Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1910-03-03
OF BABIES
GREATEST IN THE
COUNTRY
2,250,000 YOUNGSTERS
ESTIMATE FOR 1910
Cash Value Of Ufchins EST
mated at Five Billion, or
Three Times That Of the
Corn Crop,
Especial Correspondent. TO n.ruia4 JOuraaIr

Especial Correspondence TO msrnins Journaii
New York Feb. 2S-King Corn Is
not really king. IN spite Of the agricul-
tural statisticians. the corn crop is not
Uncle Sans greatest. Figured on a
cash basis of dollars and cents even,
II must give place to the country's
one greatest and most essential pro-
duct. that IS the baby crop. Based ON
the latest figures complied by a ROs-
ton economist, the baby crop for 1910
viii be worth the enormous sum OF
$4,SS7, e00.000. Even figured ON the
basis of former valuations, now
acknowledged to he too low, tho figure
would amoun to nearly 81, 300, 600,
600.
Nor are these figures fanciful or
based on sentimental values. They rep
resent as nearly as possible the econ
omic value TO the United States, based
on potential productive capacity, Of
the 2,250,000 babies which il is esti-
mated viii constitute this years crop.
According to the latest figures the
value Of each newcomer is 1852 a
pound, or $2172 for the average six
pound youngster, giving a total value
OF nearly $4,000, 900, 600. or nearly !
three times that Of the corn crop.
Detailed information concerning the
baby crop, its distribution, variation
in different localities and the like.
while naturally not So complete as
similar data covering the corn crop, Is !
far more interesting. As might be ex-
pected, New York because of its
greater population. produced the
greatest number Of babies Of any one
state last year with 200, SOS. or nearly |
OF the total. 1t is not,
however, the leading state IL the in
crease in babies to each one thou
sand of the population be taken into
account. Figured on this basis
Dakota heads the list with
36.5 birth, closely followed by Utah
with 35.2. oklahoma with 1871 and
Texas with 329. At the other end
New Hampshire with is. But in spite
the low ratio for the New England
the figures show that the pro-
~portionate increase over the proceed
decade was greater than in any
other group of states. In general
terms. however, the figures indicate
that the west is the best territory for
babies. Just as it is the biggest corn
producer. No hard and fast rule can
be laid down because Of the seemingly
discrepancies which or-
cur. as for instance, in the case of
West Virginia and Virginia. The ex
cess of the birth rate over the death
rate in the former is 2S.4 per 1000
population. while In the latter It is
only Z.
Perhaps the most anamolous fea-
tnre concerning the baby crop Is that
while il continues to Increase. the size
Of the average family is decreasing. In
1870 the number of persons constitu-
ting an average family was 81 per-
sons. In 1880 it had decreased to r. ia
1899 to 40 and in 1900 to A.. How
does the baby crow contiue to in
crease.
Undeniably Uncle Sam Is conserv-
ing his baby crop. The birth rate in
Italy. Hungary and Austria. for ex-
are all higher than in this
country. but the excess Of birth over
leaths is far lower, little more than
)ne-half. indeed. of>the figures here.
N n word. Uncle sam is saving his
babies. and the manner in which he is
iOing il is one Of the most remark
BILE stories of progress ever written. d,
There is. OF course. no federal sec
'etary of infants. such as the secre-
airy of agriculture who advises far ,
ners in thousands Of pamphlets year ?
y concerning the best methods to
'ursuc in raising crops. But all over
he country in laboratories and uni =
~ersities thousands OF physicians are
arriving on the fight in behalf OF the =
ably crop. Experiments on animals :,
orm the basis OF all this advance. ,
pr since the discovery OF anatsthetics I.
aseptic surgery results have been -
btained which otherwise would have d,
cen impossible. Already many dis !,
have been conquered 10y his .
which a generation ago were the >
OF mothers.
Just how results obtained along :
iese lines have benefited the baby y
rop MAJ be hown hy q concrete IL y
Thirty years ago. accord
X to figures collected by the census l
ureau. diptheria caused one death
at Of about every nineteen thar oc-
Irrcd- Mortalitv from this cause ci
mong children under five years WAS ~
l%orrnous and the disease ranked third III
r a cause of death. More than 2S.- ir
persons died Of il in 1850. But :,
1900. IN spite al the greatly in In
reased population. the deaths caused 'tl
diphther1as according TO the CEN ,