The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1905-12-01
000,0O0 than the average exports for the
five preceding years.

In accounting for this, the secretary
says that owing to the short wheat crop
there was a decrease in the export of
, that cereal amounting to $4l,000,000, of
$5,000,000 in the export of packing
house products and another $5,000O00 in
fruits and other minor items. The in
creases included $9,350,00O in cotton;
$i,100,000 in oil cake and oil cake meal
$4,000,000 in vegetable oils, and $4,000
900 in rice and various minor products.
During the last sixteen years. the
secretary says, the domestic exports of
farm products have amounted to $l2,-
000,000,000, or $1,000, 100000 more than
enough to buy all the railroads of the
country at their commercial valuation
and this with a mere surplus for which
there was no demand at home"
Secretary Wilson points out that the
farmer is taking an important part in
developing the manufacturing interests
of the country, by furnishing raw ma
terial, and that he also has become
banker The farm contributions to man
ufactures during the year were $2,679,-
100000
Under the recent amendment to the
national banking act allowing the es-
tablishment of banks with capitaliza-
ton of less than $4,000, there have
been LISA such banks established in the
last year,nearly every one of which is
located in a rural community and the
capital furnished by farmers. Of these
new banks 633 are located in the South
ern states and 1872 in the North Central
state.
Speaking of the increase in deposits in
banks by farmers the secretary states:
'In the North Central states farmers
have been depositing money in the banks
until the rate of interest on deposits has
fallen so lowth at they have diverted a
large portion of their savings to per-
manent investments. In spite of the fact
that the banks do not reserve or keep
most of the farmer savings, the increase
in deposits in agricultural states and
larger regions is most extraordinary. In
Iowa and South Dakota the increase was
l4.9 per cent; Nebraska, 1875; Kansas,
81; North Dakota, 25. Bank deposits
in the great capital state of Massachu
sets increased o. per cent.
Still more remarkable is the bank
statement for the South Central states.
Deposits increased 49, per cent in Tex
as; ola in Oklahoma; 24.l per cent in
Arkansas, and 45.7 per cent in Indian
Territory, while throughout that geo.
graphic division the increase was 22.s
per cent. The general average increase
for the United States was 1875 per cent.
''For the first meitnthi
For the first time in the financial
history of the South deposits in the
banks of that region now exceed one bill
lion dollars.
"-The foregoing remarkable increases
in bank deposits in agricultural states,
as well as the increase in the number of
small country banks, are directly and
indirectly because of the profits that
have come to the farmers from the oper
alton of their farms. The man with the
hoe has become the man with the har-
vester and the depositor and sharehold
er of the bank"
Analysing the increase of the value of
farms, Mr.. Wilson says:
Figured in dollars of gain per acre
| the increases during the five years past
of medium farms were: In the north
central division, SIPS; in the western
| division, 1886; in the north Atlantic,
1926; in the south Atlantic division,
$4.93, and in the south central division,
$4.66. The average increase for the Uni
ted States was $7.3l.
'The returns showed that farms of
less intensive culture and crop have in
creased in value less than the farms
having more valuable crops and receiv-
ing high culture. Farmers are improv-
ing their cultural methods and changing
from less to more profitable crops.
"Other causes for higher values are
better buildings, better fences, tile drain
ing, new facilities for transportation
more railroads and better wagon roads.
Hay and grain farms show an in
crease of $2,OOO,OOO, 900; live stock farms
still large gain; dairy farms 1860 ,000,-
600; tobacco farms; $57,OO0,000; rice
| farms, $3,300000; fruit farms, $97 ,OO0,-
600, and vegetable farms, $ll3,O00,O00."
| The report concludes:
Should there be no relapse from his
present position as wealth producer,
three years hence the farmer will find
that the farming element, about 35 per
cent of the population, has produced an
amount of wealth within ten years equal
to onehalf of the entire national wealth
produced in three centuries"
| OF the work of the poison class, to
test the effect of preservatives in food,
the report says:
"In so far as the Investigations have
been completed, it has been found with
| out execution that the addition of the