Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-12-03
NATIONS " EALT Il
SECRETARY WILSON TELLS OF
NATIONS MARVELLOUS POWER
IN AGRICULTURE.


IN AGRICULTURE.
Years Corn Yield Enormous-The
Value of the Crop Alone Would Pay
the National Debt and the Years
Expenses.
Chicago, Dec. Secretary Wilson,
who reached Chicago for visit to the
International Exposition yesterday,
mas Just completed and transmitted to
the PRESIDENT the eighth annual re-
port OF the department. of agriculture.
Among the more Important features
OF the work that are enumerated in
opening the report by the secretary
OF agriculture are: A more extensive
cooperation with agricultural sta
tons; the taking of preliminary steps
10 conduct FEEDING and breeding exper-
lments; the war waged against the cot
ton boil weevil and against cattle
mango; plans for education of engin-
GERS in road building; the production
Of hardy orange, a hybrid of the
Florida orange and the Japanese tri-
foliata: valuable research In success.
full shipping of fruit abroad; the value
OF nitrogen-fixing bacteria; successful
introduction OF plants suited to light
rainfall areas; establishment of pure
food standards; the extension of agri-
cultural 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.
Crop Yield Unprecedented
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 g. consid-
cradle portion of the governm emit
yearly expenses. The cotton crop.
valued for lint and seed at $600,G0O,-
900, comes second, while hay and
wheat contend for the third place.
Combined, these two crops will about
equal in value the corn 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 in
1904; save in 1902 the oat crop was
never SO large by 60,000,000 bushels.
The present crop of rice promises a
yield of 900,000,000 pounds-S00 ,00O,-
600 pounds more than ever before.
Food Animals Show Decline.
Horses and mules reach the highest
point this year, with an aggregate
value exceeding $1,354,O00,00O. On
the other hand, cattle, sheep and hogs
all show a slight decline.
The steady advance in poultry leads
to some astonishing figures. The
farmers hens now produce 1855 ,0OO,-
600 dozens of eggs, and at the high av-
erage price of the year the hens dur
ing their busy season lay enough eggs
in a single month to pay the years
interest on the national debt.
After a 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 $4,000
100000 after excluding the value Of
farm crops fed to live stock in order
to avoid duplication of values This is
I9.65 per cent above the product of
the census year 1899.
Agriculture Towers Over All.
Some comparisons are necessary to
the realization of such an unthinkable
value, aggregating nearly $4,000, O0O,-
900. The farmers of this country have
in two years produced wealth exceed
| ing the output of all the gold mines
! of the entire world since Columbus
discovered America This years pro.
duct is over six times the amount of
the capital stock of all national banks;
it lacks but $75O,00O,O00 of the value
of the manufactures Of 1900 less the
cost of materials used; 1t Is three
times the gross earnings from the op-
erations of the railways, and four
times in the value of all minerals pro-
duced in this country.
The year 1904 keeps we'll up to the
average of exports of farm products
during the five years 1S9s-1903,
amounting to over $859,0OO,OOO, while
the average for the five years was
nearly ss65,ooo,oOo. During the last
fifteen years the balance of trade in
favor of this country, ell articles con
sidered, exceeded $4,3S4OO0, but
taking farm products alone these
showed balance in our favor of more
than $5,300,O00, 900.
Farmers Progress is Great.
Reviewing the increase in farm CAPT.
tai, the secretary estimates it conserv-
atively at $4,000, 100000 within four
years-this without recognizing the
marked increase in the value Of land
during the past two years. The most
startling figures shown as illustrating
the farmers prosperity are those pre-
sented by deposits in banks in typical
agricultural states. The secretary Sc
lects for this illustration Iowa, Kansas
and Mississippi. Taking all kinds of
banks-national, state, private and
savings-the deposits increased from
June 80, 1896, to October 81, 1904, in
Iowa, 1874 per cent; in Kansas, 219 per
cent, and in Mississippi 301 per cent:
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