The Bourbon news., 1904-12-02
A LARGE CORN CROP.
Farmers From Proceeds of 1904
Could Pay National Debt.
Secretary Wilson's Report Shows
Horses and Mules Reached the
Highest Point in Value
This Year.

Washington, Nov. 30.-The secre.
tary of agriculture has transmitted his
eighth annual report to the president.
In opening his report the secretary
enumerates some of the more impor-
tant features of the years work.
Among them are extensive co-opera-
ton with agricultural stations; the
taking of preliminary steps to conduct
feeding and breeding experiments; the
war waged against the cotton boil
weevil and against cattle mango;
plans for education of engineers in
road building; the production Of a
hardy orange, a hybrid of the Florida
orange and the Japanese trifoliata;
| valuable research in successful ship
| ping of fruit abroad: the value of nj
| trogen-fixing bacteria; successful intro
duction of plants suited to light rain
fall areas; establishment of pure food
standards; the extension of agricul-
tural education in primary and Sec
ondary schools; the extension of in
struction to our island possessions to
enable them to supply the country
with $200,000,000 worth of domestic
products, now imported from abroad.
He then proceeds to discuss the
place of agriculture in the country's
| industrial life.
The corn crop of 1904 yields farm
value greater than ever before. The
farmers could from the proceeds of
this single crop pay the national debt,
the interest thereon for one year, and
still have enough left to pay a consid-
erable portion of the governments
yearly expenses. The cotton crop, val
ued for lint and seed at 900 millions,
comes second, while hay and wheat
contend for the third place. Combined,
these two crops will about equal in
the wheat crop shows lower produc-
ton than any year since 1900, the
farm value is the highest since 1881.
Potatoes and barley reached their
highest production in 1904; save in
1902 the oat crop was never so large
by 60 million bushels. The present
crop of rice promises a yield of 900
million pounds-300 million more than
ever before.
Horses and mules reach the highest
point this year, with an aggregate val
ue exceeding 1854 million dollars On
the other hand cattle, sheep and hogs
all show slight decline.
The steady advance in poultry leads
to some astonishing figures. The farm
ers' hens now produce 2-3 billions of
dozens of eggs and at the high aver
age price of the year the hens during
their busy season lay enough eggs in a
single month to pay the years interest
on the national debt
After careful estimate of the value
of the products of the farm during
1904, made within the census scope, it
is safe to place the amount at 1900
million dollars after excluding the val
ue of farm crops fed to live stock in
order to avoid duplication of values.
This is 9.65 per cent. above the prod
uct of 1903, and 31.2S per cent. above
that of the census year 1899.
Some comparisons are necessary to
the realization of such an unthinka-
bic value, aggregating nearly five bill
lions Of dollars. The farmers of this
country have in two years produced
wealth exceeding the output Of all the
gold mines of the entire world since
Columbus discovered America. This
years product is over six times the
amount Of the capital stock of all ma
tional banks, it lacks but three-fourths
Of billion dollars of the value of the
manufactures of 1900, less the cost of
materials used; it is three times the
gross earnings from the operations of
the railways, and four times the value
of all minerals produced in this coun-
try.
The year 1904 keeps we'll up to the
average Of exports of farm products
during the five years 1899-1903,
amounting to over S59 millions, while
the average for the five years was
nearly S65 millions. During the last
Is years the balance of trade in favor
of this country, all articles considered,
exceeded 1884 million dollars, but TAX
ing farm products alone, these showed
a balance in our favor of more than
$500 millions.
Reviewing the increase in farm capi-
tai, the secretary estimates it conserv-
atively at 1000 million dollars within
four years-this without recognizing
the marked increase in the value of
land during the past two years.
SPEAKER CANNON DECORATED.