Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1909-01-29

lOSS Ill IulitIS a1C 1AN
chief waste is in imperfect combustion
in furnaces and fire boxes.
With increasing industries new mill
eral become available from
time to time. Some lignites and other
low grade Goals are readily gasified
and, through the development of In.
ternal combustion engines. check the
consumption of high grade Goals. Peat
Is becoming important. 1t is estimated
that IA, 000. 100000 tons are available in
the United States. Its value is en-
HANGED because of distribution through
states generally remote from the fields
of coal, oil and natural gas.
The building operations of the coun-
try now aggregate about $1,000, 600 0O
per year. The direct and indirect
losses from fire in the United States
during 1907 Appropriated $450.00O,-
600, or one-half the cost of construc-
ton. OF this loss four-ifths, or an
average of $1.O00.O00 per day, could
be prevented, as shown by comparison
with the standards of construction
and fire losses in the larger European
countries.
So far as the ores are taken from the
mines and reduced to metals. these
are capitalized, but after
thus being changed to a more yalua-
BILE form they should be so used as to
reduce to a minimum the loss by rust.
electrolytic action and other waste.
There is urgent need for greater
safety to the miner. The loss of life
through mine accidents is appalling,
and preventive measures cannot be
taken too soon.
The national government should ex-
ercise such control of the mineral fuels
and phosphate rocks now in its pos
session as to check waste and prolong
u supply.
Lands.
The total land area of continental
United States is 10000 1000 acres.
OF this but little more than two-fifths
is in farms. and less than one-half Of
the farm area is improved and made a
source of crop production. We have
nearly 100000 farms; they average
lac acres each. The value of the
farms Is nearly one-fourth the wealth
of the United States. There are more
than 300, 600 900 acres Of public graz
ing land. The number of persons en-
gagged In agricultural pursuits is more
than 100000.
We grow one-ffth of the worlds
wheat crop, three-ifths OF its cotton
crop and four-ifths of its corn crop,
We plant nearly 100000 acres OF
wheat annually, with an average yield
of about fourteen bushels per acre;
100, 900 acres of corn, yielding al
average of twenty-five bushels per
acre, and 100000 acres Of cotton,
yielding about 100000 bales.
We had on Jan. /, 1908, 71,000,0OC
cattle, worth $1,250,O OO, 1000; 54.000,o0C
sheep, worth $211. 100000, and $1,000
600 swine, worth $339,0O0,000. The
census Of 1900 sEowed-S12z,oppe
worth Of poultry in this country, which
produced in 1890 293. 10000 dozen
eggs.
There has beer a slight increase IL
the average yield OF our great staple
farm products, but neither the increase
In acreage nor the yield per acre has
kept pace with our increase in popula'
ton. Within a century we shall prob
ably have to feed three times as many
people as now, and the main bulk OF
our food supply must be grown on oul
own soil.
The area of cultivated land may pos
sibly be doubled. In addition to the
land awaiting the pillow. 75,000,O0C
acres of swamp land can be reclaimed
40, 900, 900 acres of desert land irrigated
and millions of acres of brush and
wooded land cleared. Our population
will increase continuously; but there
is a definite limit to the increase of ouI
cultivated acreage; hence we must
greatly increase the yield per acre
The average yield of wheat in the
United States is less than fourteen
bushels per acre, In Germany twenty
eight bushels and In England thirty
two bushels.
The greatest unnecessary loss of our
soil is p%reyentable erosion. Second
OIll W lAlo L lAC haolCy hOidoC dll
misuse of fertilizer derived from ami
mails and men.
The losses to farm products due to
injurious mammals is estimated at
$130, 1000 annually, the loss through
plant diseases reaches several hundred
million dollars, and the loss through
insects is reckoned at 1868, 900
The damage by birds Is balanced by
their beneficent work in destroying
noXious insects. Losses due to the ele-
ments are large. but no estimate has
been made of them. Losses to live
stock from these causes are diminish
ing because of protection and feeding
during winter. The annual losses from
disease among domestic animals are:
Horses, Is per cent; cattle, 2 per cent;
sheep, % per cent, and swine, 81 per
cent. Most of these farm losses are
preventable.