Omaha daily bee., 1908-12-14
EARLY EIGHT BILLIONS
Secretary Of Agriculture Reports on
Value Of Farm Products.
CORN Is GREATEST OF CROPS
More Than Two and m Hal,
Billion bushels Sell for over
Billion and Half
Dollars.

III AAo Nv 4
annual report to ths president, issued 70.
day renders a comprehensive account o.
mis- stewardship and presents a review OF
the progress OF agriculture in the United
states during this period. Concerning tn,
tarm production OF 1908, he says that tne
FARMER mas created wealth by the billions
PRODUCTION has been above the average OF
recent years with few exceptions: and.
while some prices have fallen, others have
risen.
Ihe farm value Of all farm products of
ISVS reaches the most extraordinary total
In the nations history-$7, as, 10000. This is
about four times the value of the products
OF the mines, including mineral oils and
precious metals. The farmer contributes
81 per cent OF the raw materials used in
those manufacturing industries which de-
pend mostly or considerably upon agricul-
tural materials, and these industries use
AZ per cent of all materials used in all in
dustries.
Inc gain In value of farm products in
1908 over, 1907 is $3.50, 900, 900 and would have
been much larger had not the prices of
cotton and hay been low. The value of
products in 1899, the census year. being
taken at 100, the value for 1903 stands at
10; for 1904, at 1871; for 1905, at 1874; for
1906 at l4S; for 1901, at 159; and for 1908 at
l65. During the last ten years the wealth
production on the farms of this county has
exceeded the fabulous sum of $50, OOO,O 900, 900.
Corn Greatest of Crops.
Greatest of all crops is Indian corn. whose
production this year is 2,S4s. 100000 bushels
The value OF this crop is 81, sl5,OOO.OOo This
wealth. grown out of the soil in four
months of rain, sunshine, and some drouth.
is enough to cancel the interest-bearine
debt Of the United States and to pay for
the Panama canal and fifty battleshius.
The crop Is worth this year nearly as much
as the great crops Of cotton, hay and wheat
combined. Compared with the averages of
the preceding five years the quantity IA ,
per cent higher and the value Is p per cent
higher.
Hay-The greatest hay crop in history
has been gathered this year, IS, 900, 600 tons.
or IL per cent above the average of the
preceding five years. Its price is 50 per ton
less than 1t was a year ago, but still the
Iarm value of the crop is s621, OOO, 600, or 6
per cent above the five-year average.
Wheat-Wheat is IL per cent above the
five-year average in production ana % per
cent aboe In total value. The $50, OOO.O o
bushels Of this crop are estimated to he
worth s02O'OOO.ON to the farmers. or $6s, 900, 900
more thar the most valuable wheat crop
heretofore produced.
Production of Cereals,
All cereals aggregate 1928, 900. OOo. bushels.
a total that has been exceeded three times,
but the value reaches 81, So, 600 600. or more
than $sOo.0Oo.0Oo above that Of 1907, and ex-
ceeds still more the totals of former years.
Compared with the preceding five years.
the number of bushsls IS higher by OF per
cent ana the vaiuet q higher by 50 per cent.
All Farm Crops.
For the first time, this. year. the value
OF all farm crops equals So. 900, 600, 900,
and of this total the value of the corn
crop is about one-third; wheat hav ana
cotton combined make more than an
other third, and the smaller crops the
remainder, or nearly one-thlrd. Never
oerore has the hay crop been so large
In quantity, 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 wear
and cotton by only two years at the 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 combined.
Next to the highest value was reach ed
by hay. barley. oats. sugar cane and cane
sugar. and perhaps BY cotton.
Animal Products.
Although the farmer gets hardly 20
cents a pound for his butter, between g
and 4 cents a quart for his milk and
about Ia cents for each egg, yet the
value OF the farm products of the dairy
COW is getting close to $500, 100000. and
the value of the eggs and poultry pro-
duced on the farm is worth as nuch
as the cotton crop. seed included, or the
hay crop, or the wheat crop.
The aggregate value of animals sold
and slaughtered and OF animal products
at the farm amounts to about three
eighths OF the value of all farm products.
minated upon the census basis, shd is
getting nearer to $4,000. 900, 900.
Foreign Trade In Farm Products,
The exports of agricultural products in
the fiscal year 1893 were valued AT
an amount greater than for
any year except 1907. the reduction OF
SS7, 10000 under that year being chiefly
due to the falling off in value of cotton
exports.
The exported cotton was valued at S48s,-
OOo, 600, the grain and grain products at
Sl5'OOO'OOO and the packing house
products at 3196. 900. 900.
The imports of agricultural products I'm )
1908 were valued at $40, 900, 600 In the
from which exported, a ieduc- :
ton of $s7,o00.O 900 below the value for !
1907. Imports are mostly silk, wool,
hides, coffee, various vegetable fibers and !
oils. fruits, sugar and molasses, tea and !
The exports OF forest products Z
are beginning to decline, chiefly in lum-
Der and timebr. 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 United States in {
1903 were apportioned in value as follows: {
Animals and animal products. I6 per cent; I
cotton and cotton products. 21 per cent;
grain and grain products. - per cent; all Z
other products chiefly sustained by agri- 7
culture. 6 per cent; forest products and 4
other products chiefly dependent upon q
s per cent; exports that are not ag-
nor of forest origin. either fully I
Jr in principal degree, 81 per cent. I
The exports of domestic agricultural pro- 6
,