Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1906-01-24
HAIL THE FARMER
His Accomplishments the Won.
der of the Age, Says Prof.
w. G. Johnson.
is PRODUCING BILLIONS
Crops in TWO Years Worth More Than
Output of Gold in 400 Years,
II Is Said.

| Professor W. q. Johnson, managing
| EDITOR of the american Agriculturist,
who wrote the following article on
| the wonderful achievements of the
American farmer for the New York
| Herald's annual financial review. says:
| Our American farmer is the wonder
OF the age Wall street trembled when
he announced the value of his products
for 1905 at $G.415.0Oo.oG0. Railroad Of
| ficials shook because OF their inability
to hand TO him bill of lading in 1904,
but when he asked for rolling stock to
transport his crops at the close of the
last harvest they We're unable to speak.
He requested cars for 2,10S,000,000
bushels of corn, 740,OO0,0O0 bushels OF
wheat, 1,0O0O0O,0O0 bushels of oats,
35,000,000 bushels of rye, 100000,
eco bushels of barley, 100000 bush
els Of fiaXsecd, 100000, 900 bushels of
potatoes. 2S.000,000 barrels of apples.
100000 bushels of onions, 10000
bushels of cranberries. G50.000.000
pounds of rice. 2S0.000 tons beet sugar,
100000 bales of cotton. 5S,000000
tons of hay, 100000 pounds of broom
corn and 156,00o,000 pounds of to-
bacco.
Dairy Products Vast.
IN addition The farmer asks for
transportation of milk, butter and
cheese from 1T.5Io.cO0 cows. which
products alone he estimates will be
worth in 1896 more than $3.50. 5000. 600
ELe values his cows at S4S2, 000G00. to
say nothing of the 80 100000 other cat
tie. worth i'll round numbers $G63. O00.-
900. Just to make the figures even up,
he says, add another $1,000, 100000 for
horses and mules and cast your eye
over 4I,400,0O0 sheep and swine in the
barns and fields. AS the general freight
agent starts away. scratching his head,
the farmer says provision must be
made for handling and shipping 1.S00,-
100000 doZerf of eggs during the next
twelve months.
when he closed the year 1904 the
American farmer announced the value
Of his products at $4,900,000,O00. The
general public was amazed ut these
untiinlable figures, but when he comes
forth ut the close of another season
with an aggregate of over S1.5OO0Oo,-
COP more than the marvellous record of
1904 we wonder what sort of a man
the farmer really is. All other classes
OF producers sink into insignficanee
when compared with him.
''All the gold mineral in the world in
tie last 400 years could not purchase |
the farm crops of the last two years.
Farm crops for 1905 are worth more
than the value OF the manufactures of
five years ago. 2ot counting the mate
rials used. They represent several
times the gross earnings of all the
railroads in the United States.
An occupation that produces such |
bewildering figures is deserving of |
more than passing attention. A few |
years ago the man who tills the 6000,- |
900 farms in the United States was |
called a 'hayseed' or RUDE Today he |
stands head and shoulders above his |
fellow cOworkers in other vocations, |
but we never hear him speak disre-
specially of any one. He is the mas
ter of the situation. Wall street con-
suits him and measures the successes
of the year by the contents of the |
farmers granaries.
Does Not Need Aims.
'"I-ne man behind the pillow has dellv-
cred his goods for 1905 and bids every
body happy New Year His grana-