The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-11-30
AMERICAN FARMS
PRODUCE BILLIONS
Amazing Figures Given in Annual
Report Of Secretary Of
Agriculture.

annual report OIL secretary OF ASTlcul-
ture Wilson gives figures and facts that
show the remarkable Importance of
farming industries In the United States.
In opening his report the secretary
enumerates some of the more important
features of the years work in his de-
partment. Among them are extensive.
cooperation with agricultural stations;
duct feeding and breeding experiments;
the war waged against the cotton boil
weevil and against cattle mange; plans
for education of engineers in road
building; the production of hardy
orange, hybrid of the Florida orange
and the Japanese trifoliata; valuable
research in successful shipping of fruit
abroad; the value Of nitrogen fixing
plants suited to light rainfall areas;
establishment of pure food standards;
the extension of agricultural education
in primary and secondary schools; the
extension of instruction to our island
possessions to enable them to supply
the country with $2O0,000,O00 worth Of
domestic products, now imported from
abroad. The report continues: !:
Wealth in Corn.
The corn 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 considerable portion of
crop valued for lint ana seed at ooS,
comes second, While hay and wheat contend for
the third place. Combined, these two crops will
about equal in value the corn crop. Notwith-
standing the wheat crop shows lower produc
ton than any year since 1900, the II m 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 co.
O00,0 900 bushels. The present crop of rice prom
ises yield. Of 900, 900 lbs 300 600 600 more
than before.
Horses and mules reach the highest point this
year, with aggregate value exceeding $1,354
OOO, 0O0 On the other hand, CATTLE sheep and
hogs all show slight decline. - s..r
The steady advance In poultry leads to some
astonishing figures. The farmers, hens now
produce and two-thrds billions of dozens of
eggs, and at the high average price Of the year
the hens during their busy season lay enough
eggs in single month to pay the years interest
on the national debt. $3.50
=. Value Of Farm Products. ~.
After 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
Of 81 800, 900, 900, after excluding the value of
farm crops fed to livestock in order to avoid du-
the product of 1908 and 81 rs 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
discovered America. This years product is. over
six times the amount Of the capital stock of all
ational banks, 1t lacks but three -fourths Of a
billion dollars of the value of the manufactures
Of 190O less the cost Of materials used 1t is
three times the gross earnings from the opera
lions of the railways and four times the value of
all minerals produced in this country. - .. -.
The year 1904 keeps we'll up to the average of
exports of farm products during the five. years
the average for the five years was nearly sss5
600, 600. During the last fifteen years the bal
ancc Of trade in favor Of this country, all arti-
ces considered, exceeded 81 3S4 900, 900, but TAX
ing farm products alone, these showed a bal
ance in our favor Of more than So, 800, 900, 600.
81 Farm Capital Increases. .:,. Z I.
The increase si farm capital the secretary es-2
Inmates conservatively at $4,000, 900 wi thin
| increase: in the value Of land during the past
! two years. The most startling figures shown
as illustrating the farmers prosperity are those
presented by deposits in banks in typical agricul
turaI sta ties. The secretary selects for this
illustra ton Iowa Kansas and Mississippi. TAX
ing all kinds Of banks, national, state, private
and savings, the deposits increased from June
3d. 1885, to Oct. 81, 1904, in Iowa. 1874 per
cent, in Kansas 219 per cent and in Mississippi
301 per cent--in the United States 81 per cent.
: A similar favorable comparison may be made as
/ to the number of depositors - g.,
The secretary concludes that the farmers rate
of financial progress need fear no comparison
with that of any other class Of producers.
Weather Bureau Forecasts. ).
| regular forecasts OF the weather bureau
! for thirty-siX and forty-eight hours in advance
have been made daily turnout the year, besides
special warnings Of gales. cold waves, frosts,
heavy SHOWS, floods, ETC., which have been issued
for the benefit Of commercial and agricultural in
terests. Forecasts issued moreover. for the
first three daps out of steamers bound for Euro
pean ports. The river and flood service had
| several opportunities to demonstrate its useful
ness and growing efficiency and owing to the
advices and warnings of the bureau the dan
| gers Of the great ice gorges in the Susquchanna,
! Allegheny and Ohio rivers were much mini
mZed g
The national weather and crop bulletins were
| tensive distribution Of the forecast cards. over
5000 railroad stations have been supplied with
| bulletins. and the bureau has availed itself ex-
| tensivey Of the rural free delivery and the rural
telephone system, so that forecasts are quickly
! disseminated turnout large territory at a min.
| imum Of expense. ~--:2.l5 .--., ,..,. -. .
While expressing the hope that the time will
come when it will be possible to forecast weather
| for coming seasons that time has not yet ar
rived and the secretary utters warning the
| subject. ~ ..,.. -,
During the year arrangements were perfected
for generous increase In the number Of daily
telegraphic weather reports and the secretary
reports several submarine cables laid. The
weather bureau has now IS stations completely
equipment for displaying storm warnings, are
now installed along the shores of the Great
Lakes and the Atlantic and Pacific seacoasts.
| Inspection of Animals. III
Besides safeguarding the livestock industry at
home, the depa rtment Is fostering the foreign
| trade. The total export animal products In
the past fiscal year exceeded 1929, 600. OOO. The
total inspections for export were:a' For cattle
4 700, 1885, for sheep, 534 $50, and for horses
1928. There was a great increase in the num-
Der of cattle and sheep exported, but a consider
able reduction in the number of horses.
Inspection Of animals and their products wal
maintained at fifty-one establishments in cities
of antemortem inspections about 65, 600, 900 were
made and of postmortem 10000, 900, an increase
in both cases the previous year The mi
croscopic inspection Of pork is restricted to that
destined to countries requiring it, and the mum
Der Of carcasses inspected in 1904 was 313, AS
Of which 2643 found to be trichinous.
The secretary deyOtes considerable space tt