Rensselaer Republican, Volume 15, Number 36, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 May 1883 — 77,000,000. [ARTICLE]

77,000,000.

A Decrease of a ’’Bushel and a Half of Wheat Per Capita This Year. The May Bulletin of the National Agricultural Bureau. The May returns of wheat to the Department of Agriculture at Washington make the condition, compared with the April averages, materially lower in New York, Michigan, Ohio and Illinois. Further injury was wrought by frosts early in April, and in the Northern districts the real damage by the March freezing was more fully disclosed as the covering of snow and ice disappeared. The average is 77 for New York; Michigan 88, Ohio 52, Illinois 66. Further loss is suffered by plowing up large areas in Ohio and Illinois. A reduction in Missouri from 83 to 80 is also reported. In Indiana the average is 75, and New Jersey reports 101, both the same as in April All the remaining Northern States show an improvement since the April report, as well as the Pacific coast, and nearly all the Southern Statea These averages were: Connecticut 96 Mississippi. 93 Pennsylvania. 9f. Texas 87 Delaware, 85iArkansas M Maryland 99 Tennessee. 88 Virginia. 97 West Virginia 98 North Carolina . .96 Kentucky 81 South Carolina 93 Kansas . M Georgia 97 California 77 Alabama 98 Oregon 73 This is an improvement of 15 points in California and 17 in Oregon. The average condition of winter wheat is 83}£, against 80 in April The loss in area from replanting in other crops may be assumed to reduce the prospect to that of April 1. in 1879 and 1880 the general average was 99; in 1881 it was 88; in 1882,102, and in May, of last vear, 100. In former years there were no May returns. Two years ago the average declined to 80 in July. Last year it increased to 104 at the time of cutting. It should be understood that, in the department repoit-i of the condition, 100 means a medium growth with full standand healthy plant. The Ohio and Illinois State reports compare with last year’s crop thus: Ohio reports 56 for May compared with last year, and 6’ compared withaverage crop. The spring wheat area will not be complete till May 15, and will be reported June 1. The statistical agent for 'Dakota makes the probable increase 30 per cent. The agent for Minnesota reported 86 per cent of last year’s area already planted. An increase of 15 per cent is reported in Washington Territory. It is not probable that the increase in the spring wheat area will more that make good the loss of the winter wheat acreage. Without regard to the spring wheat breadth, the present prospect for the winter wheat area, in consideration of the reduced condition and acreage, is 20 per cent less than in May last, representing a loss of about 77,000,090 bushals. the crop abroad. A dispatch from the London statistical agent, under of April 28, reports an improvement in European wheat prospects during the last month. The severity of March was followed by three weeks of dry weather, which was succeeded by one week of invigorating rain The season is still backward, and higher temperature is needed. The small area of spying-sown wheat in England is thin, and much of it will be displaced by barley. In France and Germany rain is needed, and high temperature necessary. With a reduced acreage in Western Europe, and some injury from freezing in March, a reduced crop appears inevitable: In Austria-Hunga y the prospect is favorable for at least a medium crop. cotton. Returns of the progress of cotton-planting show the work is later than usual in every State, and indicate that, on May 1, 74 per cent of the proposed area was planted, when the usual proportion is said to be 84 per cent In Virginia and North Carolina it was very late.' The percentages were: Virginia 15 Mississippi 81 North Carolina 85 Louisiana 81 South Carolina 75 Texas 78 Georgia 73 Arkansas 73 Florida 96 Tennessee 67 Alabama 88