The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1908-01-04
FARMER PROSPERS'
DURING PAST YEAR HAS PRO-
DucED MORE THAN $1,000
100000 IN CROPS.
His Goods Have Brought From For
eisn Lands Over Billion Dollars in
Money-Extracts From the Annual
Report Of the Secretary Of Agricul-
ture.

Washington, Dec. 28.-The Ameri-
can farmer is more than $1,000, 000, 900
above and beyond being to blame for
the tight money situation which has
been bothering everybody else. While
business of the United States has been
paralyzed because the banks of New
York have held $1,000, 100000 of the
country's money tied up in marginal
speculative securities, and have de-
could do so without loss, the secre-
tary of agriculture has been preparing
| figures to show that during the past
year the farmers of the United States
have brought into the country more
than $1,000, 100000 of foreign money.
While the parasitical Spectator has
been paying usurious rates for money
to gamble with in New York, and has
produced nothing, the farmer has done
nothing but produce. In the first
place, the farmer has during the past
year raised $7,412,OOO,OOO worth of
has been sold, $1,000, 100000 worth of
it abroad, and the money placed in the
banks all over the country. Then these
banks, attracted by the interest rates
in New York, have sent the money
there and it has been loaned out on
securities which have since so faded
in value that if collection we're inexor-
ably forced good many people who
are not used to it would have to go
to work for a living.
Spectators Scared.
| The figures about the farmers cited
are from Secretary of Agriculture
James Wilson's annual report, which
has just been made public. The re-
port has other statements revealing
with equal eloquence the desirability
of the farmer as citizen, but offering
no arguments in favor of the desira
bility of the stock gambler. Thus it
is shown that eight such corn crops
as that raised in the United States
this year, and sold at the price this
one is bringing, would build every foot
of steam railroad in the country, In
Guiding all the expensive terminals,
and pay for every particle of property
of whatsoever name owned by these
roads, but nothing is cited to prove
that the original productiveness of a
stock market would or could build a
railroad in million years.
The total value of all that the farms
of the United States produced in 1907
is 10 per cent more than the value
of the total production of 1906, al
though the crops this year have not
been quite as good as last year. The
total value for 1907 is also II per cent
more than in 1905, 20 per cent above
that of 1904, Is per cent in excess of
that for 1903, and 81 per cent greater
than the total value for 1899. The
total farm exports for the year have
been $1,055 200, 900, or $4,000, 900
above the highest previous record.
/ Corn Is King.
Corn is king, according to the secre-
Itary. 1t is the chief crop of the Unit
Gu I0dL0S, WuOIuCl 1uCdSulOU LAOACy
value or in variety of service per-
formed. The value of the 1907 crop is
I26 per cent greater than the average
for the past five years. The next best
lcrop, from financial point of view,
is hay, although it may be that the
final estimate will give second place
to cotton, which is coming strong.
lCotton raised in 1907 is valued at
$675, 100000, and it is the most valua-
BILE cotton crop ever produced in the
country. The wheat crop for the year
lis valued at $5OO,OO0,0 900, which is IL
Iper cent more than the average for
the last five years.
Other crops have also done well in
the way of making the mere specula-
tor look like the unnecessary dead
beat on the national band wagon
which he is. Thus the alfalfa crop
amounted to $1OO,OOO,OOO Sugar, mo-
lasses and syrup brought in almost as
much more. Oats, $360,000,OO0. Po-
tatoes, 500, 200, 900. Barley, $115,000,-
900. Tobacco, $67,OO0,0O0, but this
would have been at least 81, 000, 00O, 900
lie the tobacco trust were in the bot