Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1900-04-19
Riches for the Farmers.

lecteu during the last Two years W
the almost sensational enlargement
Of the foreign market for American
manufactured goods and cereals and
the enormous development Of the
manufacturing interests OF the eoun-
try to supply the foreign as we'll as
the home demand that comparatively
little notice has been taken OF the
vast increase in the agricultural
wealth Of the country, always the
largest item in the material prosper.
ity Of any country.
The recent report Of the statistcian
Of the department Of agriculture
showed yield from the harvests Of
1898 Of 2,078, l43, 933 bushels of corn,
valued at $629,2l0,110; 47,309, S46
bushels Of wheat Of the value Of $3l9.-
545, 259; 1876, l77,7l3 bushels Of oats,
valued at 1913, l67,975; 23,96l,74l
bushels Of rye, valued at $l2, 2l4, lis,
and 1904, 473 bushels Of buckwheat,
valued at IS, 1865. II to this total
there be added the value OF this, sea-
sons yield Of cotton, there will be
found an aggregate value of nearly
$780, 100000 ($l,497, 1921, 1877 for
the agricultural products in 1899, ex-
elusive Of tobacco, hav, potatoes, rice,
beet root and sugar cane, which
would bring the valuation to $1,000
100000 on an agricultural capital in
the United States which represents
value of $l7,55O,000, 900, gain Of
nearly 81, 600,0O0,00O over the figures
Of the federal census taken in 1890.
The lowest price for corn. in any
state or territory last year was 20
cents bushel in Oklahoma; the high
est price was go cents in Oregon,
which produced less than 100000
bushels. The smallest yield was in
Montana, the largest in Illinois. The
six great corn states--Illinois, Iowa,
Kansas, Nebraska. Missouri and In
diana-produced 1858, 100000 bush
els, more than half Of the quantity
grown in the whole country. The
yield Of wheat last year was the larg-
est in ten years, with the exception
of 1891. The smallest yield in any
state reported was $3.50 bushels in
New Hampshire, and the largest in
Minnesota. Last years yield Of oats
has been exceeded only once in ten
years. The smallest production in
1899 was 95, 900 bushels in Rhode Is
land. and the largest was in Illinois.
The highest valuation was IS cents a
bushel in Arizona and the lowest 10
cents in Iowa, Only nine states pro-
duced more than l,000,0 900 bushels
each Of rye, and these nine yielded
Is, 1000, 900 of the 100000 bushels
by all the states. The high
est average price was in Georgia,
ST. a bushel, and the lowest price
81 cents in North Dakota.
1t is not only in such standard
crops as these that the increase of the
agricultural interests Of the United
States has been large. Hay, one Of
the most important of the crops OF
the country, in the extent of which
the United States has only one rival,
Russia, shows a considerable increase
compared with some preceding years,
as does tobacco. Cotton has had a
decided boom. Its price now is about
50 per cent higher than few months
ago. The worlds supply is now some
1900, 900 bales less than a year ago
and the accompanying increase in
price is to the benefit chiefly ofAmer-
lean sellers.
There has been a decided advance
averaging, it is computed, 40 per cent
in four years, an average gain Of 10
per cent year in live stock. Sheep
are higher than for twentyyears and
are worth, stock raisers declare, about
double on the farm what they were
five years ago, Cows are worth Do
per cent more than during the ten
years preceding 1897. Hogs have adj
vanced heavily. They are not in
greater number than in 1892, when
they numbered $4,000, 1000. Their
number is estimated now at 50,0O0,-
900 but meanwhile the population
has increased and there has been a
very largely increased export trade.
The present value of the hogs of the