Appleton's Annual Cyclopaedia and Register of Important Events of the Year Volume 3 (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1890 Excerpt: ...fourth of the entire State. Of this amount about 4,400,000 acres were appropriated to the State to aid in the construction of railroads and the improvement of the Des Moines River; 1,550,000 acres for the support of public schools; 20+,000 acres for the Agricultural College; 46,000 acres of saline lands, the unsold portion of which was transferred to the State University by an act of the General Assembly, approved March 25, 1864; and 1,570,000 acres of swamp lands, including those lands for which cash and land indemnity has been allowed. The State has conveyed to companies, counties, and individuals entitled thereto, about 6,000,000 acres, leaving some 2,000,000 acres to be conveyed in the future. The following table, prepared by the Auditor of the State, shows the live stock assessed in the State for eleven years: Iowa yields the first place to Illinois, and takes the third in rank, on swine. In 1877 about $20,000,000 was lost to breeders and farmers through hog-cholera, of which Iowa contributed nearly $3,500,000. There is but little abatement of the disease. The hogs packed in Iowa in 1876-77 amounted to 419,442; in 1877-'78 to 486,850. The number of sheep in Iowa in 1867 was 1,598,226; 1875,724,204; 1877,818,439; 1878, 288,228--a decrease from 1867 of 1,309,998, directly attributable to dogs. The oat crop was of fine quality and large in quantity; but damaging storms came and largely reduced it when nearly ready for harvest. In 1877 the area was 1,100,000 acres; the product 46,750,000 bushels. For 1878 eight counties report an average yield of 39J bushels per acre, which will give, with the area of 1877, a product of 43,450,000 bushels, a decrease from 1877 of 3,300,000 bushels. The average price was 13 cts. per bushel, a Vol. Xvhi.--29 A decrease of 6 ...