The Paducah evening sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1906-1929, 1906-11-30
THE WEALTH OF THE FARM.

The year just past has been one OF
the most prosperous years the farm
ers of this country have ever known,
says the Chicago Tribune. The value
Of the farm products. including live
stock. is estimated by the secretary
of agriculture at the inconceivable
figure of s6,794,0O0,O0O, nearly
half a billion more than last year
and over two billion more than in
1899. An increase of A per cent. in
seven years is cause enough for
thanksgiving. Over a million farm
ers who were debtors ten years ago.
trying to pay the interest on mort
cages on their farms, are now look
ing for investments for their money.
The experts of farm products, in
spite of increased consumption at
home. have grown to $4,000. 600.
In spite of the injurious statements
printed about the packing houses
the figures for exports of packing
house products exceed 100000. 900
for the first time. The balance of
trade in favor of the American far
mer, that is, the excess or exporta-
tons of American agricultural pro-
ducts over imports of the same char
acter, was for last year s433,000,-
900. as against SIS, zoo for all other
classes of exports and imports. TAX
ing the last seventeen years together
the balance in favor of the American
farmer is over six billion dollars.
while the balance against the other
American producers combined
amounts to nearly half a billion.
The increased prosperity of the
farmer has enabled him to make
himself still richer by developing
land which was wholly or partially
unproductive because of lack of
money. Alluvial land has been re-
claimed. marshes have been drained.
the proper seeds or plants have been
bought for special soils. Rocky
slopes have been planted with fruit
trees and leguminous plants on san
dy soil. Arid and semi-arid soil has
been irrigated. Improvements have
not been halted by lack of cash. At
the same time farm life has been
made less monotonous by the intro
duction of the telephone everywhere
and by the trolley aud by rural free
delivery in the more thickly settled
districts.
The department of agriculture has
done much to stimulate this growth
of prosperity. II has introduced a
winter wheat which bears five bush
els an acre more than the oil kind
and a winter barley which bears so
per cent. more than spring barley. It
has found that the camphor tree
fourishes in Florida on land where
the orange orchards have been de-
stroyed by frost, and that date
palms grow successfully In Arizona.
The alkili lands can now be reclaim
ed, promising new development to
Utah and states similarly situated,
while a way to inoculate soils for
leguminous crops has been found
even more successful than the one
used.
The farm is the strength OF the ma
ton, and the city dweiler wishes the
farmer a long continuance of the
present prosperity. As long as the
farmer has work for the unemploy-
ed Of the cities and money to buy
the products of the factories, the
cities share in the good things of
life. When crops fail and the farmer
Is hard up the factories must close
and the workmen out OF a job look
In vain to the farm for a chance to
share in the harvest. The farmer
has enough laid by to stand a year
Or two of bad luck, but everybody
wishes him another year like the
last.