The sun., 1908-12-14
VALUE or FkRH PRODUCTS
SECRETARY WILSON CAN ONLY
EXPRESS 1T IN BILLIONS.

This Year It Was Og.ss0, ,OOO. .000-ThS
Value Of Germ Alone Was ol ,alB. .OOOy
coo. Eneugh 70 Pay the Interest
Bearing Debt and Build the Canal
WASHINGTON, Dec. siS.--Blilions' OF
bushels OF farm products, valued at. the
extraordinary total Of 81. an. .ooo. 900. were
produced In tho United States In the
fiscal year 1908. according 70 the annual
report OF the Secretary Of Agriculture.
The value Of farm products last yUar.
Secretary Wilson declares. was four times
the value Of the products Of the Tnines.
including mineral oils and precious metals.
'The farmer he said. Contributes 81
per cent. Of the raw material used In those
manufacturing industries which depend
mostly or considerably upon agf1oul-
turai materials, and those industries use
~ per cent. Of all naterials used In all
industries Y
John ID. Rockefeller may be the; heh-
est man In the world and his income may
run up into the millions. but as mathe-
matioian he can hardly be placed In the
same olass with Secretary Wilson, who
deals with billions and scarcely mentions
milIsons in discussing the farm produc-
tions in this country. ~
'The value Of farm products In Ip0e,"
says Secretary Wilson. 'is 81, 1,02s, 900. 900
over that OF 1906. 81. 400. .0o0. 900 above that
OF t905. 81, 1,e19. 600. 900 above that OF 1ood.
1881. .000. 900 above that OF 1908 and tS. .0gi,-
000, 600 above the census amount Of 1900"
Then Secretary Wilson mikes this
statement: =
During the last ten years the wealth
production OF the farms of this country
has exceeded the fabulous amount OF
900, 900 600, ,0Oo A simple series ,ief index
numbers shows the progressive inoye-
ment OF wealth production by the farmer
in anotherr form. The value Of farm
products In 1880. the census year, Ibeing
taken at 10 the value for 1908 stands at
l25, for 1904 at ISl. for 1905 at 1874, for 1905
at las, for 1907 at 159 and for 1908 at 1885,
~The value OF the corn crop almost
surpasses belief to quote Secretary
Wilson, Corn to the enormous quantity
Of 2.6as, 900 900 bushels, valued at sl,gi5,-
Ooo. 600. was produced in the United States
in tho year. Secretary Wilson observes
that this wealth has grown but Of the soil
In four months Of rain and sunshine aud
some drought too, and that II Is enough
to cancel the interest bearing debt of
the country and to pay, for the Panama
Canal and fifty battleships.. -
While the figures are not all at hand.
Secretary Wilson says that the indication
are that the value Of the cotton crop for
the first time win probably exceed the
value OF the hay crop. Sixty-eight
million tons OF hay, valued at 1921 600 900,
aoSs to S buahs "ns Sas
valued at $s21 ,0oO, 900. Seven hundred
and eighty mine million bushels of
oats. valued at Ss21 900 900. were raised.
The quantity and value OF other crops are
given as follows:
Barley, 10000. 600 bushels worth
oSS S rye % @ S fs5s bssSsis wort worth
Sis, 900, 900; potatoes, 21s. .0oO. 900 bushels.
worth sls,0OO. 900, The total quantity
Of cereals produced was ,a2e 00O, 900 |
bushels, valued at s2.8o4. 600 600.
TO the farmer. who has ayeraged
hardly twenty cents q pound FOR the |
butter he has sold, between three and |
Iour cents quart for his milk and about |
,pe and one.half cents for each egg,
and even TO the consumer, who has paid |
prices much above these" saws Mr. VIII
son, cit Is striking fact that the value |
,f the farm products OF the dairy COW
IRE getting closer and closer TO $500, 900 600 |
md that tho eggs and poultry Produced
IN the farm are worth as much as the
,otton crop. seed included, or the hay
,rop or the wheat CROP
Secretary Wilson asserts that in the
aggregate the value OF farm animals sold
md slaughtered and OF animal products
u the farm amounts to about three -eighths
4 the value OF all farm products. esti-
mated upon the census basis. This value
a oynftinn Slr ami fA yl,a |
,illion dollar mark, he adds. |,
The balance of trade in agricultural
'roducts is very largely in favor Of the
United States, according to Secretary
wilson, who says:
-The exports Of domestic farms In 1908
'eing worth SLIT, 900 900. the exports
4 foreign products being over $40, 600, 600
nd the imports Of farm products being
SO, oo9. .cc9, a balance OF International
his country results In the enormous
alue Of sass. .O00, ,000.'