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In 1850, and again in 1860, Ohio was the leading state in the production of wheat. Since that time the wheat lands in the state have steadily decreased. Why? Today Ohio does not produce one half of the wheat that its people use. In early days the southeastern part of the state was the chief wheat- growing section, but at present our largest wheat crops are raised in central and southwestern Ohio (see Fig. 177).
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AGRICULTURE
OATS
When the Pennsylvania Dutch came to Ohio they brought oats as feed for their horses. The increase in the number of work animals in the state led to the rapid expansion in the growing of oats. Today Ohio has twice as large an acreage of oats as it has of wheat, but the wheat crop is more than three times as valuable. The oat crop is largest in the northwestern plains of the state.
FORAGE CROPS
Under forage crops are included hay, clover, alfalfa, and wild grasses. Why are these important? Ohio's hay crop is second only to corn in value (see Fig. 87). The production of hay is widely distributed over the state. Licking County, in central Ohio, is one of the leading hay counties. In the south- western section, Highland County is the largest hay-growing county. The extensive dairy industry of the northeastern section of the state makes it necessary to devote a large acreage to pasture and the production of hay. Ashtabula County is the leading county in the production of hay and forage. Alfalfa has been recently introduced into Ohio as a valuable grass. It is grown more largely in Hamilton County than elsewhere, although it is finding its way into all parts of the state. Its growth is particularly fortunate because it helps to build up the soil by giving back nitrogen and other elements which have been taken up in the growth of such crops as tobacco, corn, and wheat.
The early Ohio farmer did not give much attention to hay, which grew abundantly in the form of wild grasses. He was dependent upon simple tools and could not handle his hay crop quickly or economically. He had to cut it with a scythe, make it into haycocks with wooden forks, and perhaps drag it to the feed lot with a rope or grapevine. Hay was seldom placed in barns for protection as is done today. Modern machinery has helped the present-day farmer to handle his hay much more efficiently. The mower cuts the grass, and the tedder exposes it to the wind and sun for curing. Then the hayrake, the
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HISTORY AND GEOGRAPHY OF OHIO
hay-loader (Fig. 92), and the hayfork all aid in moving the cured product to the mow in the barn. Originally the farmer hauled his hay to market and sold it in the same shape that it was mowed away. Today it is usually baled and shipped in bales. In all of these ways, scientific methods have aided in handling Ohio's second most important crop.
POTATOES
The early settlers had to grow enough potatoes for their own use. Hence they were better off in this respect than we are today, for it is a fact that we do not raise enough potatoes in Ohio to supply our own needs. Our crop last year was only about one third as large as that of ten years ago. Hence we are dependent largely upon the potato fields of Michigan, Maine, and Canada. It is still true that nearly every Ohio farmer has a potato patch, but his attention to this crop and his manner of handling it have not brought very satisfactory results. Portage, Hamilton, and Cuyahoga counties have the largest yield. Each of these counties produces more than 400,000 bushels annually.
ORCHARDS
The first apple scions were brought from Massachusetts by General Putnam. He established a nursery in the Muskingum Valley, and many of the counties along the Ohio River got their trees from this source. In 1796 a wagon-load of small apple trees was hauled over the National Road and sold to farmers along the way. From this you will see that early in Ohio's history the apple found a place. Many of the old orchards still have some of the earlier varieties, such as the Gillyflower, Greening, Golden Pippin, Seek-no-Further, Rambo, and Bellflower.
Johnny Appleseed was not a myth, but his real name was John Chapman. He actually carried apple seeds from town to town along the Ohio River, and also up into the northern sec- tions of the state. Many Ohio farmers received their first trees
FIG. 91. A clover field in blossom
Red clover, like alfalfa, is a crop which builds up the soil by increasing the available amount of nitrogen. (From Waters's "The Essentials of Agriculture")
FIG. 92. Modern hay-loader at work
Explain why this is a valuable labor-saving device. After the hay is loaded, how is it unloaded into the barn? What are the principal kinds of hay grown in Ohio?
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HISTORY AND GEOGRAPHY OF OHIO
from this apple missionary. Apples found their way into northern and northeastern Ohio chiefly from Canada. In 1812 a boatload of apple trees was brought to Sandusky and dis- tributed throughout northern Ohio. Then, too, some of the best varieties were brought from New York and New England and distributed throughout the Western Reserve. Today there are splendid apple orchards on the southern shore of Lake Erie, but the best orchards in the state are in Lawrence and Washington counties, which are on the Ohio River.
Millions of dollars
1
2
3
4
5
6
Apples
Grapes
Peaches
Strawberries
Raspberries
Cherries
FIG. 93. Value of the six leading fruit crops of Ohio
The first peach trees in Ohio were grown at Marietta. Peaches were a great luxury to the pioneers. They preserved them in brandy or kept them as dried peaches for later use. The early peach orchards were less extensive than those of the apple, but in time the peach became distributed quite generally throughout the state. It thrives best in the temperature of the southern shore of Lake Erie, and this region is really the peach belt of the state (see Fig. 180). It is significant that the great- est peach production is in the county with the longest shore line-Ottawa County. Port Clinton is the largest peach center in the state and also the largest peach-canning center.
MAPLE PRODUCTS
The Indians taught the first inhabitants of Ohio to collect and boil maple sap and to make maple molasses and sugar. Today Ohio is one of the leading maple regions of the country. It is estimated that our state has 3,000,000 maple trees, which
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AGRICULTURE
yielded 62,000 pounds of sugar and 694,000 gallons of sirup in a recent year. The rolling lands of northeastern Ohio produce about one third of the maple products of the state.
VINEYARDS
Wild grapes were abundant in early days. In 1818 Nicholas Longworth experimented with the grape in southwestern Ohio. He developed the Ca- tawba grape and planted extensive vineyards in Hamilton and Clermont counties. In 1830 the grape industry was one of the most important industries around Cincin- nati, but later it was discontinued because of the rot that attacked the plants. Afterwards the grape came into promi- nence on the southern FIG. 94. A topped tobacco plant (United States Department of Agriculture) shore of Lake Erie and on Kelleys Island. The grape thrives in this section because of the soil and climatic conditions due to lake influences. Explain. The leading coun- ties in grape culture are Cuyahoga, Erie, Lorain, Lake, and Ottawa.
TOBACCO
Nearly every pioneer farmer grew tobacco, not for the market but for his own use. It is true, however, that in early days in Ashtabula County the surplus tobacco was made into cigars by the women of the home, and exchanged at the store for groceries. The first tobacco raised on a larger scale was produced in the southeastern counties of Ohio. After it was grown it was packed into hogsheads and hauled over the Na- tional Road to eastern points. Tobacco found its way into
0
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HISTORY AND GEOGRAPHY OF OHIO
southwestern Ohio from Kentucky. It was a yellow-leafed tobacco, much of which was shipped to Europe. The cultiva- tion of tobacco is profitable, and frequently a single crop more than pays for the land upon which it grows (see Fig. 178).
DAIRYING AND DAIRY CATTLE
Some of the best-bred dairy cattle were brought to Ohio from Kentucky and the South, while the first Shorthorn and
FIG. 95. Gamboge Kleinwood, No. 425,609
This Jersey three-year-old, owned by the Hartman Farm, Franklin County, produced 1305 pounds of milk in one month. This made 76 pounds of butter. What would this butter bring at the present market price?
Durhams were imported from England to Ross and Trumbull counties. Today only about one tenth of our dairy cattle are pure-bred stock, the Holsteins and Jerseys being most numer- ous (Fig. 95).
Dairying as a business was first carried on in the Western Reserve. This industry included the making of cheese and
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AGRICULTURE
butter. Today the supplying of raw milk is the important work of the dairy. In order to provide the centers of population with the milk needed, dairies many miles away ship milk to the cities by truck, interurban, and steam lines. Ohio does not pro- duce enough milk to supply its own consumers, so that we must look to other states for a considerable part of our milk supply.
To meet the ever-increasing demand for milk, due to in- creased population, much attention is paid to cattle-raising,
T
FIG. 96. Interior of a modern dairy barn in Franklin County
These sanitary quarters built for valuable dairy cattle show the importance of this industry. What material is used in the construction of this barn? What does the sign say? Explain the use of the stanchions; of the milking machines
especially dairy cattle. To encourage this industry, county fairs, cattle shows, and exhibits of various kinds are held throughout the state. Then, too, the Agricultural College is making a scientific study of dairying and dairy products.
Cuyahoga County has almost one half of the dairies that are located within the state. Why? Large milk condensers are located in Trumbull, Logan, and Union counties, and these
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HISTORY AND GEOGRAPHY OF OHIO
condensers buy up the surplus milk from the farmers in order to have a supply for condensing and canning. Milk powder and other preparations required in ice cream are minor dairy products.
BUTTER AND CHEESE
The creamery for butter-making has not been important or even successful in Ohio. Its difficulty has been to secure the supply of raw milk necessary to keep the plants running. Today there is actually more butter made on the farm than in the creameries of the state.
Cheese-making in Ohio has suffered for the same reason. Most of the cheese is made in northeastern Ohio, especially in the cheese factories of Tuscarawas and Holmes counties. Formerly a good deal of Swiss cheese was made in the state, but the output has decreased.
HOGS
In 1850 the southeastern counties of the state produced hogs in large numbers. They were driven to Cincinnati in large droves, and the streets were sometimes literally filled with these animals on the way to the packing houses. Hence the name of "Porkopolis" for Cincinnati. The Miami Valley boasts of having developed the Poland-China hog. The Duroc- Jersey is another breed commonly raised in this state (Fig. 97).
At the present time the raising of hogs is one of the most important industries of the state. Hog-raising is carried on chiefly in the corn-growing section (see Fig. 176), because corn is the principal food used in fattening hogs for market. The total value of Ohio's hogs is nearly $50,000,000, and our state with six others (Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Nebraska, Georgia ) raises nearly 50 per cent of the hogs of the country.
SHEEP
Ohio has more sheep and is a larger producer of wool than any other state east of the Mississippi River. It has required a good many years to bring the sheep industry to its present
1
FIG. 97. Duroc-Jersey hogs, a popular Ohio breed. (From Waters's "The Essentials of Agriculture")
S
FIG. 98. American Merino sheep
This is the smallest of the fine-wool breeds, and furnishes the finest and heaviest fleece of any breed. (From Waters's "The Essentials of Agriculture")
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HISTORY AND GEOGRAPHY OF OHIO
state. In 1810 the Putnam family brought into southeastern Ohio a small drove of Spanish Merinos. About the same time another flock of Spanish Merinos was driven from Connecticut to Stark County. It is interesting to follow the development of the woolen mills that sprang up here and there along the streams to do the work of combing the wool and weaving it into coarse cloth. The wool was often mixed with flax to make linsey-woolsey, or something with cotton to make jeans. The early farmers who raised sheep gave very little attention to anything else than the growth for wool. Today the Ohio farmer raises sheep for mutton as well as for wool. How does Ohio rank in sheep-raising ?
HORSES
With the coming of the automobile and the use of the motor as power on the farm, the demand for horses has decreased, so that today Ohio has fewer horses than thirty years ago. In the last ten years every county in the state has shown a decrease in the number of horses. Nevertheless the horse still has a place on the farm, a place that has not been filled by the auto- mobile or any other power.
When the Pennsylvania Dutch came to central Ohio, they brought with them heavy draft horses. These draft horses were used in drawing the Conestoga wagons. Today the best Percheron and Flemish horses in the state are to be found in Wayne and Stark counties, the very localities where the Pennsylvania Dutch settled.
POULTRY
It is difficult for us to realize today that eggs ever sold in Ohio at from 2 cents to 5 cents per dozen, but such is the case. Even the fowls themselves sold at from 50 cents to 75 cents per dozen, not because they were so plentiful, but because there was no special demand for them outside of the immediate needs of the home.
Today poultry-raising is an important industry. Ohio pro- duces more eggs than it consumes, and ships large quantities
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AGRICULTURE
of poultry into other states. Special poultry farms have been developed, and their output is shipped almost daily to the eastern markets. The leading poultry counties are Darke, Wayne, Highland, Licking, and Hancock.
MISCELLANEOUS
As the population of Ohio has increased, there has been a more intensive cultivation of the soil, and many smaller vege- table crops have found their place. The onion crop is large
FIG. 99. White Plymouth Rocks. (From Waters's "The Essentials of Agriculture ")
in point of value, although growing onions on a commercial basis is confined to rather limited areas in the state. In order to grow onions well, the soil must be rich muck soil that has been recently drained. Such soil conditions exist in the marsh- land in and about Hardin County. Name other sections grow- ing onions, celery, and like vegetables. The same soil conditions are necessary in order to grow celery successfully. The cabbage is produced in large quantities in Ohio, likewise lettuce, cucum- bers, beans, and tomatoes. The heavy lake clay soil of north- western Ohio is adapted to sugar beets. This is a very valuable crop and is developing into a more valuable one. Wood and adjacent counties are the principal producers.
Millions of dollars 25
50
75
Dairy Cattle
Dairy Products
Horses
Chickens and Eggs
Swine
Beef Cattle
Sheep
Wool
FIG. 100. Value of Ohio's live stock and live-stock products
FIG. IOI. Truck farming in Franklin County, Ohio
What method of irrigation has been used for this crop of spinach? Why is truck farming often carried on in the region adjoining a large city ? How will this crop be sent to the city ?
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AGRICULTURE
SPECIAL PROBLEMS FOR INVESTIGATION
1. Study the history of your community and find some true stories of the hard labor of the early pioneers to make farms out of the forest regions.
2. Read descriptions of the early farming in Ohio from some of the following books. Did the first settlers in your community have similar experiences ?
Howe, Henry, Historical Collections, Vol. I.
Roosevelt, Theodore, The Winning of the West.
Ohio Agricultural Experiment Station, Bulletin No. 326, Farm Life in Ohio.
3. Investigate the use of machinery in farming and answer the following questions :
a. How many acres can a tractor plow in one day? How many acres can a man with a team plow in one day ?
b. How many acres of corn can a man hoe in a day? How many acres can he cultivate in a day ?
c. How many days does it take to cut an acre of wheat with a binder ? with a cradle ?
d. In threshing wheat how long will it take to thresh 500 bushels with modern machinery ? If a flail were used how long would it take a man to thresh the same amount ?
e. In digging potatoes how long will it take a man to dig an acre? If the potato-digger were used how long would it take?
f. In cutting hay how long will it take to cut an acre with a scythe ? with a mowing machine ?
g. Sum up your conclusions about the use of machinery on the farm.
4. Are there any corn clubs for boys in your county ? Why are these clubs encouraged ? What is the largest yield per acre of corn raised by a boy in your county? (For information write to the County Agricultural Agent, who has an office at the county seat.) Can a boy raise more corn upon one acre than the average farmer ? Why ? Is corn raised for the same purposes today as in pioneer days ?
5. Does Ohio raise enough wheat to make the flour consumed by its people? (To answer, estimate that each person consumes in a year five bushels of wheat.) Can you explain why wheat-growing in Ohio has decreased ?
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HISTORY AND GEOGRAPHY OF OHIO
6. Write to the County Agricultural Agent for information concern- ing a pig club. In what counties would a pig club give the best results ? From the local newspaper find the selling price of six-months-old pigs of average weight. Find the cost of feeding these animals. Why are hogs called "mortgage-raisers"?
7. Secure information concerning the problems of fruit-growing in your locality. State the result of your investigation concerning the climate, soil, surface, and markets. Select any fruit tree such as the apple, plum, pear, peach. Find its production and the market value of this fruit. «What must be done to trees in your vicinity to make them yield more and better fruit? (Write to the Agricultural Experiment Station, Wooster, Ohio, for information.)
8. Dairy problems :
a. Where is the milk consumed in your home obtained ?
b. Describe a model dairy and explain how the milk is shipped to the consumer.
c. Try to visit a creamery and find how butter is made.
d. What is butter fat and how does the farmer obtain it from the milk ?
9. Try to find the comparative value of the different poultry products. How would you improve the poultry products in your vicinity ?
10. Investigate any special crops (like tobacco, onions, cabbage, asparagus, lettuce, and flowers) that are grown in your vicinity, and find out the conditions of soil, climate, and labor which are favor- able for their growth in your locality. Where are these products sold and why has their growing developed so largely in the last few years in this region? Send to the United States Department of Agriculture for special bulletins upon any of these subjects.
11. Using the data given in the table on page 149, solve the fol- lowing problems :
a. What was the average yield per acre of corn in 1920? How many bushels of corn on the average was this for each person in Ohio? What was the crop worth at 75 cents per bushel ?
b. If the 1920 crop of wheat brought $1.45 per bushel and the oats crop 65 cents a bushel, which was the better money crop ?
c. What was the average yield of potatoes per acre ?
d. If the tobacco crop brought 8 cents per pound, did it yield more money per acre than wheat at $1.45 per bushel ?
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AGRICULTURE
e. If hay brought $8.50 per ton and potatoes $1.85 per bushel, which was the better crop in 1920 in Ohio ?
f. Find the average yield per acre of barley, of buckwheat, and of rye.
STATISTICS OF NINE OHIO CROPS IN 1920
GRAIN
ACRES SOWN OR PLANTED
YIELD
Corn
3,498,510
1 54,612,000 bushels
Hay
3,1 50,280
4,251,898 tons
Wheat
2,228,650
28,308,325 bushels
Oats
1,614,410
71,331,480 bushels
Potatoes
115,810
11,498,445 bushels
Tobacco
62,740
60,480,450 pounds
Barley
102,198
2,824,991 bushels
Rye
79,484
I,I 53,249 bushels
Buckwheat .
26,249
542,915 bushels
AIDS TO THE STUDY OF THE PROBLEMS
ATWOOD, WALLACE W., New Geography, Book Two, pp. 48-50, 278-283.
CALDWELL and EIKENBERRY, General Science, pp. 312-335.
WATERS, H. J., The Essentials of Agriculture.
Ohio Agricultural Commission, Columbus, Ohio, Annual Report.
Agricultural Experiment Station, Wooster, Ohio, Various Publications.
Fourteenth Census of the United States, Bulletin, Agriculture : Ohio. State Department of Agriculture, Columbus, Ohio, Annual Report.
Agricultural Experiment Station, Wooster, Ohio, Bulletin No. 326, Farm Life in Ohio.
CHAPTER VII
MINE AND QUARRY PRODUCTS
The minerals produced in Ohio are largely the raw materials necessary to the various industries of the state. In the order of their importance these are: (I) the fuels-coal, petroleum, and natural gas; (2) clays and shales for making brick, tile, terra cotta, and pottery; (3) building material-limestone and sandstone; (4) gypsum and limestone for Portland cement and plaster of Paris; (5) salt; (6) hard sandstones for abra- sives such as grindstones, wood-pulp grinders, and whetstones ; (7) sandstone for curbing and foundations.
Problem I. How the presence of coal aided the development of Ohio's industries
When exploring the creeks of southeastern Ohio, the first settlers found in the ledges of the streams what appeared to be a black stone. They tried it in their open fireplaces, but it had a disagreeable smoke and was dirty. No one would use coal when hard wood could be obtained. However, as the dense forests were gradually cleared, coal became a necessity. In pioneer days, coal was first mined in Belmont and Meigs counties. From the rock ledges along the streams it was loaded into boats, which floated down the Ohio River to Marietta, Portsmouth, and Cincinnati. In 1835 coal was towed in barges from Pomeroy and Cincinnati to St. Louis and as far south as New Orleans. The ease with which the coal was mined and shipped encouraged a rapid industrial development in the region along the Ohio River.
The opening of the Ohio Canal, which extended from Ports- mouth to Cleveland and passed through portions of the coal fields, provided a waterway for transporting coal to Cleveland
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MINE AND QUARRY PRODUCTS
and the Great Lakes. The first coal brought to Cleveland was burned as a curiosity in the fireplace of a public tavern. At this time about 20,000 tons of coal were being mined in Ohio each year. You can form some notion of what this meant when you realize that the entire year's production of coal could be easily loaded on two of our modern lake freighters.
FIG. 102. Coal mining in southeastern Ohio
This shows the way in which coal is taken from the mine. Name some of the probable destinations and uses of this product. Fig. 104 shows the interior of the same mine
When Ohio became a state (1803) there was not a steam engine, a railroad, or a steamboat in the United States. It was the rapid development and use of the steam engine that really created a demand for cheap fuel such as coal. All manufac- turing industries used wood as fuel until the supply was ex- hausted. The demands of these industries have caused Ohio's production of coal to double every ten years. Today Ohio supplies coal for its own industries, and sends to neighboring states of the Northwest nearly one half of its annual output. The wonderful development of our manufacturing industries has been due to this abundant supply of fuel (Fig. 103).
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HISTORY AND GEOGRAPHY OF OHIO
The Pennsylvania and West Virginia coal fields extend into southeastern Ohio, as shown in Fig. 107, but the fields extend northward so that coal is actually mined within sixty miles of Lake Erie. It is interesting to note that every river county in the southeastern part of the state is engaged in coal mining. Belmont County, on the Ohio River, produces more coal than Millions of tons any of the other counties in the state, and has an output equivalent to one fourth of the entire coal production of Ohio. Jefferson, and the neigh- boring counties of Harrison, Tuscarawas, and Guernsey, = 2,000,000 T are within the coal-bearing formation between the Ohio River and Lake Erie. These counties produce about a third of Ohio's coal. Other counties of the state that have rich coal lands are Hocking, Athens, Meigs, and Perry. In this region we have the well-known Hocking Val- ley coal, which was first mined at Nelsonville on the Ohio 1850 1860 1870 1880 1890 1900 1910 1920 Canal. The railroads soon FIG. 103. Production of coal in Ohio from 1850 to 1920 opened up a market for this particular coal, and today it is shipped in large quantities to Lake Erie ports for industrial purposes.
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