The Farmville herald. [volume] (Farmville, Va.) 1890-1934, 1909-12-03
BANNER YEAR
FOR FARMERS
Value Of Crops 50 Large Figures
Pass Comprehension.
REPORT ON AGRICULTURE

Secretary Wilson Says High Prices
Helped, But Bumper Crops Also
Played important Part - Result Of
investigation Into Price of Meat.
Washington. Dec. Most prosper
Gus of all years is the place to which
1909 is entitled in agriculture. says
Secretary OF Agriculture Wilson in his
thirteenth annual report. The value OF
farm products is so incomprehensively
large that it hss become merely row
of figures. For this year it is $780,
100000. gain Of SS69.0oOOOO over
1908.
The value of the products has near
~ doubled in ten years. IL has paid
off mortgages. il has established
banks. it has made better homes; it
has helped to make the farmer citi-
zen of the world and it has provided
him with means Tor improving his SOIL
and making it more productive.
Corn. cotton. wheat, hay and oats
lead in reaching this stupendous re-
suit. The November farm value Of
these staples was. Corn. sl.72000O.-
900. cotton. S65O.000O00. wheat, $50
100000: hay $685. 100000, and oats.
si00.00O.000 Trailing along came po-
tatoes. S2l2000,OOO; tobacco, 100000
coo. and sugar $9500O000
High prices helped to bring this i'm
mense sum to the farmers, but a
bumper crop also played an important
part. as the production of all cereals
combined is 4.71LOO0.000 bushels, an
amount considerably greater than that
for any other year except 1906. II ex-
ceeds the average of the preceding
five years by 60 per cent The value
of all cereals in 1909 has never been
eoualled in a previous year. 1t is al
most exactly $3.O00.OOOO0O or "a per
cent above the fyeycar average.
Prices Of Meat.
Secretary Wilson has just finished
a unique investigation relating to the
increase OF wholesale prices of beef
when sold at retail. Inquiries were
made in fifty cities-large. medium
and smail-in all parts OF the coun-
try. and it was found that for the
fifty cities the total retail cost charged
10 customers above the wholesale cost
paid by the retailers is 80 per cent.
A gross profit of % per cent was
found in New York city and in Phila-
delphia. SO per cent in Boston. II per
cent I'm Baltimore. AZ per cent in
Washington, as per cent in Chicago,
% per cent in Cincinnati. % per cent
IN Omaha. 80 per cent in St Louis.
Mo: GA per cent in Mobile Ala, and
81 per cent in Denver, Colo. The
North Atlantic states exacted the
smallest profit and the south central
states the largest
Another feature of the investigation
showed that the lower the grade OF
beef the greater the percentage of
gross profit In Boston. for instance,
the rate of gross profit is nearly twice
as great for beef costing cents at
wholesale as for beef costing II and
~ cents. Low priced beef is mark
ed up nearly twice as much relatively
as high priced beef. In other words
perhaps it is a safe inference that the
poor people pay nearly twice as much
profits as the well-to-do people pay.
Farmers Share Of Profits.
An inquiry was also made to find IT,
in the ascending prices of meat. the
prices of the farmers beef cattle and
hogs have increased in proportion to
the retail prices, and the conclusion
was reached that the farmer has fail
ed to receive a share of the higher
beef prices with regard 10 the raw
animal. He. however. gets some re-
turn for the high-priced corn that he
feeds to his steers, but not return
equal to 60 cents a bushel for his
corn. which is the price for the last
two years. As for the unfed steer. it
does not participate in the upward
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