Yellowstone monitor. [volume] (Glendive, Mont.) 1905-1928, 1908-12-24
BANNER FARM YEAR

menu Oh SGV0Tal HOnCnS pdSC IIIaI Ciiio
has been a great crop year, may be
appreciated in the annual report of the
United States Department of Agricul-
ture, which was made public to-day by
Secretary Wilson.
The value of all farm products dur
ing the past year reached the great
est total in history-$7, 778, 600, 900.
'"This," says the report, sis about
four times the value of the products
of the mines, including mineral oils
and precious metals. The farmer con-
tributes 81 per cent. of the material
used in those manufacturing industries
which depend mostly or considerably
upon agricultural materials, and these
industries use AZ per cent. of all ma
terial used in all industries.
''The gain in value of farm products
in 1908 over 1907 is $3.50, 900, 600 and
would have been much larger had not
the prices Of cotton and hay been low.
1.-The greatest hay crop in history
has been gathered this year, GO, 0O0,
600 tons, or IL per cent. above the
average of the preceding five years.
It's price is So ton less than it was a
year ago, but still the value of the
crop is 1921, 900, 900 or per cent.
above the fve-year average.
Wheat is II per cent. above the
fve-year average in production and %
per cent. above in total value. The
$50; 900, 900 bushels of his crop are
estimated to be worth $500, 900, 900 to
the farmers, or $66, 900, O6O more
than the most valuable wheat crop
heretofore produced.
although the farmer gets hardly
20 cents a pound for his butter, be-
tween 8 and cents quart for his
milk and about Ii cents for each egg,
yet the value of the products of the
dairy cow is getting close to $500, 000, :
600, and the value of the eggs and
poultry produced on the farm is worth
as much as the cotton crop, seed
included, or the hay crop, or the
wheat crop. The value of agricultural
exports was 81, OF, 900, 600.
The number of national forests is
now 80, and the total area 1853, 600, :
900 acres. At 81 per thousand feet
stumpage the timber standing in these
forests is worth $500, 900, 900. These
forests contain one-fifth of the stand
ing merchantable, timber of the
country.
During the year 1856, 600, 900 feet
of timber were sold from the national
forests, but the Government got only
$3.50, 900. The grazing privileges in the
reservations returned $1,000, 900. +"
The report says the outbreak of
foot and mouth disease is supposed to
have been introduced from abroad.
1t continues:
Statistics show that tuberculosis
in animals is on the increase. A recent
estimate, based on the meat inspection
and the records of the tuberculin test,
shows: Beef cattle affected, per
cent. hogs, 2 per cent. dairy cattle,
10 per cent. The financial loss to stock
men and dairymen because of this
disease is estimated to be fully $14,
600, 900 per annum.
SIN addition to the great losses,
estimated at $40, 900, 900 annually, en-
tailed by damage to property by the
house rat, this rodent continues to ex-
cite grave apprehension because of its
agency in distributing the plague and
other diseases. Experiments with
various poisons and mechanical means
of destruction have been made. F"
Ground squirrels, says the report,
also are susceptible of plague and
carry the germ of the disease.
"As means of spreading typhoid
fever the common house fly is attract.
ing more attention, and an effort is
being made to arouse public interest il
the subject. The tick, the sole agent il
the spreading of Texas fever, has beer
studied with a view to assisting II