The Prescott daily news., 1908-12-18
HATS OFF TO TIE
 AMERICAN FARMER
Secretary HliSOn's Annual Report Shows
 Unprecedented Prosperity.

HO! to the country gentleman
 Long may he prosper as in the last year, when James Wilson, Secretary iof Agriculture, says in an annual report he has gained S29O, 100000 in wealth bringing the total of his. riches up to the extraordinary and unprecedented figure of S7,77S,OOOOOO
 He would have added a few dozesn of millions more to his bank roll, Wilson says, but for the fact that prices for cotton and hay were rather low.
 The report asserts that the value or farms and farm products is about four times the value of the products of mines including mineral oils and precious metals, and points out that the farmer contributes S7 per cent of the raw materials used .n manufar- turing and 42 per cent of all ma terials used in all industries.
 Corn still is the agricultural head-liner."
 The report says in part:
 For the first time this year the value of all farm crops eq- uals five billion dollars! and of this total the value of the corn crop is about one-third; wheat hay and cotton combined make more than another third, and the smaller crops the remainder. Never before has the hay crop been so large in quahtity, nor the rice crop, nor the sugar beet crop, nor beet and cane sugar production. The production of barley has been exceeded in only one former year, and cotton by only two years at most.
 ''The highest crop values in comparison with former years are held by corn wheat, rice all cereals, potatoes, sugar beets. possibly tobacco by beet sugar and by beet and cane sugar com bined. Next to the highest value was reached by hay, barley, oats sugar cane and cane sugar, and perhaps by cotton.
 Although the farmer gets hard ly 20 cents a pound for hisl but ter, between 3 and 4 cents a quart for his milk and about 1 1-2 cents for each egg, yet the value of the farm products of the dairy COW is getting close to eight hundred million dollars and the value of the eggs and poul- try produced on the farm is worth as much as the cotton crop sseed included, or the hay crop, Or the wheat croh
 "The aggregate value of the animals sold and slaughtered and of animal products at the farm amounts to about three eights of the value of all farm products, estimates upon the census basis, and is getting near CT to three billion dollars"
 The exports of agricultural products in the fiscal year 1908 were valued at S1,O17 100000 an amount greater than for any year except 1907 the reduction of S37 100000 under that year being chiefly due to the falling off in the value of cotton exports.
 The exported cotton was val ued at S43S, 100000. the grain products at S215, 100000 and the packing house products at S196, 100000.
 The imports of agricultural products in 1908 were valued at S54O,OOO,OO in the countries
 from which exported, reduc- tion of $S7 100000 below the value for 1907. Imports are mostly silk, wool, hides. coffee various vegetable fibers and, oils fruits. sugar and molasscs, tea and tobacco The exports of for est products are beginning to decline chiefly in lumber and tim Der. The imports of such products declined in 1908 mostly because of India rubber but there were gains in imports of pulp wood and wood pulp
 The total exports of the Un- tied States in 1908 were ap- portioned in value as follows; Animals and animal products, 16 per cent; cotton and cotton pro- ducts, 27 per cent; grain and grain products 12 per cent; all other products chiefly sustained by agricultural 6 per cent, for est products and other products