The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-01-13
FARMER IS THE ssTNG
Products Worth Nearly Night nisIiens in 1908 Hast Year Surpabssd 1901 by the Handsome Sum 0e Mere
 Than D300, ,O00,00e ..,,

Froaucts Worth Nearly Flight &1sl1en1
 i'm 1908 Last Year Surpassed le07
 by the Manaseme Sum oe More
 Than es00s 0s00a0oe s.s
 Washington Herald. ,sA g
 In the history of the United States there have been cattle kings. copper kings, sugar kings. and others. All . these have been depo4ed an6 the Afn- erioan farmer--the once humble, plodd- ing. and poorly repaid farsnst--has ion contributor to the products and wealth of this country. in thS year 1908 i' '5gs.
 Just think of It for a moment. The value of all the farm products Of 1908 reached the most extraordinary total in the nations history--e7. 77s, ,000. 900. These figures are official and reliable, being furnished by nd less an adthority than Secretary James wilson of the ture.
 Nearly eight billions Of dollars! This is about four times the value of the years total products Of all the ninee in the United States. coal. copper, iron, silver and gold, and of all the mineral oil wells added for good measure.
 Concerning the actual farm pro- duction of 1908 the Secretary said that the farmer created wealth by the bil- lions. He contributed 's7 per cent of the raw materials used In those manu- featuring industries. which depend mostly upon agricultural materials.
 The gain in value of ferm products In 1908 over 1907 Is $30e. 900, and would have been much larger had not the prices of cotton and hay been low. The value of products In 1880, the cen sus year, being taken at 100, the value of 1908 stands at f2B; for 1904, at I3i; for 1905, at l34; for 1908, at 1ss, and for 1908, at I66. During the last ten years the wealth production on the farms of this country has exceeded the fabulous sum of es0s90O. .00o, ,eeo.
 Greatest of all crops is 'Indian corn, the production of which this year, Ae- cordins to the fnal revised figures Is 2,66S,S51,o ,o00 bushels. The value of the crop is &i,e1s,t45. .0oo. This wealth grown cut of the soil In four months of rain sunshine, and some drought is enough to cancel the interest bearing debt of the United States and pay for the Panama Canal and fifty battle ships.
 It seems likely that the cotton crop Is one of the highest three ever pro duced but with value next to- the highest or perhaps more. although the farm price of cotton this year is below the price of last year by more than 1 cent.
 The greatest hay crop in history has been gathered this year, ss, s,0oe,- 900 tons. or 12 per cent above the average of the preceding i've years It's price Is S3 per ton fs0s than 1t was a year ago, but still the farm value of the crop is S62l 100000, or 6 per cent above the Ave-year average
 Wheat is 1 l-2 per cent above the fve-year average in production and 23 per cent above in total value. The R T aN- Nn.a
 timated to be worth S62O, 100000 to the farmers, or See.00o.oO0 more than tho most valuable wheat eropi hereto f0re produced. 'r, fz
 Although the oGt crop sukersd from drought, the value is e82I.000,0e0 for 7ss,Ooo.0eo bushels. or 10 per cent above the hve-year average value and 3 per cent below the average product.
 The barley crop, le7s0eO.0ee bushsis. is lS per cent above the hve-year average. and its value, ese.oeO,0o0. is 2S per cent above t-s IT,.