eal objections to this variety, but both
may be partly obviated by cutting as soon as the grain is out of the milky
stage.
3. Corn.—The usual average yield per acre is forty-five bushels.
The crop, this year, has been generally estimated from five to ten bushels
below the average, but so far as gathered has exceeded the expectation
of the farmer, and will approach very nearly to an average yield.
Our farmers generally plant what they call the "large yellow,"
and "large white " corn, having no other generally received
distinctive names for the different varieties. There is more yellow corn
raised than white. As a whole, the yellow corn ripens earlier, and is
more sound and more weighty. The white will yield more to the acre, and
is preferred by our housewives for meal. I suppose the aggregate amount
grown in the county is about 2,150,000 bushels, and its value $537,500.
4. Oats,— The usual average yield, about twenty-five bushels. A
little less the past year. Aggregate of the county is probably 35,000
bushels.
5. Rye and Barley.—Very little rye grown; not so much as formerly.
Usual product per acre about eighteen bushels. Winter barley yields from
twenty-five to thirty bushels per acre; spring barley half less. Usual
price in the nearest market about 60 cents per bushel. The amount sown
is yearly increasing.
6. Grass and Hay.—The grasses most approved for meadow, are timothy,
and a mixture of timothy and clover—the former for horses—the
latter for cattle and sheep. For pasture, a mixture of timothy and clover
is usually sown; but herd's grass and orchard grass are beginning to be
used. Timothy is usually worth $4 to $6, and yields one and one-half tons
per acre.
7. Root crops.—Potatoes usually yield from eighty to one hundred
bushels per acre. Neshanocks have generally been preferred, but rot badly,
and I think are not so good for the table as formerly. I have tried cutting
off the tops and application of salt as a remedy for rot, without any
apparent effect. Early planting is preferred.
8. Fruit.—The fruit of our county is pretty good; but our farmers
exercise too little care and judgment in selecting such kinds as are really
good, and adapted to our soil and climate. On the whole there is a gradual
improvement.
9. Seeds.— Have no data from which to make any accurate statement.
Clover seed is, to a small extent, an article of export. Timothy is not
produced beyond the home demand. Very little flax grown.
10. Dairy Products.—There is a growing attention to the production
of milk and butter for the Cincinnati market. Very little cheese made.
No means of ascertaining the amount of butter manufactured. The native
cows generally preferred for the dairy.
11. Sheep and Wool.—the books of the Auditor show that there are
28,634 sheep in the county; these would yield at least 3 1/2 pounds of
wool per head (washed on the sheep's back), worth 25 cents per pound.
Total value, $28,262. Decrease in two years, 2,127 head. Merinos preferred—considered
hardier than Saxony sheep—fleece heavier. Quality improving. Dogs
destructive.
12. Pork.—41,717 hogs were returned for taxation this year; estimating
these to average 240 pounds when slaughtered, and to be worth 2 1/4 cents
per pound, the whole would weigh 10,012,080 pounds, and the total value
is $275,832. Our farmers generally feed late, and I have put the average,
perhaps, too low. We think our stock as good as, if not better, than that
of any other county or State. We have for more than thirty years had what
is now called the " Old Warren County stock," which is generally
thought to be a mixture of the China and Russia breeds, and on this have
crossed the Berkshire, Irish Grazier, and Chester County (Penn.) White.
13. Beef.—No means of ascertaining the facts inquired after under
this head. Some few individuals, and also the Society of Shakers in this
county, have for several years given especial attention to this branch
of business, and find it profitable; and our farmers are slowly learning
that it is more profitable, and quite as easy to raise a good animal as
it is a poor one. Durhams are preferred.
14. Horses and Mules.—l suppose about 2,000 horses are annually
produced in our county, and that about 1,200 are exported. The average
value of horses at three years old is about $60.
15. Implements.—Threshing machines have been in use many years,
and new kinds with separator and fans attached have recently been introduced
and approved. Rollers are coming into more general use. A few are experimenting
with wheat drills, and sub-soil plows are beginning to be inquired for,
though few have been introduced.
16. Other Improvements,—Have heard of no experiments in the renovation
or enrichment of soils, but there is, manifestly, increased attention
paid to rotation of crops, clovering, and preserving and applying barn-yard
manure. Under-draining has, within a few years, been resorted to by several
of our enterprising farmers for the recovery of their wet lands, and with
encouraging results. How this can be done most thoroughly, most permanently,
and, at the same time, most cheaply, is beginning to be an important question
with many of us, and I hope that by another year we can give our quota
of facts having a bearing upon these points.
As a strong evidence of progress and prospective improvement, I have
the satisfaction