Montpelier examiner. [volume] (Montpelier, Idaho) 1895-1937, 1906-05-18
A PROSPEROUS YEAR.
Oar Farm, Nine and Ta:tory Pro-
ducts Would Fill $4,000, 900 Cars
TRAIN REACHING TO THE Moon
Story in Figures Of American Prosper
ity--Western Livestock Industry
Showed Wonderful Increase.

The final trade statistics of the
year 1905 confirm the figure Of the
preliminary forecasts and show
phenomenal degree Of prosperity
thronghoutthe country, says awriter
who has been delving into reports
as furnished by the department. of
commerce at W ashington. So enor-
moue was the product Of farm, mine
and factory that, had it been moved
at one time it would have filled
33, 184,85 freight cars, 100000
more than would have been required
in the prosperous year of 1904.
Thlrty-three million freight cars. if
made up into one train Of fabulous
length, would extcnl for distance
of 224, 400 miles, or would girdle
the earth about nine times at the
equator. If this mythical train,
with the s25, 900 locomotives which
would be required to haul ii had
travelled out into space on trip to
the moon, the leading moguls would
have hetn putting through the val
leys of earth's satellits before the
conductors buggy had rumbled out
of the freight yards at the starting
point. Merely to store the cars and
engines in such train would re-
quire the use of nearly all the rail
way mileage in the United States.
One Of the most striking examples
of the vast increase in the volume of
business for the year is to be found
in the western livestock industry.
During the summer and in the fall
of 1908 the tourist on any of the big
western trunk lines canght flying
gllmpses of stockpens filled with
long horned, ferocious looking
steers, focks of huddled sheep and
carloads of horses and mules. All
these pens were filled and emptied
many times during the year, each
contributing its quota to the enor-
nous total of livestock that was
shipped from the tranamississippi
territory to the markets of Chicago,
Kansas City, Omaha and St. JOSEF h
& total that approximated $4,000, 900
head. This multitude of animals
constituted 67s, 369 carloads, 10000
more than were required in 1904
and 90, 600 more than 1908.
In the grain trade the American
farmers are still increasing their
output and adding to the strength
of our claim to be called the granary
of the world. The reports for 1908
from IL primary grain markets show
that there has been Toured into
them from their tributary territory
the enormous quantity of $780,
O0O,Oo bushels of grain, to be dis
,ributed from these primary markets
to all corners of the globe. Amer
can grain today is fighting to sup
plant rice among the Asiatlcs and
has already partly displaced rye as
the food staple of the peasantry Of
Europe. Within few years, at The
rate our. crop is increasing, and
with the extremely low rates the
railroads give on grain for export,
American loaves will be, indeed, the
staff of life in every country OF
Europe.
A comparison of the amount OF
grain recelyed during Il months OF
1905 at few of the primary mar.
kcts with the amount received for
the whole year of 1904 brings out
clearly the remarkable increase in
grain traffic. Chicago, the greatest
primary grain market, received
2eo, 759,2l5 bushels in 1904. Dur
ing the first IL months of 1905 tht
receipts were 239, 1873, 362 bushels,
Eou,sviIle's record for 1904 wat
2s,555,6ls bushels, while up te
D ,cember /, 1905, sa,sl6,s1t
bnshels had been received. The re
ceipts at Kansas City for 1905 wer'
"a gao 900 bushels; for the Il