The independent. [volume] (Lincoln, Neb.) 1902-1907, 1904-11-10
Great Wealth In Wheat and Cotton


Great Wealth In Wheat and Cotton
| condensed by New York World from
Worlds Work.
On the Elk Valley Farm, in North
|, Dakota, forty harvesters follow in line,
The harvesting laborer begins the
season. in Oklahoma and works north
ward into Kansas, Nebraska, North
Dakota and even Canada. In the win
I ter he works back south again in the
lumber woods. He follows the sea-
sons.
More than a million new harvesters
are sold every year. They range from
the ordinary three-horse kind to the
California monster that heads, gathers
and threshes swath fourteen feet
wide, leaving the grain bagged on enc
side and the straw bound on the other.
In many KANSAS counties the poor
farms have for lack OF other use been
turned into experiment stations. In
Minnesota e professor of the agricul-
tural college has added five bushels an
acre to the apparent possible yield OF
the fields simply by improving the
Seed
The United States raises one-fifth
of the worlds wheat.
\ flood of 8S,000,000 bushels Of wheat
every year flows into Minneapolis
mills. One elevator has capacity OF
{, 100000 bushels. The city alone ex-
ports 100000 barrels of -four.
Wellington, Kan, was 1000 popula-
ton and three banks. Three-fourths OF
the directors are wheat-gr0Wing5 farm
ers. and fiye-sixths of the deposits are
wheat money. Kansas farm lands are
worth $40 to $50 an acre, and in some
counties there is practically no waste
area
Cotton is the worlds chief manufac-
turing product Iron and steel repre-
sent in their primary forms 81, 700 ,000,-
600 per year in all the world. Cotton
! manufactures run to $4,000, 100000 a
| year. s -
The United States re,ses three
fourths of the worlds cotton slIprssss
Twice the worlds gold product last
year would just about have paid tor
the cotton product of the south. Three
fourths of the capital stock Of all the
national banks in the country would
amount to the same sum.
Cotton exports amounted to $3.50, 900,
600 last year, and will be more this
year. All other farm products togeth-
er came to less than $600,00O.0O0.
For the last five crops the south has
received nearly $800,0OO,000 more than
for the five preceding crops For the
crop of 1903 the planters received $685.
100000 more than for that Of 1898.
This excess alone for the single year
1903 would amount to $40 for every
inhabitant Of the southern states, or
500 for every family. For every fam
lily actually raising cotton it would
mean surplus of $225
Bank deposits in the south have
within the last twelve months in
creased two and half times as rapid
| ly as in the rest of the country.
Says member of the North Caro-
lima board OF agriculture: II can take
any farm II the state and pay for ii
with two crops of cotton
| Nearly two-thfrds of the cotton
farms and about five-eigAths of the
cotton acreage are cultivated by white
farmers. More than half Of the white
farmers own their farms, and about
one-fifth of the negroes. There are
thus more than 100000 negroes who
iss'rn cotton lands of their own.
Deal Jachsos North Carolina ne
gro planter. farms I,,0uG acres~ of toe
best land in the state, and it is nlis
own. His family runs nine ploughs.
The farmers used to realize only
| $5,000,000 for their cottonseed. They
now get $100,O00,000. The difference
would be 81 for each family in the
country.
! More cotton is now spun in southern