The Mena weekly star., 1909-12-09
WAS \ GREAT YEAR
FARMERS OF THE COUNTRY MADE MUCH MONEY, sAYs sEcRE-
 TARY WILSON.
HIS ANNUAL REPORT SUBMITTED
Most Prosperous Year In Agriculture In History of country-corn Crop for 1909 Valued at s1,72o. .ooo--Re- eardIna Prices of Meats.

Washington, Dec. 2.--Most prosper ous of all years is the place to which 1909 is entitled in agriculture, declares Secretary of Agriculture Wilson in hIs thirteenth annual report. made pub lic to-day. The value of farm prod ncts Is so incomprehensible large that 1t has become merely a row of figures. For this year 1t Is $S.760, ,000. .0O0. a gain of sS69,000,O00 over 1908. The value of the products has nearly doubled in ten years.
 The report says Eleven years of agriculture, beginning with produc- tion of $4.4f7. 100000 and ending with $S.760, 900. .000l A sum of $70.000.- 000.000 for the periodl It has paid of mortgages, it has established banks. 1t has made better homes, 1t has helped to make the farmer citi- zen of the world, and 1t has provided him with means for improving his soil and making fl more productive"
 Farm Production of 1909.
 The most striking fact in the worlds agriculture Is the value of the corn crop of 1909, which is about $1,720, ,000,0 It nearly equals the value of the clothing and personal adornments of 76.000.000 people, ac- cording to the census of 1909. This crop exceeds in value the average of the crop of the five preceding years by 36 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 137 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 Ss50,000 000 to the farmer. No cotton crop since 1873 has been sold by farm CTS for as high price per pound as this one.
 Third in value Is wheat. worth about $727 1000 000 at the farm, and this largely exceeds all previous values The November farm price was al- most an even dollar a bushel, price which has not been equaled since 1881. This Is the third crop of wheat in point of size. with 727.000. .0o0 bushels
 The hay crop is valued at s665.00O.- 900: oats at s400. .000: potatoes at S100. .0OO 900. Beet and cane sugar and molasses and syrup. from farm and factory. will reach the total of about s95, 100000, The barley crop is worth $SS,0OO,0 ,0O0. fiaxseed $S6,000.000, and 1000. 100000 pounds of rice s2s,- 000,000.
 Meat Prices.
 Secretary Wilson has just finished a unique investigation made for the pur- pose of this report relating to the in crease of wholesale prices of beef when sold at retail Through em- ployes of the bureau of animal indus try inquiries were made in 50 cities large. medium and small--in all parts of the country. For the 50 cities the total retail cost charged to customers above the wholesale cost paid by the retailers is 3S per cent. In five cit les the rate of increase Is 20 per cent or under; in ten cities, 21 to 30 per cent; in 12 cities, 31 to 40 per cent: in 12 cities. 41 to 50 per cent: and in II cities over 50 per cent.
 A gross profit of 20 per cent was found in New York city and in Phila- delphia; 2s per cent in Buffalo, 36 per cent in Boston, IT per cent in Baltimore. AZ per cent in Washington, 46 per cent in Chicago. 25 per cent in Cincinnati, 23 per cent in Omaha, 2s per cent in Milwaukee and Detroit, 89 per cent In St Louis. GA per cent in Mobile, 39 per cent in San Fran cisco, 24 per cent in Seattle and 37 per cent in Denver. The lower the grade of beef the greater the precent age of gross profit.
 Farmers Share Too Small.
 The farmer has failed to receive a share of higher beef prices with re- gard to the raw animal. The price ievel of two-year-old steers at the farm Icing regarded at 100 for 1S96-l9O0. he price of such steers rose to 1859 in