Omaha daily bee., 1909-12-01

$SS,O 10000: ~1axseed, $50. 900, 5000, and 1000, -0OO,
600 pounds Of rice, $25,OOO,00O
Comparisons with Former Years.
The production of all cereals combined
Is 4,11,0OO, 900 bushels, an amount consider
ably greater thar that for any other year
except 1906. It exceeds the average Of the
preceding five years by 6.5 per cent. The
value Of all cereals in 1909 has never been
equaled in a previous year. 1t is almost
exactly 1900, 100000 or "a per cent above
the five-year average
Compared with the average Of the previ-
Gus five years, all principal crops are
greater in quantity this year except cot
ton, flazseed, hops and cane sugar; but
without exception every crop is worth
more to the farmer than the five-year
average.
! This Is the year of highest production
for potatoes, tobacco, beet sugar, all sugar
and rice; next to the highest production
for corn, ofGs and all cereals. Compared
with 1905, gains in value are found all
along the line, the exceptions being bar
ley, ~buekwheat, rye and milk.
The increase in the value of farm
products this year over 1908, 1869, 900 900, is
enough to buy a new equipment Of farm
machinery for over 100000 farms. The
value Of the cereal crops to the farmer
would pay for all Of the machinery, tools
and implements of the entire manufacturing
industry. The value of all crops, IS, 7OO,-
0OO, 600 would make a half payment on the
value Of all steam railroads., according to
the valuation of 1904.
Meat Price investigation.
Retail Meat Prices-Secretary Wilson has
just finished a unique investigation made
g.
the increase of wholesale prices of beef
when sold at retail. Through employees of
the Bureau Of Animal Industry Inquiries
were made in fifty c%ities-large, medium,
and small-in ali parts of the country.
For the fifty cities the total retail cost
charged to customers above the wholesale
cost paid by the retailers is aS per cent.
In five cities the rate of increase is %
per cent or UNDER; in ten cities, q to 80
per cent; in 12 cities, 81 TO 40 per cent; in
twelve cities, Al to so per cent; and in eleven
cities, over so per cent.
The lower the grade Of beef the greater
the percentage Of gross profit. In Boston,
for illustration, the rate Of gross profit
! is nearly twice as great for beef costing s
| cents at wholesale as for beef costing II
and ia cents. Low-priced beef is marked
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 profit as the weIl-to-
do people pay.
Hog Situation More Fair.
The farmers situation with regard to
hogs is more fair to the farmer than the
cattle situation is, but still it is apparent
that during the last three years the price
of corn has been too high for the price OF
hogs. The relative price Of hogs on the
farm January l, 1909. was 147.s as compared
with 100 for the mean price Of 1S96-19OO. and
the average cost of all hogs slaughtered at
principal markets in the year before was
1881, or about the same as the farm price.
The price Of dressed hogs Of 100 pounds in
New York in 1908 stands at 1857. and the
carcasses Of market pigs at Chicago at
1854, which is approximately the number
representing the relative retail price OF
fresh pork.
There has been a tendency Of the animals
and crops OF the farm to increase in value
per unit at the farm at a faster rate thar
all commodities have increased at whole
sale.
Within the wholesale trade, also. farm
products exceed all other classes of COM
modities in relative Increase OF prices since
1895, and food is exceeded only by farm
products and by lumber and building ma,
t~erials. The only large exception to the
leading place taken by farm products IN
rise Of prices is unfed beef cattle, the