Richmond planet., 1909-12-04
BANNER YEAR
FOR FARMERS
Value Of Crops so 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

Played Important Part - Result Of
investigation Into Price Of Meat.
Washington. Dee. Most prosper
Gus Of all years is the place to which
1909 is entitled in agriculture. says
Secretary OF Az. iculWre Wilson I'm his
thirteenth annual report. The value os
farm products is SO incomprehensively
large that il has become merely q row
OF figures. For this year it is SS.760.-
100000. a gain of G9.00O.OOO over
1908.
The value OF the products has near
ly doubled I'm ten years. IL has paid
OF mortgages; il has established
banks: IL has made better homes; q
has helped 20 make the farmer a citi-
zen OF the world. and Il has provided
him with means for improving his soil
and making IL more productive
Corn. cotton. wheat. hay and oats
lead in reaching this stupendous re
suit. The November farm value Of
these staples was Corn. Si.720, ,000.-
600; cotton. $3.50 600 900: wheat. S725-
900 600; hay. S665. o30.0 QUO. and oats.
$500. 10000 Trailing along came po-
tatoes, S2i2,OOO.00 tobacco. SlO0. .000.-
GOO and sugar. $S5. 0O0 600
High prices helped 20 bring this Inn
mense sum TO the farmers. but "A
bumper crop also played an important
part. as the production OF all cereals
combined Is 4.7lLo0O. 600 bushels, an
amount considerably greater than that
Tor any other year except 1906 II ex-
reeds the average of the preceding
five years by 6.5 per cent. The value
o. all cereals in 1903 has never been
equalled in a previous year Il is al
most exactly $4,000. 600. 600 or 81 per
cenS above the nve-year average
Prices Of Meat.
Secretary Wilson has just finished
unique investigation relating To the
increase of wholesale prices Of beef
when sold al retail Inquiries were
made in fifty cities-large. medium
and smsll-in all parts OF the coun-
try. and il was found that for the
nifty cities the total retail cost charged
20 customers above the wholesale cost
paid by the retailers is 3S per cent.
A gross profit of 20 per cent was
found In New York city and In Phila-
delphia, 36 per cent In Boston, II per
cent In Baltimore. ~ per cent In
Washington, 46 per cent IN Chicago.
20 per cent in Cincinnati. % per cent
In Omaha 80 per cent in St Louis,
Mo; ss4 per cen; 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.
AnoJher feature Of the investigation
showed that the lower the grade of
beef the Eeater 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 beer costing II and
1115 cents. Low priced beef is mark
ed up nearly twice as much relatively
as high-priced beef Ia other words.
perhaps II is a safe inference that the
poor people pay nearly twice as much
profits as the vell-todo people pay.
Farmers Share Of Profits.
An inquiry was also made to find 81
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 to the raw
animal He, however. gets some re
turn for the high-pTiced corn that he
feeds 10 his steers, but not a return
equal to 60 cents q bushel for his
corn, which is the price for the last
two years. AS for the unfed steer. IL
does not participate ia the upward
movement OF prices in its farm value.