1. The evidence suffices to prove that there is not a State named above which could not set apart five thousand square miles for the cultivation of wheat in a rotation of four without trenching in the slightest degree upon any other crop. 2. In previous essays, in which I have dealt with the potential of the agriculture of this country, I have very guardedly computed but one half our total area of three million square miles (omitting Alaska) as being arable land, suitable for the plow. The returns now in my hands would render it suitable to increase that area to two thirds, or two million square miles subject to cultivation. 3. The area now under the plow for the production of our principal crops for the year 1897 is given in the table below. If miscellaneous crops be added to these principal crops, the cultivated land of this country does not now exceed, and in fact does not reach, twenty per cent of the arable land, while from the cultivated portion a progressive increase in product may be expected under the impetus of improved methods of farming on lessening areas in each farm. ------------+------------+------+-------------+-------+-------------- | Acreage. |Yield.| Product. |Price. | Value. ------------+------------+------+-------------+-------+-------------- | | Per | Bushels. |Cents. | | |acre. | | | Maize | 80,095,051 | 23.8 |1,902,967,933| 26.3 | $501,072,952 Wheat | 39,465,066 | 13.4 | 530,149,168| 80.8 | 428,547,121 Oats | 25,730,375 | 27.2 | 698,767,809| 21.2 | 147,974,719 Barley | 2,719,116 | 24.5 | 66,685,127| 37.7 | 25,142,139 Rye | 1,703,561 | 16.1 | 27,363,324| 44.7 | 12,239,647 Buckwheat | 717,836 | 20.9 | 14,997,451| 42.1 | 6,319,188 |------------+------+-------------+-------+-------------- All grain |150,431,005 | |3,240,930,812| |$1,121,295,766 Hay | 42,426,770 | 1.43 | 60,664,876| 6.62 | 401,390,728 Cotton | 23,273,209 | | 8,532,705| 6.78 | 291,811,564 |------------| | | |-------------- |216,130,984 | | | |$1,814,498,058 ------------+------------+------+-------------+-------+-------------- Maize 125,150 square miles; Wheat 61,660 " " Oats 40,200 " " Barley 4,250 " " Rye 2,660 " " Buckwheat 1,120 " " ------- 235,040 " " Hay 66,290 " " Cotton 36,520 " " ------- 337,850 " "