Of the 62,460,16oac. land area of Wyoming almost half was privately owned in 1935. National forests included 8,472,022ac. ; government withdrawals of oil, coal and phosphate lands included 3,674,9oiac. more. Farm lands included 28,162, 000ac. Of this, 3,442,000ac. were classified as available for crops, 25,592,0ooac. as pasture land, and 596,000ac. as woodland. Of the crop land 1,22o,000ac. were harvested. Live stock and land values reached their peak in 1929; then agriculture suffered severe depression from which it had not wholly recovered in 1935. In 1930 there were 824,000 head of cattle valued at $45,688,003. By 1935 cattle had increased to 858,000 in number but decreased in value to $14,554,304. Sheep in 1930 numbered
head and were valued at $28,120,985. In 1935 there were 3,475,723 head valued at $16,162,112. The sheep industry had been slow in recovering due to a continuing depression in wool prices. The promise of a future rise has caused slight expan sion. In 1930 there were 23,525,000ac. of farm property valued at $206,852,000. By 1935 the taxable land had increased 4,637,000ac., but property value decreased $4o,o78,000. This meant that the average value per acre had dropped from $6.99 to $2.68. The State board of equalization gives the following average land values for 1936: irrigated first class land, $32.90; irrigated second class land $20.84; dry farmed $4.22; grazing, $1.52. These values are slightly lower than those for 1935. Despite the decreased value of farming land the number of farms increased from 16,011 in 1930 to 17,487 in 1935. What actually happened was that the average size of farms increased from 1,469 to 1,610 acres. Be tween 1921 and 1929 irrigated lands under cultivation decreased from 482,262ac. to 405,027ac., showing that they were holding their own. Between 1929 and 1934 crop land decreased from 2,104,000 to 1,772,00o, while pasture lands increased from 20,837, 00o to 25,592,o9oac., showing that the extra acreage per farm was used for grazing purposes. The valuation of land and buildings in 1935 was $166,774,000 and the average valuation per farm $9,537 as compared with $12,919 in 1930. Farm population increased from 73,152 in 1930 to 74,507 in
Crop Production.—The total value of all crops in Wyoming was, in
$18,012,000; in
$16,854,000; in 1935, $19,840, 000. Hay is the leading crop, both in acreage and value, 1,114, 000ac. in 1935 yielding 1,351,00o tons valued at $9,640,000. There were 410,818ac. of alfalfa, the leading variety of hay cultivated producing 1.4 tons per acre. Wheat is second in value, 246,00oac. in 1935 yielding 2,706,00obu. valued at $2,409,000. Indian corn increased from i i,000ac. in 1910 to 86,000ac. in 1920 and 226, 000ac. in 1935. Its acreage in 1934 actually surpassed the wheat acreage but was below it in value, in 1935 it was $1,492,000. Goshen, Laramie, Platte, Campbell and Crook, in order, were the leading corn-growing counties. Oats to the amount of 2,730, 000bu., valued at $1,010,000, were produced in io5,00oac. in 1935. Potatoes valued at $1,618,000 were raised on 29,00oac., the yield being 9obu. per acre. The production of sugar-beet decreased from 593,000 tons in 1933 to 434,00o tons in 1934 and increased to 525,000 tons in 1935. Their sugar content, 17.01% in 1934, is unusually high. Barley, rye and beans were grown in 1935 to a value of $100,000 to $650,000 each. About 23,000bu. of apples also were produced in 1934, valued at $36,280.
In 1933, 185,000 head of cattle, and 259,000 head of sheep and 43,00o head of pigs were shipped from the State. The tendency to ship live stock east to the corn belts for fattening is decreasing, and more of the feeding is done at home. Such feeding is increasing with the development of western markets, more and more of Wyoming's live stock each year being shipped to the west. Wyoming has long ranked among the leading States in wool production, her output reaching 38,400,000lb. in 1910.
In 1920 and 1921 she held first place among the States, third in 1922, 1923 and 1924, second in 1925. Since then she has generally come after Texas and Montana. The yield in 1934 was 33,21 2,000lb., in 1935 it was estimated at 30,153,000lb. Because of the cool nights Wyoming sheep have heavy fleeces, those in 1935 averaging 9.51b. as compared with 8.01b. for U. S. A. as a whole.
Dairying suffered a slight decline, the amount of milk produced fell from 32,879,000gal. in 1929 to 29,526,000gal. in 1935. Chickens in 1935 were valued at $317,279 and turkeys at $121,534. The turkeys especially have seen a very marked de crease from 233,016 valued at $672,636 in 1929 to 54,015 valued at
in 1934. Bee colonies increased from about 24,700 in 1925 to 29,700 colonies in 1926. Honey yields per colony in i Wyoming are very high, averaging 107lb. n 1923 and 951b. in 1924 as compared with 39.11b. and 46.21b. for the United States as a whole in these years.
Wyoming's most important mineral resources, coal, petroleum and phosphate, are of the bulky sort and their develop ment was long retarded by inadequate transportation facilities. The value of all mineral products in 1909 was $10,572,188; in 1919, $41,928,788; in 1929, $51,237,000 i 1,237,000 and in
$27,640,000. During these latter years mining fell from its place as the lead ing Wyoming industry.
Foremost in value is petroleum. Capt. Bonneville reported oil springs near Lander as early as 1832. Oil from such springs was used by the early trappers as liniment, and by the overland emi grants for wagon grease. In 1883 and 2884 the first three wells were drilled near Lander, but lack of transportation facilities made it impossible to market the product on a paying basis. Not until production leaped from 187,000bbl. in 1911 to 1,572,000bbl. in 1912 did Wyoming become an important oil-producing State. From 1912 to 1916 the rate of increase was about i,000,000bbl. an nually. By 1920 production amounted to 16,831,00obbl., by 1921 to 19,333,000 barrels. Due to intensive developments in the Salt Creek district production leaped again from 26,715,00obbl. in 1922 to 44,785,00obbl. in 1923. Then the wells began to give out ; in 1929 production fell to 19,314,00obbl., and by 1935 to 13,650, 000bbl. The value of this output during the years 1923, 1924, 1931 and 1934 was respectively $48,900,000, $48,600,000, $11, 120,000 and $10,550,000. Of the 1934 production 6,520,o0obbl. came from the Salt Creek district 40m. north of Casper. Oregon Basin, Big Muddy, Frannie and Lost Soldier, the next most im portant oil districts, were producing between 88o,000bbl. and 1, 605,00obbl. each. The construction of a pipe-line in 1924 from the Salt Creek and Teapot Dome fields across Nebraska and Kansas to Freeman, Mo., a distance of loom., enabled the petroleum from Wyoming to enter into competition with oil from the mid-conti nent fields. The development of its petroleum resources kept Wyoming in a fairly prosperous condition during the years imme diately following the World War when depression was so general in other industries. Royalties contributed millions of dollars to the State treasury, thereby lessening the taxation burden through out the State. Oil fields and oil towns furnished a good market for labour and for agricultural produce. In its petroleum output Wyoming in 1935 ranked ninth among the States. The U. S. geological survey estimates its petroleum resources to be 553, 000,00obbl. valued at $1,107,000,000. In addition, its oil shale deposits are estimated to contain 20,000,000,00obbl. worth $40, 000,000,000. This last reserve is only beginning to be developed, the first plant for the treatment of oil shale being erected in 1925. In addition to petroleum proper, 23,148,000 cu.ft. of natural gas valued at
was produced in
and 34,799,000gal. of natural gas gasolene valued at $1,598,000.