The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-10-17
Decrease in Exporfs Shops
 Farm Interests Are Logging

to provide for Rome needs, and when Ithe United States win cease to be an important exporter Of wheat.
 The United states already has al :. most ceased to export corn. In the ns- cal year-ending June 20. 1909. only s7.- SQ0.oo0 bushels of corn was sent to for- eigu countries. less than 3 per cent of the crop of that year. In the five years From 1887 to 1901, inclusive, corn, ex- ports averased nearly zoo,ooo.ooo bush '
 This faliins on in corn exports has occurred In the face of substantial in-, creese in the corn crop The corn area last year o1,ooo.o0o acres. was s.0oo,- 900 acres greater than in 1899, as re- ported by the census. This years area Is 0s.000.000 acres.
 An enormous increase in the home consumption of corn in the past ten years is the cause of the slirinkage or advance in prices. The average farm value of corn last year tDecember Il was COG cents. The average for rae past five years was t7.5 cents, which compares with 42 cents in the preced- ing six years and only 29.5 cents in the period from 1894 to 1898, inclusive.
 For the past i've years the Depart rnent of Asriculture's estimates of the crop have averaged yearly 2,710.000. 900
 
 bushels raised in 1899. according to the census report. This is an increase of over 30 per cent and Is much in ex-' cess of the increase in population. If the figures are correct there has been an immense increase in the amount of corn fed to animals. But the high prices prevailing for live stock. and the shrinkage in meat exports. indicate clearly that the growth of the live stock industry had hardly kept up with the increasing demand for meats.
 Exports~of both beef and hog pros ducts in the past five years have been moderately less than in the preceding live years. and just about equal to the average of the preceding fifteen years.
 In round numbers the products of about s.000.o00 hogs are exported an- inually out of 50,oo0.ooo slaughtered. ex- ports annually of beef and live cattle amount to about million head out ef probably 26.ooo.ooo marketed every year.
 Taking into consideration the largo increasein home requirements. amount ing to about 25 per cent every ten years. the live stock raisers have come nearer to keeping pace with the gen- eral growth of the country than the wheat raisefs, but there is a recognized deficiency in the supplies of live stock at the present time. as reflected in the high prices--over 8 cents a pound, live weight. for the best hogs and the best cattle.
 Tn the consideration of subject of this sort 1t Is well to bear in mind that relatives prices are tue ultimate fac tors in readjusting the production of various commodities. Continued high prices for farm products will make farming more remunerative. and att tract more capital and labor to the farming industry. The farmers had a long period of hard times previous to. the past few years of their prosperity. They are getting their reward now. Their profits are sufficient to enable them to buy new machinery and inple- ments. which ultimately will increase the average yield per acre of land. and in that way add still more to their prosperity and the satisfaction they get out of their labors.