Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1906-12-03

washington, II. u, NOF. oU.-O0CIO-
tary Wilson in presenting to the pres
ident his tenth annual report takes
occasion to indicate the position of
the producer from the soil in the de
VeIopmenU OF the country. He re-
ports him as making progress in the
sciences and arts of agriculture,
aided by the researches of the de-
partment and of the experiment sta
lions, and states that "the time of
the man and the yield of the acre be-
come more responsive as more I'M
perative demands are made upon
them"
The laws made by congress at its
last session, to be executed by the
department, have required and re-
ceived special attention. The meat
law is being enforced, and inspection
is now made in over a thousand
houses. Not less than thirteen hun
dred experts have been added to the
inspection force. Rules have been
prepared for the execution of the
pure-food law. Good has followed
the operation of the law for the ex-
termination of the cattle-fever thick
in some of the southern states. In
dealing with the gypsy and brown-tail
moths of New England, imported par
asites have been successfully estab-
lished. A beginning has been made
in the method of determining the
grading of grain, and the law pro-
viding for the humane treatment of
live stock in transit is receiving care
full attention.
The economic revolution in the
art and science of agriculture con
tinued during 1906, with tremendous
results on the national prosperity.
The value of crops continues to rush
forward beyond comprehension; crops
are straining the freight-carrying
ability of the railroads; and the
farmer, alive to the importance of the
place that he occupies in the nation,
offers this yearly account of himself
to the people. The secretary promises
that the figures presented in his
review of the years full production
are advance estimates preliminary to
those to be made later by the depart
ment. Estimates are made for com
parfson with every detail presented
by the census. The farm products
of the year have a farm, value of very
nearly $6,8O0,OO0.0OO, nearly half a
billion above the value of 1905 and
exceeding by over two billion dollars
the figures for the last census.
Value of Leading Crops.
Corn remains by far the most valu-
able crop, estimated at eleven hun
dred million dollars. Next comes
the cotton crop, which, including
seed, should be worth to the growers
nearly six hundred and forty million
dollars. The value of hay, which is
third in order, approaches six hun
dred and forty million dollars:
oats. three hundred millions:
potatoes, one hundred and fifty mil
lions. Barley, with a value of sixty
81 per cent in production in the past
seven years. The tobacco crop will
be wort n about fifty-ive millions. A
remarkable development is that of
the sugar beet, now the ninth crop in
value. The production in 1906 is
placed at three hundred and forty
five thousand long tons, valued at
thirty four million dollars. Seven
years ago the value of this crop was
seven million dollars. The value of
all kinds of sugar, strip, and mo-
lasses aggregates seventy-five million
dollars
Favorable Balance OF Trade.
For 1906 the agricultural exports
exceeded similar imports by four hun
dred and thirty three millions, while
products of all other industries Sc
cured a balance in our favor of only
eighty-five millions. During the last
II years the exports of the farmer
have exceeded the agricultural I'M
ports by six billions of dollars, while
all other producers IND themselves
at the end of the same period with a
total on the debtor side amounting
to four hundred and fifty nine mil
lions.
Agriculture More Scientific.
The mighty production of the farm
er for one-third of a century has
come out of an agriculture having
many faults, yet the course of agri-
culture in this country, unscientific
as it may seem, has had economic
justification. Pioneers, poor and in
debt. have no capital, even if they
have knowledge. They must have
buildings. machinery, and live stock
even at the expense of the soil. More
over, millions of acres of fresh land
have been coming into production