Page images
PDF
EPUB

fact it had no more than one-fourth of its cleared lands in crops. From the annexed table it will be seen that the Scioto valley does not equal the Miami in any product, whether considered in the light of absolute quantities, relative product per acre, or relative proportion of the entire State.

[merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors]

The manifest impression which this table will make when compared with Table No. 2, is that the Scioto Valley is not so fertile as the Miami, but those who have traveled extensively in both are not so ready to concede the superiority of soil to the Miami, but all readily concede that farming seems to be conducted on a much better system in the Miami than in the Scioto Valley. There is undoubtedly less stimulus to cultivate in the Scioto, owing to the want of facilities to export the surplus produce, there being only one mile of railroad to twenty-eight square miles of territory, or about one third of the railroad facilities enjoyed by the Miami Valley. In the year 1863 the Scioto produced just one half the amount of the great staple, wheat, that was produced in the Miami Valley; and upon the whole the system of farming differs from that in the Miami.

From Table No. 5 it will be seen that the farmer in the Scioto Valley having one hundred acres to put into crops, does not follow the precise

proportions which obtain in the Miami-the Scioto farmer puts in less wheat, but more corn; less barley and tobacco, but more meadow. The relative proportion of crops in the Scioto Valley is as follows:

[blocks in formation]

This produces for him nearly 20 bushels per acre of grain and root crops, enabling him to keep eleven head of horses, twenty-two head of cattle, sixty-nine sheep, and thirty-six head of swine. The amount of manure produced from the amount of live stock kept on each hundred acres more than is kept in the Miami, should do something towards increasing the fertility of the soil. The following table shows the analysis of the live stock returns in the Scioto Valley:

[merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][ocr errors][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][ocr errors][merged small][ocr errors][ocr errors][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][ocr errors][ocr errors][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small]

From the data contained in the several tables, we deduce the following as the average agronomic condition of each family of five persons in the Scioto Valley, viz:

1.83 Acres of land in crops to each family.. 16.45

Horses to each family...

[merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small]

Maple sugar

[merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small]
[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

7.45

Acres of land to each family..........67.10 Maple and sorgho syrup

1 This shows a much better condition than in the Miami Valley, yet if the population of Cincinnati and Dayton are deducted from the Miami, and Columbus from the Scioto Valley, then the condition of the Miami families will be greatly superior to that of the Scioto. But we have not deemed it proper to deduct the population of either of the cities from the population of the valleys in which they are situated, because the city population is dependent upon and really derives its breadstuffs from the valley in which it is located.

MUSKINGUM VALLEY.

This valley contains nearly one million more acres o taxable lands than the Miami, and embraces the following counties, viz: Ashland, Carroll, Coshocton, Guernsey, Harrison, Holmes, Knox, Licking, Mus. kingum, Morgan, Noble, Richland, Stark, Tuscarawas, Washington, and Wayne. It embraces what was formerly considered the wheat region of the State. With the exception of a few counties, it lies entirely within the coal or carboniferous formation, has abundant lime and sandstone for industrial and economic purposes; is well watered, and as a hydrostatic basin is unequalled in the State for natural drainage. No considerable portion of it is as level as the western part of the Scioto or Muskingum Valleys; the entire valley is a succession of gentle undulations of surface -in some few instances these undulations are tolerably abrupt, yet there is very little land which is not adapted to agricultural purposes, by reason of the "brokenness" of the country. The agronomic condition of this valley is as follows:

[blocks in formation]

Amount of acres in crops in 1863, measured by the bushel........
Amount of acres in crops in 1863 bearing other crops.

1,011,392

424,660

[merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small]

This valley affords better data for ascertaining the real agricultural condition than either the Scioto or the Miami, because there is no city containing ten thousand inhabitants within its limits, according to the census of 1860. It embraces about one-fifth of the territory of the State, and contains about one-fifth of the population-hence it is not improper to infer that it should produce one-fifth of the gross product of the State In

the fifth column of Table No. 8, it will be seen that very few of the crops are under twenty per cent. or one-fifth in quantity of those produced in the entire State. It is further manifest that all the crops returned, except corn and rye, succeeded better in the Muskingum than in the Scioto Valley. So far as wheat is concerned, this valley cultivated about onefifth of the land in wheat in the State, and produced from it about onefifth of the aggregate amount produced. It falls short of its relative proportional quantity in rye, barley, buckwheat, corn, and oats; it exceeds in potatoes and sorgho, and then falls short on tobacco, clover, and meadow. Its railroad facilities are not equal to those of the Miami, but in course of time these facilities will probably exceed those of the latter-when the mineral resources of this valley are once fully developed, there is no other portion of the State which will require the same amount of facilities for transportation.

[blocks in formation]

From the fourth column in table No. 8, it will be seen that the farmer in the Muskingum Valley having 100 acres to put into crops apportions it as follows, viz:

[merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors]

The grain and root crops yield him 17.73 bushels per acre. In addition to these crops he keeps nearly ten horses, twenty head of cattle, one hundred and twenty head of sheep and nineteen hogs. This valley contains nearly one-third of the aggregate number of sheep in the State, and appears to be admirably adapted for wool growing,

The average agronomic condition of every family of five persons in the Muskingum Valley is as follows:

[merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][ocr errors][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][ocr errors][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small]

Acres of land to each family...........56.85 Maple and sorgho syrups in each family. 8.15 It is conceded by every one capable of entertaining an intelligent opinion on the subject, that the Muskingum Valley is not near so fertile as either the Scioto or Miami valleys are, yet the agronomic condition of every family in the latter is superior to that of those in the Miami. The large proportion of stock kept in this valley must furnish sufficient manure, if properly appropriated, not only to maintain its present state, but gradually to increase its fertility. Corn is better adapted to the Scioto and Miami than the Muskingum Valley, and it is by no means improbable that the turnip crop would be more remunerative than corn at twenty-five bushels per acre.

[merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][ocr errors][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small]
« PreviousContinue »