona.
The Wheat Crop of the World.
To the entire commercial world, especially .
to American millers, in view of our large and
Increasing exports of wheat flour, the question, whether Europe will require all our
present surplus wheat Is one of the utmost
Importance. In reply to this question The
New York Produce Exchange Weekly gives
the following estimates of the shortages in
the countries named for the current cereal
year:
Bushels.
United Kingdom 14*>.O0OO0O
France   __ „ 75.000,000
Belgium      18 000,000
Holland   „    10 000.000
Sweden _    1,000 000
German Kmpire. „ 18.000.000
Hwltserland  _ „ _ 10,000,000
Hpalnaud Portugal   _    8,»U,000
Italy (possibly mncb more)   „...„ ?0,000,000
Greece and Mediterranean..    8,000,000
19,831,595
459,483,137
5,755,350
155.081,751
169,45S,539
SI, 378,093
35,205,712
472,062,157
777,250,287
27,272,489
The total lands in farmsln theUnttedStates
was 538,081,835 acres In 18S0, against 407,735,041
acres In 1870. Of this land 284,771,042 acres were
Improved In 18S0, and 188,921,099 acres In 187U.
The value of the farms was $10,197,096,-
776 in I860, against $9,262,803,861 in 1870.
The value of farming Implements and machinery was $406,520,055 in 1SS0. and $316,878,429
In 1870. From this it will be readily seen that
a very large proportion in the number of new
"farms"musthavebeenmadeon the frontier,
since the value has Increased less than 10 per
cent, during the ten years. But while this ls
true, lt Is equally apparent that many small
farms have been absorbed by large ones, the
Increase in acres being but about 30 per cent.
Total y-. „ 313 030,000
The  available  sources of  supply are  estimated as follows:
From— Rusbels.
North America, both coasts 115,000 000 .
Chill - „.'.'.  _...  8^00 TOO
Australia and New Zealand __..._   O.roo.OOO ,  .
British India. __ 85 000,000
Egypt. _ „     300,000 r
French Algeria    1 nro.csoo \
Anstro-llunffary and Danube,  15 000 000
Turkey  _ _    1,000,001
Russia „   _  'O.OGO.UOO   232,000,000
Deficiency on tbls estimate... „„  fij.Cboooo
The requirements of Great Britain   for the
last three crop years have been as follows:
18S2-'8T
(gross Imports, bu. 101.8M,r«2
Domestic wheat.... 72*214,800
1SS1--82
137.8 4,848
18,481,481
1880-*81. -
134,702 088
81,978 368
AGBICULTUBAL ROTES.
The present year's wheat yield In California Is estimated by the California Grain Exchange Committee at 63,000.000 bushels, and
the yield of barley at 15,000,000 bushels.
The following comparative analyses of
American and European barleys by Schwartz
bave been given by the Brewer's Guardian:
Moisture, American, 13 71; European, 15.11.
Starch, American, 06.05; European, 64.14.
Albuminoids, American, 11.41;European 11.22.
Ash, American, 8.23; European, nil. Phosphoric acid, American,0.953; European, 0 995.
The conclusion Is that American barley is
richer In starch and therefore In extract, than
European.
In the year 1880 for each person there were
produced thirty bushels of corn, nine bushels
of wheat, eight bushels of oats, one bushel of
barley, two-fifths of a bushel of rye, one-
tenth of a bale of cotton, three pounds of
wool, two-thirds of a ton of hay, ten pounds
of tobacco, three and one-half bushels bf
Irish potatoes and half a bushel sweet potatoes. There was one hog for every person,
one horse for every five persons,one mule for
The average In  the seed leaf  every twenty-eight persons, one milch cow
Total bn .*... .234,107,832      195,789,312      186,680,378
The present wheat crop of theTJnited King-,
dom ls estimated at 60,000,000bnshels, or 12,000,-
000 below that of last  year, andthe  crop of
France  ls about 100,000,000 bushels less  than,
last year's which was 343,000,000, with   an Importation of flour and wheat equaling 45,250,000
bushels.   India's  largest export of wheat to
Europe has been about 87,000,000 bushels, and
her present   Increased   acreage,   owing  to
unfavorable weather In   some distrlots, will.
not probaby add to that amount.   The average export of Russia, 59,000,000 bushels, will be
cut down by winter killing and damage some'
4,000,000 bushels.
The European rye crop is greatly damaged
and decreased, thus Increasing tbe demand
there for foreign bread grain. These facta
point to a deficient European supply to the
amount of 313,000,000 bushels; to meet which
the above estimates of supplies from all
sources leave a deficiency of 81,000,000 bushels.
If these estimates are approximately correct
an affirmative answer to this question is as-''
sured and our surplus of wheat and flour will
be fully required, and at better prices.
—— a    sa    a .	
American Summers for Wheat Growing*.
"High quality In wheat," remarks the
American Economist, "can only be obtained
where there ls sufficient heat In summer for
Its perfect elaboration. There ls nothing
that will take the place of sunshine. In this
respect the climate ofthe United States is far
better for the production of wheat of high
quality than that of Great Britain. The best
wheat years In England are the dryestand
hottest. With'high farming'there is nothing
which the English wheat-grower so much'
dreads aa a cold, moist summer. Could he be
always sure of an American summer he
could calculate on obtaining an average yield
of not less than forty bushels per acre, and of
the highest quality. But should he make his
land rich enough to produce a heavy crop In,
a dry season, and a cool, moist summer
should ensue.hU wheat will all be laid and not
yield half a crop. So far as the summer climate Is concerned,  therefore,  the American
wheat-grower has everything that he can desire.   Ours ls the climate for 'high farming.'"'