Ohio and Louisiana contain about the same number of square miles. The population of Ohio in 1860 was 2,377,917, whilst the free population of Louisiana was 354,245, and the slave 312,186, making a total of 666,431, or less than onethird of the population of Ohio; and yet the exports from Louisiana, as reported above, are a fraction over 378 times the value of those of Ohio. The exports of Michigan-a State one-fourth larger, but having a population of about one-third only that of Ohio, exports a fraction over thirteen times as much in value as does Ohio, if the above statement is correct. Now, if the exports from the several States, as named above, are correct, it then appears that Ohio exports for every inhabitant of the State products worth 11 cents; Michigan, $5.07; Louisiana, $161.64; or, in other words, an inhabitant of Louisiana exports one thousand four hundred and five times as much as one of Ohio, and that Michigan exports forty-four times as much as Ohio. A glance at the list of articles exported will convince any reflecting mind that many articles are exported from Louisiana which she does not produce-for example, she exports $515,852 worth of flour, whilst Ohio exports according to this list $13,137 only, and Michigan exports about forty times as much as Ohio! It is a well known fact that Louisiana is not a wheat growing State; at least, not forty times as good as Ohio, as one would be led to infer from these figures. Louisiana exports on this same basis double the amount of pork that Ohio does, and in lard Ohio is nowhere in comparison with Louisiana. Michigan exports twelve times as much pork as Ohio, and at the same time exports $373,196 of live hogs, whilst Ohio exports none! Louisiana exports potatoes, butter, cheese, apples and beef, whilst Ohio exports none! Louisiana exports $96,166,118 of cotton, $7,434,909 of tobacco, $1,228,793 of lard; Indian corn, tallow, hams and bacon, beef and horses, equal to a half million more! whilst it is well known that sugar is the staple crop of Louisiana. Assuming that Louisiana does export of her own products to the amount of $107,812,580 per annum, it follows that every square mile of her territory must produce $2,547.61 in excess of what is required for home consumption, exclusive of the sugar crop. But as not over one-third of that State is annually cultivated, exclusive of the sugar crop, (and then the cultivation is not as good or as complete as in Ohio,) it follows that every square mile must produce $7,642.83 for exportation, or $119.42 per acre exclusive of the sugar crop. A State which produces potatoes, wheat, rye, oats, corn, apples, sheep, hogs, horses and cattle, besides butter and cheese, certainly has no occasion to import any breadstuffs. No reflecting mind can be induced to believe that any kind of crops can be grown throughout the length and breadth of an entire State which will yield breadstuffs enough for the home population, and export surplus products to the amount of $119.42 per acre. Louisiana does export in good faith all that is claimed for her, but she does not produce it; her exports are such as seek an exit through the mouths of the Missis. sippi river from the entire Mississippi valley-from Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Mississippi, Kentucky, Tennessee and Alabama. According to the sales of cattle, reported in the New York Tribune, Ohio exports to New York City about 50,000 head of cattle annually-these bring on an average say $60 a head: this item alone makes $3,000,000. Then Ohio exports to Albany for the Brighton (Mass.) market, to Baltimore, Philadelphia, etc., at least 100,000 head more, making $6,000,000. Experienced cattle dealers estimate the shipments of cattle from Ohio at $10,000,000 annually. Aside from this we export horses, hogs and sheep, as well as bacon, hams, butter, cheese, eggs and beef. Ohio exports from 10 to 12,000,000 bushels of wheat in grain and in the form of flour; she produces annually about 70,000,000 bushels of Indian corn, which is largely exported in the grain, in the form of whisky, etc, etc. In 1852 the exports from Ohio, as near as it could be computed from records kept by the railroad companies, canals and custom-houses, amounted to $43,238,518 of agricultural products. It is not unfair to assume that, if a precise account of every article exported had been kept, it would have amounted to $50,000,000, and, with our increased facilities of transportation since 1852, it is fair to presume that the exports have increased. The exports from Ohio, as reported by the Secretary of the United States Treasury, has reference only to such articles as were shipped from Ohio direct to ports beyond the boundaries of the United States; and there is probably no data in existence from which the inter-States' exports can be obtained The exports of manufactures from Ohio will amount to many millions per annum. It therefore appears desirable that some steps should be taken by the proper authorities to ascertain not only the actual amount of agricultural products grown in the State, but at the same time to ascertain the actual amount of exports. That farming in Ohio is profitable, may be inferred from the fact that in many portions of the State the agricultural population is decreasing; the cause of which may be attributed to intelligent and successful farmers purchasing adjoining tracts from smaller farmers, the improved style and appearance of farm buildings as compared with those of thirty and forty years ago, the more expensive style of living and dress found on almost every farm in the State, as compared with that of twenty-five years ago, the vast sums of money annually expended by farmers for implements and machinery, which thirty or forty years ago were entirely unknown, and finally, we infer that farming is profitable from the fact that farmers, as a class, are less indebted in proportion to the amount of property possessed by them, than any other class of community. Whilst Ohio has nobly set the example of collecting annual statistics of a portion of the agricultural products of the State, would it not be well to collect statis. tics of all the products, as well as of all the exports? At the close of each year the State can then make out a balance sheet, and exhibit to the world how much it has produced more than it consumes, can demonstrate how much new wealth it has created. Such statements will not only serve to efface a false impression which politicians have disseminated, viz: that the Southern States produce more largely for export than Northern ones, and that most of the wealth of the nation has been derived from Southern industry. Statements of the statistical character indicated will not only place Ohio properly on the record at home, but will give her credit abroad. Annexed are the crop returns of Ohio for 1869 and 1860, also the number of live stock for 1860. JOHN H. KLIPPART, |