Idaho Springs siftings., 1904-09-17
POTATOES.
Le..onfn Potatoes.

The last annual report OF Secretary
Stone. OF the Chicago Board Of Trade,
makes some significant remarks regard
ing these steady gains in the cash value
OF our crops. IL says:
"Omr production of wheat In 1908
aggregated o-53. 81 600 bushels; Of corn,
. 2.2f4 1T 900 bushels; OF oats, 1Si .fe.i.-
600 bushels; Of rye. 2o,363.oo0 bushels;
o. barley. l3lsGi,oy bushels. showing
total yield OF the principal cereals Of.
in round numbers. 3.3sI $4,000 bush
els. valued on the farm at sI.739. 15.-
4TG. grown on lT2.O93.If7 acres. Our
crop OF hay aggregated GI.3ns.tso tons
The yield OF potatoes aggregated 2i1,-
I2soo0 bushels, valued al Si5t .,S3s, 90,
produced on 2.giG.s55 acres: the yield
was 3TsJO5. .o.o bushels less than that
OF the preceding year. but the yalu. was
SIT .J27 600 greater. showing the larg-
est valuation recorded In any year. and
MORE THAN TWICE THAT OF
1896
The farm value o, the chief cereals.
Of hay and Of potatoes. raised In 1903,
amounted to 2.4f7 .T30. 80. The crop
OF wheat was - 241. 900 bushels less
than that OF the preceding year. but It's
farm value was 50. greater: its
valuation was in excess OF the value o.
the crop Q: any year Excepting that OF
1901"
What Make. Prices Higher.
The purpose Of this article has thus
been 10 show that while crops may vary
ln size from year 10 year, the cash in
come from them seems in general way
10 Increase from year TO year what
ever the size Of the crops. Last year
Q9U3) the total farm value OF the chief
cereals and Of hay and potatoes was
nearly two billion and a half dollars,
and this year it promises to be much
greater than last.
SO far as the mere size OF tn. crops
ls alone concerned. II would seem unreas-
ouable. for instance, that crop Of
wheat Of 900 2B7 eco bushels tfhe crop
4 1894 should. in January. 1895. have
sold 50 low as iS7s cents per husAel,
while the 1904 crop 0f wheat, which al
the lowest present estimates is $4,000
90 bushels. should now be selling al
Sl.i0 per bushel.
But IL is evident that there are causes
at work ~ make our farm products sell
better from year 10 year. While sup
plies fgctuafe tie market demand
steadily Increases. This fact should
be considered a very strong bull
argument not only on land values.
bat on the general future business con
dition OF the country. for every Increase
over this two billion and a half dollars OF
farm land income OF last year means just
50 much more increase ia the purchasing
power OF the American people. and iust
20 much more business for all our In
dusiries. snd just 50 much more work.
wages aud praats for all our people
anxious to better their condition Of life.
The causes that are at work to make
farm products sell better from year to
year are undoubtedly connected with the
general policies OF Republican admins
,ration.
When William Mckinley. In 1896,
said IL was better to open American
mills TO American labor than 10 open
the mints Of the United States TO the
silver OF the world. he expressed the
policy that transformed bad tines for
the entire people under Democratic rule
to good times for the entire people under
Republican rule. with the people In the
cities mere prosperous. because Of the
policies OF protection and of sound
money. the people in the country were
bound 10 be more prosperous, too. be-
cause there WIS an improved market
for what they had 10 sell. This. in a
nutshell. Is the secret Of the Instantly
increasing agricultural prosperity Of the
United States under Republican rule