History of Utah, 1540-1886 - Brigham Young University

FARMS AND CROPS. 721
of wheat being in 1883 about 20 bushels, of oats 33,
of barley 25," and of corn 16 bushels, to the acre;
though in Willard county the average of wheat was
57, z of oats in Cache and Utah counties 53 and 58
bushels, and of barley in the latter nearly 41 bushels. 4
When the pioneers entered the valley in 1847 their
hearts sank within them at the hopeless prospect. The
land seemed barren beyond redemption; but from less
than seventeen acres of its soil were raised, in 1880,
more than 1,250 bushels of grain. 5
According to the census returns for 1880, there
were 9,452 farms in Utah, with a total area of 655,-
524 acres, of which 416,105 were in tilth, their value,
including improvements, being estimated at $14,015,-
178 ; the total value of all farm products at $3,337,410,
and of farming implements and machinery at $946,-
753. The agricultural products of Utah in 1883 more
than sufficed for her needs, 6 and as there was no very
reliable market for the surplus, there was little incentive
to further exertion in this direction. It was
claimed, however, that with more careful cultivation
the yield could be at least doubled on the same acreage,
and it is certain that there were several million acres of
farming land untouched and almost unthought of, on
3 Utah co. produced over 30 and Cache over 29 bushels per acre.
4 Agricultural statistics for Utah will be found in the census reports for
1850, 1860, 1870, 1880. For intervening years, see the files of the Utah Directory
and Gazetteer; Utah Gazetteer; Deseret News; Smith's Rise, Progress, and
Travels, 23; Fabian's Utah, 6, 8-9; Utah Resources and Attractions, 18-19;
Sac. Union, Jan. 9, 1873; S. L. C. Tribune, March 30, 1879; Deseret News,
Nov. 9, 1881; House Ex. Doc, 46th Cong. 2d Sess., 46, 503.
5 By S. A. Woolley. Of wheat, 426 bushels were obtained from 6§ acres,
517 of barley from 5§ acres, and 310 of oats from 3^ acres. Sloan's Utah, 4.
For an essay entitled Utah: Her Attractions and Resources, as Inviting the
Attention of Tourists and Those Seeking Permanent Homes, a prize was awarded
in 18S1 by a committee of Mormons, among whom were Joseph R. Walker
and Wm Jennings, to Robt W. Sloan of the S. L. G. Herald. It was afterward
published as a pamphlet, and contains much reliable information in a
compact form. Mr Sloan is also the compiler of the Utah Gazetteer, and Directory
of Logan, Ogden, Provo, and Salt Lake Cities for 18S/ f , in which is a
valuable compendium of the agricultural, manufacturing, mining, railroad,
and commercial interests of Utah, together with a chronological table and a
description and brief historical sketch of the various counties and settlements.
6 The consumption of wheat was estimated at 900,000 to 1,000,000 bushels
a year, or about 6£ bushels per capita of the population.
Hist. Utah. 46