Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1905-12-04
Gold and the Farm.

The figures just announced by the
| secretary of agriculture tell why the
! American farmer may. with becoming
| wisdom. seat himself in his cozy cor
| ner. smoke his pipe with leisurely en-
| jOyment and snap his fingers at adver-
| sity and adversity's high apostle. the
| calamity bowler For. in the words
OF Bro. Wilson. wealth production Oh
| the farms of the United States in 1903
| reached the highest amount ever at
| tanned in this or any other country
| $G,41J 900 900
| There was a time when the calamity
| bowler was able 10 catch the ear of
| American farmers. Kansas was his
| favorite stamping ground. In the latter
| COS. however the crops began 10 boom
| throughout the country. and contrary
| to what one might have expected in
| view of the immense production, prices
| scared also. This paradox was due
| largely 10 the unsatisfactory crops in
other lands. and the heavy export de
| mand for American products that such
conditions caused When this real. sub
stantial prosperity came to them. the
ear 10 the calamity apostle They saw
| that the thing TO do was not to- sit
around at the crossroads store and
white and sosh-ding the government
They discovered that talking about
| hard times and abusing capital did not
make the crops grow. The thing 10 do
was to get down 10 business.
Since then the farmers have been
going right along minding their affairs
and playing havoc with the careers of
professional opponents of calamity
and hell" As a result they have been
harvesting greater crops and counting
more cash than ever before. Their
prosperity these past few years has
| been the foundation of the prosperity
that has come 10 general commercial
and financial activities in America and
has made for marvellous national de
| velopment. Ali interests. therefore
owe the farmers credit for the bles-
sings their industry have brought To
the nation.
Look at the figures Corn this year
reached the highest production with
2.1oS. ooO 600 bushels. gain of $1,000
0o0 over the next lowest year. 1893;
hay il second in order of value al
though cotton held second place dur
ing the two preceding years The hay
crop this year is valued al s605 000 900
cotton comes third. with valuation
OF 1919 900 900. wheat SS25 900 goo:
oats. $3.50 600 900: potatoes. S13s. 600
600: barley. SIS. 0O0 zoe: tobacco S52.-
0o0. OOU; sugar cane and sugar beets.
5o.000.O00; rice. s12.S92 goo: dairy
products, $685.. cot. 600. an increase of
S54 10000 over last year There are
1879, 0O0 milch COWS. valued al S4S2.-
coo. o0u. Other cattle are numbered at
- Cog .0o0, with value of 5000 600 .u0o
Swine number 1927 GOO valued at
S2SS.255, oVe In the aggregate the value
of farm animals has increased a few
millions within the year. and since the
census of 1900. 9 per cent. The poultry
products this year are valued at more
than $500, 600 900. horses are valued at
81 200 .000 ,O00 and mules at 1882 .000.-
goo
So do not talk any more of the
'dOwnIrodden. money-oppressed farm
ers." Stslwarr. energetic. wealth Great
ing men. such as they. do not need any
body's pity Rather should everybody !
else take his hat OFF to this new capital !
istic class.