Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1909-12-28
The Country's Biggest Business.

AuO o6ltOuAtufoi piOuuOtAOu Va AOoo
must add much to the prosperity Of
farmers. The record is unexampled in
wealth production, and tells OF sbun-
dance in quantity. Year by year the
farmer Is better and better prepared to
provide the capital and make the expen-
ditures needed to improve his agricul-
ture and to educate bis children for
farm life and work" In the foregoing
words the secretary Of agriculture con-
cludes the review of the production of
1909 feature of his thirteenth annual re-
port. Most prosperous of all years, 10
the place to which 1909 is entitled in
agriculture, the secretary declares. The
value of farm products is so incompre-
hensibly large that it has become merely
a row OF figures. For this year it is
$S, 760, ,000, 600, gain of $3.50, 600, 900
over 1908. The value Of the products
has nearly doubled in ten years. The
report sets forth: "Eleven years of agri-
culture, beginning with production
of $4,417, ,0OO, 900 and ending with sS,-
100, ,OOO, 900! A sum of $4,000, ,000, 900
for the period. 1t has paid off NOR.
cages, it has established banks, 1t has
made better homes, it has helped to
make the farmer citizen of the world,
and it has provided him with means for
improving his soil and making it more
productive"
The most striking fact in tho worlds
agriculture, in the opinion of the secre-
tary, is the value of the corn crop for
1909, which is about 1,720, 900, 900. 1t
nearly equals the value of the clothing
and personal adornments of 10000, 900
people, according to the census of 1900.
The gold and silver coin and bullion Of
the United States are not cf greater
value. 1t has grown up from the soil
and out of the air in 120 days-S15, ,000,-
600 for one crop, nearly enough for two
dreadnoughts daily for peace or war.
This crop exceeds in value the average
of the crops of the five preceding years
by SO per cent.
Cotton is now the second crop in
value, and this years cotton1s easily the
most valuable one to the farmer that has
been produced. With cotton lint selling
at IS I cents on the farm Nov. l, and
with cottonseed selling for about $25
per ton, the lint and seed of this crop
are worth about $3.50, ,000, 900 to the
farmer. No cotton crop since 1878 has
been sold by farmers for as high price
per pound as this one.
Third in value is wheat, worth about
SIPS, 600, 900 at the farm, and this largely
exceeds all previous values. The No
vember farm price was almost an even
dollar bushel, price which has not
been equaled since 1881. This Is the
third wheat crop in point of size, with
725 ,OOO, 900 bushels.
The hay crop is valued at S665, ,0O0, 900;
oats at 100000, 900; potatoes at $212,-
0O0, 900; and tobacco at nearly $780,
OOO, 900. Beet and cane sugar and mo-
lasses and syrup, from farm and factory,
will reach the total of about $95, ,000, 900.
The barley crop is worth about $751;
OOO, 900; flaxseed $50, 900, 900, and 1,OOO,-
OOO, 900 pounds of rice $25, ZOO, 900.
Making comparisons with former
years, Secretary Wilson says that the
production of all cereals combined is
4, Ill, 100000 bushels, an amount con-
siderably greater than for any other year
except 1906. 1t exceeds the average Of
the preceding five years by 6.5 per cent.
The value of all cereals in 1909 has
never been oqualed in a previous year.
1t is almost exactly $4,000, O,0OO,O ,OCo, or "a
per cent above the fivs-year average.
Compared with the average of the pre-
vious five years. all principal crops are
greater in quantity this year, except cot
ton, flaxseed aud hops and cane sugar;
but without exception every crop is
worth more to the farmer than the f1ve-
year average. This is the year for high
est production for potatoes, tobacco,
beet sugar, all sugar, and rice; next to
the highest production for corn, oats,
and all cereals. Compared with 1908,
gains in value are found all along the
line, the exceptions being barley, buck
wheat, rye and milk.