The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1904-12-06
CORN HEADS THE LIST IN MONEY
VALUE:
COTTON IN SECOND PLACE
Amazing Figures in Annual Report of
Secretary Of Agricul.
ture,

Washington, Dec. 1.-The eighth an
nual report of Secretary of Agricultur,
Wilson gives figures and facts tina
show the remarkable Importance o
farming industries in the United
States.
In opening his report the secretary
enumerates some of the more i'm
portant features of the years work
in his department. Among them are
extensive cooperation with agricul
tural stations; the taking of prelimi.
nary steps to conduct feeding and
breeding experiments; the war waged
against the cotton boil weevil and
against cattle mango; plans for educa-
ton of engineers in road building;
the production of a hardy orange, a
hybrid of the Florida orange and the
Japanese trifoliata; valuable re-
search in successful shipping OF
fruit abroad; the value of nitrogen
fixing bacteria, successful introduce
ton of plants suited to light rainfall
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 5000, 900 GOO worth of domestic
products, now imported from abroad.
The report continues:
Wealth in Corn.
The corn of 1904 yields a 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 con
siderable portion of the governments
yearly expense. The cotton crop,
valued for lint and seed at $500, 00O,-
600, comes second, while hay and
wheat contend for the third place.
Combined, these two crops will about
equal in value the corr crop. Not
withstanding the wheat crop shows a
lower production than any year since
1900, the farm value is the highest
since 1881. Potatoes and barley
reached their highest production 10
1904; save in 1902 the oat crop was
never Sc large by 100000 bushels.
The present crop of rice promises a
yield of 9O0,OOO,OOO pounds, 300, 900
more than ever before.
Horses and mules reach the highest
point this year, with an aggregate
value exceeding 1884, 600, 900. On the
other hand, cattle, sheep and hogs all
show a slight decline.
The steady advances in poultry
leads to some astonishing figures. The
farmers hens now produce n and
two-thirds billions of dozens of eggs,
and at the high average price of the
year the hens during their busy sea
o lay enough eggs in a single
month to pay the years interest on
the national Cebt.
Value Of Farm Products.
After a careful estimate IF the value
OF the products of the farm during
1904, made within the census scope,
it is safe to place the amount Of 81.
800, 600, 900, after excluding the value
OF farm crops fed to livestock in or
der to avoid duplication of values,
This is 9.65 per cen above the pro-
duct of 1903 and 31.28 per cent above
that OF the census year 1899.
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 dis
covered America. This years product
is over six times the amount of the
capital stock of all national banks, it
lacks but three-fourths Of a billion
dollars of the value of the manufac-
turers of 1900, less the cost OF mater
ials 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 country.
The year 1904 keeps well up to the
average of exports of farm products
during the five years 1899-19O3,
amounting to over 1859, O0O, OOO, while
the average for the five years was
nearly 1866, 000, 900. During the last
Is years the balance of trade in favor
OF this country, all articles considered,
exceeded $4,3S4, OOO, 1000, but taking
farm products alone, these showed a
balance in our favor of more than
S., ,OOO,O