Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-12-02
The Agriculture Report.

| utHI anu III tlll'C tOI'So eiiNANOA " 80
find their way to the majority of the
| farmers of the land. The report, while
somewhat voluminods, is exceedingly
concise when the magnitude of the
subject treated is taken into consider.
alton. 1t will be criticised, without a
doubt. Such reports are always criti-
cised, but on the whole the report is
one of the most satisfactory that has
ever been submitted to the people
through their Chief Executive.
| Secretary Wilson is fiat and firm in
his stand in favor of the use of ben
zoate of soda in foods. 1t is as fol-
laws:
The use of personalities which
| may be injurious to health is one of
| the largest ard most perpleXing
questions arising under the food
and drugs act. In order to deter
| mine the effect of preservatives on
health, board Of eminent scientific
men was appointed, and these are
testing the various personalities in
ACTUAL thpNl IiiINHlo WIN
subjects. SO far only one expert
ment has been completed that with
sodium benZOatc. The decision
which has been published declares
this preventative to be nOninjuri-
Gus. and it may be used without
violation Of law, provided the per-
ccntage used appears on the labels
attached to the packages.
The majority OF the people Secretary
Wilson serves does not believe that
benzoatc of soda is good for them. BY
taking q stand III favor of the use Of
the adulterant, he IS inviting storm
of protest which he will surely be
called upon to weather.
He is optimistic over the work of the
weather bureau and ignores the con-
troversy which was started by the
miscalculation in the prediction for
March 4, 1909 He insists that the blu.
reau has an excuse for existence. The
report says;
An instance of the practical
Bureau is found in it's advance
warnings of storms. like the Key
West hurricane Of october H. 1909.
From the first definite location OF
this storm over the south central
Caribbean Sea OH October s, until
it proceeded to the southern eN-
tremty of Florida and passed into
the ocean on the 18th and 18th of
October, the Bureau gave out daily
advices regarding it's intensity and
direction in every stage of it's pro-
gress. With the result that protec-
tive measures following the receipt
of the warnings reduced the loss
both of life and property to a min
imum.
Secretary Wilson's observations iE
regard to the crops have been sitting
ont from time to time since the indi-
cations that we We're to nave bumper
crops were sufficiently crystalzed to
permit of comment thereon. Neverthe
less his manner of conveying an ade
the crops, is interesting. The report
says:
Most prosperous of all years is
the place to which 1863 is entitled In
agriculture. declares the Secretary
of Agriculture in his Thirteenth
Annual Report. made public today
The value of farm products is so
ircomprehensibly large that it has
become merely a row of figures
For this year it is IS, $50. 000, 900.
gain of sS6a,OO0OO0 over 1908. The
value of the products has nearly
doubled in ten years. The
report says, ELEVEN years of agri-
culture, Beginning with produce
ton of S4.d17 900. 900 and ending with
$3.50. 100000 A SUM of S10,000,000.
$50 for the period. 1t has paid off
mortgages, it has established
banks, it has made better homes.
it has helped to make the farmer y
citizen of the world. and it has pro-
vdcd him with means for improv
ing his soil and making it more
productive"
The most striking fact in the
worlds agriculture is the value OF
the corn crop for 1909 which is
ilifcut N1.t-",VV""Nv. II ftdIly equals
the value of the clothing and per
Soral adornmcnts of 76.000000 poo
pie, according to the census of 1900
The gold and silver coin and bull
lion of the United States are not OF
greater value. 1t has grown up
from the soil and out of the air in
30 days-$l5 100000 a day TOR
one crop. nearly enough for two
DreadnauGhts daily for peace or
war. This crop exceeds in value
the average of the crops Of the five
preceding years by Sc per cent.
Cotton is now the second crop
in value. and this years cotton
crop is easily the most valuable
one to the farmer that has been
produced. With cotton lint selling
at i3.7 cents on the farm November
| and With cotton seed selling for
about $25 per ton, the lint and seed
of this crop are worth about $685.
100000 to the farmer. No cotton
crop since 1873 has been sold hy far
r1ers for rs high price per pound
AS this one.
Third in value is wheat. worth
about $725,o00,0 600 at the farm. and
this largely exceeds all previous
values. The November farm price