The river press., 1904-10-05
POTATOES.
ALesson in Pot atoes.

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. 1t says: =.
Our production Of wheat i'll 1903
aggregated 637 .S2o22.OOO bushels: of corn.
2.244. 900 bushels: Of oats. OBJ
600 bushels; Of rye, oo.:N3.uOO bushels:
OF barley. l31.Si1.NO bushels, shaving
Il total yield Of the principal cereals Of,
in round numbers. 3.3S7.311.ooo bush
els. valued on the farm at xl.139. To-
41i, grown on 172O95.117 acres. Our
crop of hay aggregated 6l."oGOoo tons.
The yield of potatoes aggregated 247.-
!2S.MN bushels. valued at $l51 1,G3S.NW.
produced on 2,11G.S:5 acres: the yield
was :'1.5n1.O0O bushels less than that
of the preceding year. but the valac was
S17.121 900 greater. showing the lary
est valuation recorded in any year. and
MORE THAN TWICE THAT OF
1896.
The farm value 'of the chief cereals,
Of hay and Of potatoes. raised in 1903.
amounted to $2.4.i7. .13O.4lO. The crop
Of wheat WAS ,22ll.OOO bushels less
than that Of the preceding year. but its
farm value was S2OS41 1870 greater: its
valuation was in excess Of the value OF
the crop OF any year excepting that Of
1901"
What Makes Prices Higher.
The purpose OF this article has thus
been to show that while crops may vary
in size from year to year. the cash in
come from them seems in general way
to increase from year to year what
ever tho size Of the crops. Last year
lHn3l the total farm value Of the chief
cereals and of hay and potatoes was
nearly two billion and Il half dollars.
and this year it promises TO be much
greater than Last.
So far as IL: rlcre size Of the crops
is alone concerned. j, would seem unrcas-
enable. for instance. that a crop OF
wheat Of 4GO.2G7 900 bushels (the crop
CT 1894 should. in January. 1898. have
sold SO low as ASS cents Rer bnshel
while the 1904 crop Of wheat, which at
the lowest present estimates is 13o.OOO.-
900 bushels. should now be selling at
81. 10 per bushel.
But it is evident that there are causes
at work to make our farm products sell
better from year to year. While sup
steadily increases This fact should
be considered very strong 'bulr'
argument not only on land values.
but on the general future business con-
dition OF the country, for every increase
over this twO"bllion and Il half dollars OF
farm land income of last year means just
so much more increase in the purchasing
power OF the American people. and just
50 much more business for all our in
! dustries. and just SO much more work.
wages and profits 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
tration. ...
When William Mckinley, in 1896,
said it was better to open American
mills to American labor than to open
the mnts Of the United States to the
silver of the world, he expressed the
policy that transformed bad times for
the entire people under Democratic rule
to good times for the entire people under
Republican rnle. With the people in the
cities more prosperous, because of the
policies of protection and OF sound
money, the people in the country were
bound to be more prosperous. too, be
cause, there was an improved market
for what they had to SELL This, in a
nutshell. is tho secret Of the constantly
increasing agricultural prosperity Of the
i United States under Republican rule