The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1906-02-22
WEALTH OF FARMS.
ENORMOUS VALUE OF CROPS OF
THE UNITED STATES.
The Highest Amount Ever Attained
in This or Any Other Coun-
try Was That in the
Year 1908.

In view OF the vast increase that has
taken place during the past decade in
the number aud wealth of our indus
trial establishment and in the value
OF our manufactured products. il will
be surprising to many people, says the
Scientific American. to learn that our
farms still greatly exceed in value and
as a source of revenue every other
source of wealth, not even excluding
our great manufacturing enterprises.
The wealth production of the farms of
the United States reached in 1905 the
highest amount ever attained In This
or any other country, the total figure
being nearly six and one-half billion
dollars. Four Of the crops reached new
records as to value, namely, corn, hay.
wheat and rice. Corn exceeds previous
yield both in amount and in price,
and hay, wheat and rice reached new
figures as to value only. The general
average of production was high In the
case of every crop, and the prices ran
higher still. The secretary of agricul-
ture estimates that in addition to the
enormous yield of wealth, the farms of
the country have themselves increaseh
I'm value during the past five years by
over $4,000, 100000; and he puts the
matter dramatically when he states
that with every going down of the sun
during the past five years there has
been registered an increase of S3.400,-
600 in the value of the farms of the
country. An analysis OF the principal
crops for the year shows that corn
reached its highest production with
2,7OS 100000 bushels, clear gain of
42.00O,000 bushels over the very profit
able year of 1899. The hay crop is
valued at $6O5 900 900; cotton at $685.
100000; wheat at S525, 100000: oats,
S2S2 ,000,000; potatoes. $l3S 900;
barley. s5S,OOO.OOO, and tobacco, $751;
100000. Very remarkable is the in
crease of s5i 600 900 in the value OF
dairy products. which reached the to-
tai valuation of $665, 100000. The
farmers hen. says the secretary. is be-
coming worthy companion to the
COW, the annual production of eggs be-
ing now 10000 100000. Poultry prod.
ucts have climbed to value of over
half a billion dollars. so that poultry
competes with wheat for precedence
The total value of horses is estimated
o, $1,000, 100000. There are over H..
100000 milch cows. valued at nearly
hall billion dollars. During the yeal
farm produce to the value of 1927 900.
900 was exported. During the last II
years the domestic exports of farm
products have amounted to Sl2 900 900,
900. or 81 900, 100000 more than enough
to buy all the railroads of the country
at their commercial valuation. Clea,
evidence of the prosperity of the farm
er is seen in the fact that under a re
cent amendment of the national bank
ing law, allowing the establishment o
banks with a capitalization of les'
than $4,000, there have been 1,75'
such banks established in the last year
nearly every one OF which. says tn,
secretary. is located in a rural com
munity and the capital furnished b,
farmers. For the first time in tn,
financial history of the south, the de
posits in that region exceed sl.000.O00.
600. Should there be no relapse from
his present position as wealth pro
ducer, three years hence the farme
will find that the farming element
which forms 35 per cent. of the popu
lation, has produced an amount O
wealth within the preceding ten year
equal to one-half of the entire nation
al wealth produced in three centuries