Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1908-12-14
YEARS. Farm YIELD
Is $(,(Vg.OOO,OOO
Secretary OF Agriculture Will
sen Shows That Record Was
Broken in 1908
CORN STILL REIeNs AS KING
Total Value of This Crop Is $685.
600, ooo-Hay Is Also ExaIted-sec
retarys Annual Report Condemns
the House Fly and Other Pests-Pub.
lie Roads and Forestry.

washington, Lee. l4.-Secretdry OF
Agriculture James Wilson, in his
twelfth annual report, declares the
farm products of 1908 make new
record in the country's history. Amer
iican farms are reported to have .ex-
ceeded the mines fourfod, albeit oil
and precious metals are included in
the showing of the latter.
Corn is declared king in the detailed
account of cereals, staples, tubers and a
dethroned monarcl-cotton. Cotton
takes second place in value.
The hay yield makes a new record.
is the greatest ever reported, and thus
helps the remarkable showing Of agri-
cultural products i'm general.
In the course Of a most exhaustive
review of domestic resources, foreign
relations, departmental work, internal
improvements, needs, experiments, and
projected reforms, the secretary does
not disdain detailed consideration OF
agriculture's geological. ornithologicsl
and chronological sides.
Not merely the boil weevil pest of the
cotton belts; moths, whether gypsy or
brown tail; field mice and ground
squirrels are deemed worthy of gov
ernmental inquiry. but the tick and
the horse fly have their innings. Inc
spread of typhoid fever by the dipter-
Gus pest of the household has not es-
capped the searching eyes of the agrl-
cultural department, with a view to
awakening the public to a sense of
peril
Near an Eight Billion Yield.
In it's resume Of values, the secre-
tarvs report shows the farm value OF
all farm products to have reached "the
most extraordinary total in the ma
tons history-s 7,77s, 100000. The far
mer," it is added, contributes 81 per
cent of the raw materials used In those
manufacturing industries which de-
pend mostly or considerably upon agrl-
cultural materials, and these industries
use AZ per cent of all materials used
in all industries.
greatest of all crops is Indian corn,
whose production this year is 2,643, O0o,-
600 bushels. The value of this crop Is
ST, SIS, 900, 900. Compared with the
average of the preceding five years the
quantity is per cent higher and the
value 43 per cent higher.
at seems likely that the cotton crop
is one of the highest three ever pro-
duced, but with a value next to the
HIGHEST or perhaps more, and attho the
farm price of cotton this year is below
the price of last year by more than
cent. For the first time in the history
of this country's agriculture the value
of the cotton crop. including seed, mas
annarentlv exceeded the value of the
hay crop. which has heretofore held
second place.
"The greatest hay crop in history mas
been gathered this year, 6S,OO0,Ooo TONS,
or 12 per cent above the average OF
the preceding five years. Its price Is
50 per ton less than it was a year ago,
but still the farm value of the crop IS
1921 100000. or per cent above the
five year average.
"Wheat is liz per cent above the
five year average in production ana
% per cent above in total value. Inc
$50 600 600 bushels of this crop are es-
timated to be worth s620,0oO,oO0 to the
farmers. or s66,OOO,000 more than the
most valuable wheat crop heretofore
produced.
Bumper Hay Crop Reported.
or the Grand total of values that OF
the corn crop is about one-thlro'
wheat. hay, and cotton combined mahe
more than another third: ana the
smaller crops the remainder, Or nearly
one-third. Never before has the nay
crop been so large in quantity nor the
rice crop, nor the sugar beet crop, nor
beet and cane sugar productloh. li,e
production of barley has been exceeu-
ed in only one former year, ana cotlol'
bv only two years at the7lmost.
The value of the farm products OF
the dairy COW is getting close to $soo,-
600 900 and the value of the eggs ana
poultry produced on the farm is worth
as much as the cotton crop. seed IN
cl,1ded. or the hay crop, or the Wheat
crop.
The aggregate value of animals sold
and slaughtered and of animal prod
ucts at the farm amounts to ABOUT
,three-eightfs of the value of all farm
products, estimated upon the census
basis. and is getting nearer and nearer
to $4,000, 100000.
Export and Import Values.
Exports of agricultural products IN
1908 were valued at $1,017,O0O,UOO
greater than for any preceding year,
except 1907, and s37,oOO,ooo less than
last year, because of decline in values
of cotton exports. Imports were $780,
GOO 900, a reduction of $S7,O00,o00.
During the last twelve years the
yearly average agricultural balance of
international trade in favor of this
country increased from 1924 100000 to
SAIL o0O.O or IS per cent
Under the head of the department S
experiment and other work in 1908,
mention is made of a high yielding,
early maturing variety of corn which
gave 100 bushels per acre in Wiscon-
sin. under adverse seasonal conditions.
Public Roads and Forestry.
Under the head of highways, the re-
port states that freight hauled to rail-
roads over wagon roads exceeds $780,
600 900 tons a year. With an average
cost of % cents per ton per mile the
resultant sum representing the annual
cost of wagon transportation passes the
half billion dollar mark.
The total cost of 2,151,000 miles of