Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-11-30
FEDERAL STATISTICS SHOW
JAMES j. HILL is UN.
DULY ALARMED.
PEOPLE CONSUMING MORE,
FARMERS RAISING MORE
Agricultural Department Issues Inter-
estins Statements on Cereal Crops
Optimistic Conclusions Reached
Breakfast Food Makers Create Mar
ket for Foodstuffs.
Especial Correspondence.l

Especial Correspondence
Washington, Nov. 3O.-Mr. James j.
Hill having just emitted another alarm
concerning the narrowing margin be-
tween our production and consumption
If necessaries of life which come from
The soil, it is refreshing to learn that
here is eminent statistical authority
:or the contention that Mr.. Hill is
wrong, and that the country's pro-
1uctio1 of these things is in fact in
.reasing faster than the population is
growing.
The curious thing about it is that it
now an almost universally accepted
heory that the national production is
falling off, so far as concerns its re-
lation to population. The method Of
determining this is by showing that
exports of these things are decreasing
from year to year. But the latest and
most detailed study Of the matter
seems to justify the conclusion that the
decrease in exports Is in fact accounted
for byincreased consumption at home;
and that instead of a decreasing per
capita of production, we are in fact
enjoying generally increasing per
capita
Raise More, Consume More.
For the four years, 1905-190s in
elusive, 1t appears, more bushels of
wheat per capita per annum were
grown than in either of the decades
preceding that period. The same is
true of corn, barley, potatoes; it is true
of cotton, measured in pounds per
capita, and Of various other staples.
These figures and conclusions are
given by the November Crop Reporter,
published by the department of agri-
culture. The number is just at hand
and represents careful compilation of
the completest crop statistics which
are gathered anywhere-those of this
department. The Reporter presents its
own conclusion thus:
"An examination of the yearly pro-
duction of agricultural products in its
relation to population indicates that
during the last forty years the aggre-
gate per capita production of farm
products in the United States has been
fully maintained and probably moder-
ately increased"
The Figures to Back II.
Detailed figures are given of annual
per capita production Of list of farm
products. Then follows tabulation
of the figures of production in the
census years, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880,
1890 and 1900, which bear out the same
conclusion. Indeed, these latter figures
are most remarkable. OF barley the per
capita annual production has grown
steadily from 20 bushel in 1850 to 1.57
bushel in 1900; corn, from 1858 to
$500; oats, from 6.32 to 1241; wheat,
from 4.33 to SGT; cotton, from SO to
62 pounds; potatoes from 2.S4 to $50
bushels; butter, from 1851 pounds to
1861; eggs and chickens have shown
enormous increases per capita: and the
only decreases of any significance are
slight ones in the number Of hogs and
sheep Horses, mules and beef cattle
have gained The increase in average
weight of meat cattle, by reason of
better breeding, makes it probable that
If reduced to pounds it would be shown
that there has been a gain per capita
in every kind of meat except sheep.
The figures show a reduction In sheep,
but big gain in wool.
Optimistic Conclusions.
Analysing those figures, the Crop Re-
porter presents these highly optimistic
conclusions:
"Per capita production of farm pro-
ducts has been maintained and prob
ably increased.
Products of livestock such as eggs.
milk and wool, have increased more
rapidly than livestock, Indicating fa-
vorable results from Improvement in
breeding.
Essentially southern crops, as rice.
cotton, cane sugar and sweet potatoes.
declined materially in per capita pro-
duction after the war, and even in 1900
had hardly reached the per capita
which pTes allied before the var
Production of meat can not be as
sumed to be proportionate to the num-
her OF livestock in the country Hogs
and cattle are marketed younger now
than formerly and fattening is done
more rapidly; therefore production of
meat is greater In proportion to num-
her Of livestock than than formerly.
All of which leads to the cheerful
conclusion that, instead Of edging our
way slowly toward starvation as Mr..
Hill and some other pessimistic folk
have feared we were doing, and as even
that confirmed optimist, the secretary
of agriculture, has at times warned us
we might do, we are in fact raising
more things to eat every decade than
we did the preceding decade. AS the
surplus for export is undeniably falling
off, the question at once arises, what
are we doing with all these eatables
and vegetables2
And the answer comes promptly
from the students of the problem:
Were eating and wearing EN-
Breakfast Food Helps Some.
Suppose we do have almost two
bushels more OF wheat per capita now
than in 1870? What Of it? Aren't the
breakfast food factories finding ways
TO make US eat more of I. I. than than ever
before7 And isn't it within the knowl-
edge Of everybody that me are more