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CONSUMPTION OF COAL IN THE LAKE REGIONS.

The following is the first statement of the amount of mineral coal consumed on the waters of the northern lakes. At some of the ports where it is received from the interior it is not practicable to ascend to the very first receipts, but the quantity which arrived prior to the dates below given must have been small. A large portion, probably one-half, of that for Buffalo and Oswego, is the anthracite or hard coal, and the remainder bitumious.

It is only recently that railroads have delivered coal in large quantities, but they are already competing with the canals for that business. At Chicago, prior to 1857, the railways had brought in 13,559 tons only; in 1857, they delivered 30,671 tons, and the canal only 6,566. Of the amount that reached Buffalo in 1857, 13,778 came by rail. At Cleveland during the year next previous to January 1st, 1858, the roads delivered 185,574 tons, and the canals 135,816.

About one-half of all the coal business of the lakes has been done at Cleveland. Of this there had been, prior to January 1st, 1856, only 78.048 tons brought in by railroads. The column of totals shows a remarkably rapid and uniform increase in the use of coal. In the interior of the country, especially in the mining regions, the same thing is observed. The stack furnaces of Northern Ohio, that use raw coal in making pig iron, consume about 50 tons a day each.

As the metal thus produced from Lake Superior ores is nearly equal in value to charcoal pig, we may expect a large increase of such furnaces. The demand for coal is not likely therefore to diminish.

MINERAL COAL RECEIVED AT THE LAKE PORTS FROM CANALS AND RAILROADS.

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TOBACCO IN FRANCE.

The quantity of tobacco used in France is now, as seen in the operations of the "Regie" for 1855, as follows:

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Per 100 kilos., Quantity,

Value,

f. C.

kilogramines.

francs.

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To this cost of raw material was to be added transportation, 287,777 francs, and other expenses, making together 53,746,326 francs. The sales of the Regie were as follows:-

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Total profit of year..................

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The stocks of tobacco on hand at the close of the two years were as follows:

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In 1835 the receipts were 74,000,000 francs, and every year since has shown an increase of profits, which have risen from 51,000,000 francs to 99,000,000 francs, or an average of 2,000,000 francs annual increase of profits. This is a very singular result for a government operation, and would afford an example of integrity for employees of governments in some countries. It will be observed that American leaf is the great staple of the manufacture, being rather more than one-half, but that the stock of it on hand has much increased at the close of the last year. It also commands the highest price which the government pays for raw tobacco, being 30 per cent more than French growth. The sales of cigars seem to be small; they are of a size 250 to the kilogramme of 2.2 pounds, which would give 9 pounds to the thousand. The average prices of these is 45f. 32c. per kilogrammme, or 181 francs ($34 50) per thousand.

STATISTICS OF AGRICULTURE, &c.

VINE-GROWING IN MISSOURI.

A correspondent of the New York Tribune thus describes a visit to the vinyard of Missouri. That class of industry is destined, no doubt, to reach a great magnitude in this country. In Ohio 400,000 gallons are made annually, worth $1,000,000. In California the business receives an immense development, but Missouri is described as peculiarly fitted for it :

I stopped first at Herman, (about eighty miles from St. Louis,) and in waiting at the tavern for a vine-grower, whose place I was to visit, I watched the people coming in. There was something extremely social and careless about them, yet at the same time they seemed like thrifty, well-to-do people. Very few called at the bar for whisky or brandy; but the most took a glass together of the light native wine, and chatted socially over it, sometimes sitting at a table to do so, which civilized custom has yet to be introduced in most parts of the United States.

The talk was a good deal of vines and land. At length the vine-grower whom I expected came in, and I accompanied him through the village. It is a very comfortable, thriving-looking little town, the houses built mostly of brick, with pleasant gardens surrounding them. The population is about 1,200, of which I understand there is not one an American. The place has two or three schools, supported by public funds, and two churches-one Lutheran and one Catholic. My friend's vineyard lies upon one of the hills overlooking the Missouri. "Ein herrliches land!"" a glorious country!" he says, with enthusiasm, as we reach the top and cast our eyes over the landscape. For miles away on the side of the river where we were, there was a broken view of vine-topped hills, while the lower slopes were heavy with rich woods, and the valleys green with grain. Beyond the river a luxuriant growth of cottonwood and sycamore covered the rich flats. In the country beyond these, Mr. R. said, were some of the richest plantations of the State, worked by negroes.

Mr. R.'s house was a little house, such as any new settler might have, but you notice the contrast to the usual American's cabin in the few flowering trees left near by, and some truly German garden-beds laid out under the windows. Otherwise, the whole hill slope was covered with vines, usually trained on two poles bound together, about five feet apart. This German had been there some twelve years, and now possessed a most valuable little property. His wine had taken the prize lately in St. Louis, even over Longworth's Catawba. Most of the settlers, he said, were very prosperous, and their wine was coming into great demand. They covered the barren hill-tops far in the interior with their vineyards. They lived a good deal by themselves, and had nothing to do with the slaveholding Americans, and he believed had a happier life than any other Germans in the Western country. The town had produced last year some 80,000 gallons of wine.

The good situations for vineyards, he states, cost from $1 to $5 an acre; those which are already improved, $15 or $20. It needs three or four years' preparation before a vineyard pays its cost. During this time the vine-grower can support himself by farming and other work. Still, to succeed, each new immigrant should have some $200 or $300 capital to build his wine cellar and house, buy his cattle, and pay extra labor. After three or four years, the vineyard will yield on an average from 250 to 300 gallons of wine to the acre; a very favorable site has been known to produce 1,000 gallons, and 400 was the lowest Mr. R.'s place had given. One man, with industry, can manage five acres. The wine is worth from $1 25 to $1 35 per gallon, so that $100 an acre is a common return. Mr. R. had sold his wood on the place the first year for $300, and had received one VOL. XXXIX.-NO. III.

25

year 400 gallons from half an acre. It will be seen at once that no other agriculture of the United States presents such returns. Of other expenses, the wages of labor are now from 75 cents to $1 a day, or $12 to $15 a month; a cow costs from $18 to $20; a pair of oxen, $45 to $50; a horse, $60 to $70. Wood is worth about $2 50 a cord; potatoes, 10 cents a bushel, and wheat 50 cents. Labor is always in demand, and, as may be seen from the prices of food, is exceedingly well paid. The best varieties of vines he had found to be the North Virginia Seedling, Catawba, and Isabella.

Thus far the climate has been more favorable to the vineyards than it is in Germany. They have had no year in which the yield has not paid the labor; while on the Rhine, as is well known, there will be years in which the proprie tors of the vineyards get no return at all, and the poor tenants, who make up the population of vine-dressers, fall into great distress and poverty. The worst weather in Missouri is the sultry, moist heat of July-only a few sorts can survive this; but the frosts and storms of September and October, which destroy the vines or fruit in Germany, the American vineyards entirely escape. I asked Mr. R. what effect he considered this culture of the vine to have on the habits of his countrymen. He thought that those living in this vine region were much more sober than the Germans of the cities, and that the native wine was already driving out whisky and brandy from use among the Americans.

WINE CROP OF AUSTRIA.

The culture of the vine in Austria is second in rank only to that of France, notwithstanding which, with the exception of some of the finest Hungarian wines, the Austrian products are nearly unknown to the general markets. Some of the largest wine dealers have lately undertaken to extend the sales of Austrian wines, but as yet with more honor than profit. The following shows the annual products of the different States :-

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The ohm is of various capacities-that of Cologne is 36 gallons, which would give a product of nearly 1,500,000,000 gallons for a population of 60,000,000 people, or 25 gallons per head.

In the French wine districts the grape disease is said to be renewing its ravages, although in but few localities, and may be controlled by the application of sulphur. The demand for consumption has been more active in Bercy. In Bordelais the fine promise of the crops keeps down the price. The promise is also good in Beaume, Macon, and Burgundy. The prices of old wines are very firm. In Paris, however, prices are lower.

THE GOVERNMENT AND AGRICULTURE.

The House of Representatives at Washington has passed a bill donating land to the several States for the benefit of agriculture and the mechanic arts. The bill was introduced by Mr. Morrill, and passed by yeas 104, nays 101. It grants six millions three hundred and forty thousand acres of land, to be apportioned to each State in a proportionate degree with its number of Senators and

Representatives--which is equal to twenty thousand acres for each Senator and Representative in Congress--to which the States are now respectively entitled. The proceeds of the sales of these lands are required to be invested in stocks of the United States, or of the States, or some other safe stocks, and the money so invested to constitute a perpetual fund, the interest of which shall be inviolably appropriated by each State to the endowment, support, and maintenance of at least one college, where the leading object shall be, without excluding other scientific or classical studies, to teach such branches of learning as relates to agriculture and the mechanic arts, in such manner as the Legislatures of the States may prescribe, in order to promote the liberal and practical education of the industrial classes in the several pursuits and professions of life.

IRISH AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS.

The annual tables are published by the Registrar-General, Mr. Donnelly. They now appear in a much better arranged form, the acreage and the produce per acre being placed side by side, thus enabling the reader, at a single glance, to make the requisite comparison. They also show "the estimated average produce of the crops for the year 1857, and also of the diversity of weights used in buying and selling corn, potatoes, and flax in Ireland."

With regard to the first, the extent, the estimated total produce, and the estimated average yield per statute acre of the principal crops grown in Ireland, in each year, from 1851 to 1857, both inclusive, are shown in the following summary:

EXTENT UNDER CROPS IN STATUTE MEASURE.

Wheat.

1851..

Acres. 504,248

1852.. 1853..

1854..

1855..

1856..

1857..

-Oats.

Acres. 2,189,775

Quarters. 10,771,236

--Barley.---

Acres. Quarters. 282,617 1,375,518 249,476 1,257,398

Quarters. 1,493,525 853,566 1,154,205 2,283,449 11,712,528 326,896 1,133,585 2,157,849 10,690.881 272,614 1,398,705 411,284 2,452,467 2,045,298 11,293,101 236,293 1,212,047 445,775 1,520,819 2,118,858 429,050 1,629,963 2,037,437 559,646 1,662,957

10,266,350

226,629 1,097,631

9,236,869

182,796 757,536

1,980,934 8,895,347

211,288 848,783

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The above figures show that throughout Ireland there was a falling off in the

acreable produce.

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