AGRICULTURE. For several years following 1870 Illinois exceeded all other States in the per cent. of its farm area, in the per cent. of farm land improved, and the acreage in crope, and at the end of the century was exceeded in these respects by only one State—Iowa. Ac cording to the census of 1900, 91.5 per cent. of the land area was included in farms, of whieh 84.5 per cent. was improved. each of these pc! cents. being the largest given in any Illinois cen sus. In the greater part of the State the soil is a black loam of great fertility. The average size of farms decreased gradually until 1880; since then it has remained almost constant, being 124 acres in 1900. The per cent. of tenant-operated farms is rapidly increasing, amounting in 1900 to 39 per cent. of the total number. The share system of renting is most common. 'rile products raised are of great variety, but corn has always been predominant, the number of acres devoted to it, cultivation being twice that of any other crop. For a lung time Illinois was the foremost corn State, but in recent years that place has Lad' surrendered to Iowa, while Kansas and Ne braska have each in occasional years had a greater acreage. A very high point in the corn production in Illinois was reached in the late seventies, followed by a gradual falling Mt of nacre than one-third; it revived. however, in the decade the figure for the latter year being the highest readied. In I tiSt1 3,200,000 acres under wheat exceeded that for any other State; but for the last decade of the century it has averaged only a little over half that amount, sales, $14,477,813 being received from the sale of milk. other cattle during the last decade of the century nave a little less than •,000,000 head, being less in the preceding decade, but now giving the State about fifth rank. For two decade, hugs have exceeded 5,000,000 head, Iowa being the only successful rival. Less atten tion has been given to sheep, which have decreased in number more than half since 1870. The State ranks next to Missouri in number of domestic fowls. The following tables, taken from the census returns for 1890 and 1900, show the rela tive importance of the ditTerent crops and va rieties of farm animals, and the changes which have occurred during the decade: giving the State a low rank. Oats show just the
opposite tendency, the crop prior to 1880 having an annual acreage of less than 2.000,000 acres, but since 1885 averaging 3,500,000 acres, the State ranking next to Iowa. Hay, which for the (kende had an annual acreage of fiver 3,000,000 acres, dropped below that figure in the succeeding ten-year period. Illinois is one of the most important potato-producing States with an average acreage of over 150,000 acres. All these crops are grown throughout the State, but the northern part is found espe cially adapted to hay, the north and central to corn. the eastern to oats, and the southwestern to wheat. Rye and barley are most extensively raised in the northern portion of the State, sor ghum, tobacco, and castor beans in the south ern, and broom-corn is grown in the central. In the production of the last, the State exceeds; all others. Peaches and pears are raised chiefly in the southern part, while apples, grapes, and other fruits are common throughout the State. In 1900 the apple-trees numbered 13, 430,000. or 74 per cent. of the total fruit-trees, having nearly doubled in number during the dec ade ending with that year. The per cent., how cr, of increase for all other varieties of fruit tiees was 11111(.11 greater than for apple-trees. In the vicinity of hieago large quantities of small fruits and other prodnets are grown for the Chi cago market-. In most parts of Illinois expen sive farm drainage systems need to be maintained.
srot KiZAISIN“. There being an enormous pro du•tion of corn and other kinds of stock feed, stock-raising naturally assumes great promi nence. For many years the number of horses ex eeeded 1.000.000, giving the State first rank until 1900. when it was exeeeded by Iowa. Large numbers of mules are also raised. The mild' cows number about 1,000.000. only Iowa and New York exceeding this figure. Dairy products— milk and butter—constitute one of the leading sources of wealth. and are exceeded in impor tance in but two other States. In 1899 the dairy product was valued at $29,638,619. Of that sum 64.3 per cent. was actually realized from