Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1904-12-07
kICd YEAR ON FARMS
ANNUAL REPORT OF THE SEC
RETARY OF AGRICULTURE
Crop Yield of 1904 Aggregates Nearly
$1,000. zoo. 600 Equals Worlds Ont
put of Gold since, Columbus piscoV-
cred America Corn and Cotton Lead.


agriculture were in 1903, hitherto with
out equal. those of 1904 advanced some
What hey ond them. While some products
bave fallen behind in value Others have
more than filled the deficit, aud the =eA-
eral result is that the farmers have pro-
duced in value much mere wealth thaa
they ever did before in one year.
Wealth in Corn and Cotton.
One conspicuous item that has contrib
uted to this is the corn crop. With Il
quantity closely approaching 2.501.uh,.
0oJ bushels. near the record crop of 1892,
thc high price of this year gives this
ciop farm value much greater than il
ever had before. far exceeding $1,000
oOJ,000 With this crop the farmers
could pay the national debt and the in
tercst thereon for one year. and still have
enough left to pay the expenses of tie
national government for large fraction
81 year
The cotton crop, including seed. Inc
came the second one in value IN 1906
and rCrdains SO in 1904. 1t is @ow toe
early 60 state even with approximate
accuracy what the farm value OF this
crop is, but indications are that the farm
value of lint and seed must reach 5000
100000.
1t now seems probable that potatoes
and barley reached their highest prodac
ton in 1904 that the oat crop was never
SO large by 60,0O0,000 bushels except in
1902, End that more rice was produced
than in any previous year by 100000
600 pounds. so that the present crop Of
rice ha~ preliminary estimate Of $780,
coo 900 pounds
The principal crops that are valued
annually by the department or by com
mercial houses have an aggregate farm
value this year which at the date of this
writing apparently amounts TO S35S3 =
339 900. The same crops in 1903, as
finally estimated, had farm value Of
So, 1876, 099, 392. and had n census value
for 1899 of $2,526.345,47S. In these
principal crops, therefore, the farmers
find an increase in value for 1904 Of a
per ceat over 1903. and of IL per cent
over the census year five years ago.
UnthinkabIe Aggregates.
After a laborious and careful estimate
of the value of the products of the farm
during 1904. made within the census
scope. il is safe TO place this amount AT
81 900.000,000. after excluding the value
of farm crops fed to live stock to avoid
duplication Of values A similar estimate
made for 1903 gives S4.4S0000,0 1000 and
the census total for 1899 is So, T42,0D).-
600. Within the limits of ascertainabc
values the farms of 1904 produced an
aggregate wealth with farm valuation
that was 965 per cent above the product
OF 1903, and 31.2S per cent above the zig
{. -
An occupation that has produced such
alt unthinkahle value as one aggregat-
ing nearly $5.O00O00.000 within a year
| may be better measured by some com
parsons. All of the gold mines of thC
entire world have not produced since Co
lumhus discovered America greater
value of gold than the farmers of this
country have produced ia wealth ia tive
| years; this years product Is over Sly
times the amount OF the capital stock OF
all national banks; il is twice the sun
| of our exports and imports for a year
| it is three times the gross earnings from
! the operations Of the railways; it is fou'
| times the value of all minerals produced
in this country.
! Animal Exports Increase.
i Our animal industry is shown only il
small part by the figures giving the eX
| ports, yet these exports are SO large a.
| TO be worthy of notice The animals eX
| ported in the fiscal year 1904 were val
ued at about S4S,O00000, which was al
| increase over the previous year Of Sl3.
100000; the exports of meat and meat
| products, including o'eo oil, oleomarga
| rine and lard compounds, amounted L
81. "a
| S4.000.000 from the year before. W.
| also sent abroad nearly $6,0O0,O0O Wortl
| of dairy products. and of other products
such as hides and skins. glue, grease ant
| grease scrap. over S5,0000a0 worth, The
/ exact total of the above items of export
as givea in preliminary returns, was
| SOB 023 $50. which was an increase over
| the previous year of more than SD,
| 100000.
The department is not an edUcationa
| institution in the sense Of the word, hui
it can do and is doing much to bring
| home to the people in all walks of life
| the Importance and value of the farm
| and its produc ions The Bureau Of
| Plant Industry is making a special effort
| to encourage the study of plants in thu
public schools
Unfortunately our system of elemen
tary education is such as 10 leave no i'm
preston on the chid's mind of the i'm.
portance, value and usefulness of farm
life. Very httle effort has been made to
overcome tie general belief that there is
always a gteat amount of drudgery con
nectcd with the farm and that the op'
! portunities in this sort of occupation are
narrow and limited. When we see the
rapid advances that are being made in
agriculture along all lines and note the
neei for bright young men in this field
the opportunities offered by the cultira-
ton of the soil seems as great as in any
other field.
Growth of American Tea.
The department has continued its work
IN the production Of American tea. The
more advaaced Investigations have been
conducted, as heretofore, at Summeryillc.
S. c., in cooperation with DIR. Charles
L. Shepard Ibr Shepard's tea gardens
are now yielding from 5000 to 10000
pounds Of tea annually Owing to eli
| matte conditions the crop this year will
be light DIR Shepard has been deyoting
special attention % the Improvement of
factory processes
The work of establishing a plantation
in Texas has been continued. Tea beds
were started on two types Of sofia
rich sandy loan and black, waxy soil.
The plants on the black waxy land have
failed utterly. There are now on hand
at our Texas station. which IS located nj
Pierce. about 100000 plants. which viii
be put into the field this winter. plant
sr,or ah a
tional seed will be put out TO give an