Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-04-28

man who has SO increased the produc-
tiyity of the land, who has made mil
lions Of plants grow where none grew
before, who has enabled the people to
SO swell the national wealth, will be
set down as one OF the great public
benefactors Of his age. and James Will
son will occupy a place in our history
as SUCH.
Secretary Wilson came into ONCE
on March 4, 1897. at the close of four
OF the leanest and hnngriest years that
agriculture had experienced in the
present generation, During the nine
years from that time until now there
has been a steady advance In the we'll
being and prosperity of American agri-
culture, as we'll as ali other Industries,
which has had no parallel in the his
tory Of this or any other country Dur
Ing those years agriculture, our great
est productive industry, and the very
foundation Of the whole prosperity,
has gone forward by leans and bounds,
eliminating In 1905 with a year of uh-
precedented production and values.
The American Hen.
CAS- Secretary Wilson we'll says in
his annual report, the farmers hen Is
becoming a worthy companion to his
cow The raising of poultry is large
~ incidental to the general business
OF the farm. and yet the annual pro-
duetion of eggs has now reached q
score of billions and poultry products
have amounted to a place of more
than half billion dollars in value.
Poets may sing Of the glory of the
eagle. and artists may paint the
beauties of the birds of plumage, hut
the modest American hen is entitled
to tribute for her industry. her use
fulness, and her productivity, The
American hen can produce wealth
equal to the capital stock of all the
banks of the New York clearing house,
in three months, and still have a weak
to spare. In less than sixty days she
can equal the total production of all
the gold mines In the United States,
The limited States proudly boasts OF
Its enormous production Of pig-iron, by
far the greatest Of any country in the
world, and yet the American hen pro.
duces as much wealth in six months
as all the iron mines Of the country
produce in a year. In one year and
ten months she could pay off the in.
terest-bearipg debt Of the United
| States.
Increase In Values.
1T we add UP the value of last years
farm crops. the value of farm animals
on the first Of January, and the years
Increase In the value of farm lands We
have the tremendous total Of $1l,a16,
100000, enough money to buy outright
all the railroads in the United States
what has the American farmer
done with this tremendous wealth? Il
we turn to the banking statistics Of
the country, We find a large increase
1 in the number of small banks organ
ized throughout the agriculture
states. Nearly 1000 national banks
have been established during the pas
six years. II we turn to the statistic,
of the deposits in the county banks
we read another chapter in this won
derful story OF wealth and prosperity
In my own state Of Iowa the deposit,
in all the banks increased nearly II
per cent during the year ending Jun,
80, 1905, and the same is true in
lesser degree in all the north centra
states. In the south central states til,
increase has been even greater, til,
average there being gas per cent, ant
for the first time in the history OF tn,
south, the deposits in the banks o
that region now exceed one billion
dollars, This remarkable increase ii
bank deposits in agricultural states il
4 due directly and indirectly to the Pre-
/ fits which the farmers have taken from
the soil.
/ The progress in production Of wealth
on farms is shown by the following ia
BILE compiled from the official record
of the government:
1899 lcensus) ..........$4,717, 900 ,00l
i Dept, Of