Middletown transcript., 1906-02-17
WEALTH OF OUR FARMS

/ In view of the vast increase that hal
4 taken place during the past decade in the
number aud wealth of our industrial es-
1 tablishments and in the value OF our manu-
facfured products, it will be surprising to
many people to learn that our farms still
greatly exceed in value and as source of
revenue every other source of wealth, not
even excluding our great manufacturing
enterprises. The wealth production of
the farms Of tile United States reached in
1905 the highest amount ever attained in
this or any other country, the total fig
ure being nearly six and one-half billion
dollars. Four Of the crops reached new
records a. to yalue, namely, corn, hay,
wheat aud rice. Corn exceeds previous
Yields both in amount and price, and hay,
wheat and riee reached new figures as to
value only. The general average of pro-
duction was high in the case of every crop,
and the prices ran higher still. The Sec
retary of Agriculture estimates that in ad-
dition to tile enormous yield or wealth,
the farms Of the country have themselves
increased in yslue during the past five
years hy over six billions of dollars; and
he puts the matter dramatically when he
states that with every going down Of the
past five years, there has been registered
an increase Of three million four hundred
thousands dollars in the value OF the farms
OF the country. An analysis OF the prin-
cipal crops for the year shows that corn
reached its highest production with Q, 708,-
000,000 bushels, clear gain Of AZ, COO, 600
bushels over the very profitable year of
1899, The hay crops is value at six hum
dred and five million dollars; cotton at FIVE
hundred and seventy-fve millions; wheat
at five hundred and twenty-five millions;
oats at two hundred aud eighty-two mill
ionsj barley, fifty-eight millions, an to-
bacco at fifty-two million dollars. Very
remarkable is the increase of fifty-four |
million dollars in the value OF dairy pro-
ducts, which reached the total valuation |
of six hundred and sixty=iYe million dol
lars. The farmers hen, says the Secre-
tary, is becoming worthy companion to
the COW, the annual production OF eggs be- |
ing now twenty billions. Poultry pro.
ducts have climbed to value OF over hall |
billion dollars, so that poultry competes
with wheat for precedence. The total
value OF horses is estimated at 81 ,200, ,0O0,-
600. There are over seventeen and a-half
million milch COWS, valued at nearly half |
a billion dollars. During the year farm
produce to- the value of eight hundred |
and twenty=seven million dollars was ex-
ported. During the last sixteen years the
domestic exports of farm products have
amounted to twelve billion dollars, or one
billion dollars more than enough to buy
all the railroads of the country at their
commercial valuation. Clear evidence OF
the farmer is seen in the fact that under
a recent amendment of the national bank
ing law, allowing the establishment of
banks with capitalization Of less than
$50, 600, there have been 754 such banks
established in the last year, nearly every
one of which, says the Secretary, is located
in rural community and the capital furn-
isIled by farmers. For the first time in
the financial history of the South, the de-
posits in that region exceed one billion dol
Ia J. Should there be no relapse from his
present position as wealth producer, three
years hence the farmer will find that the
farming element, which forms thirty.ive
per cent. OF the population, has prodnced
all amount OF wealth within the preceding
ten years equal to one-llalf OF the entire
national wealth produced in three Gen.
turies. Scientific 4merican