Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1910-12-08
ssDIal 1f AgIieuhuIe's
&alllllaIy Of 1910,
SIN faialsfs Snail Share
HRsiaH Plies Of Products.


Washington, Dec. 7.-Notnlng snort
OF ompisc1ence can grasp the. value Of
the farm products of this year. is the
statement of Sec. Of Agriculture
Wtlsont in his annual report for
1910, published today. At mo time
IN the worlds history has coun-
try produced farm products with
in one year with value reaching
$8,s26,o0 900, which is the value OF the
AGRICULTURAL products of this country
for 1910. The valde Of farm products
from 1893 to the present year has been
progressive without interruption. II
the value Of the products of 1899 is
placed at 100, the value Of this year is
189. or almost double the value for tho
cgKyIg year eleven years ago. Dur
Ing this period of .unexampled agri-
cvltufaI 3production, a period OF twelve
years. during which the farmers of
this country have steadily advanced In
prosperity and wealth and In economic
Independence, in intelligence. and a
knowledge of agriculture, the total
value; Of farm products is $79,000,000,-
O0O."
Exports and Imports Of Farm Prod
ucts.
Except for two years, 1898 and 1901,
the highest balance of trade in favor
of; this country in foreign trade in
farm products was $488,004.791 for
1908, q year which seems to mark the
eliminating point in the. conrse Of the
balance Of foreign trade in farm
products. In 1909 the balance declin-
ed to $274,2lO,152, and in 1910 the de-
Ill. 70 S1QS 0Q0 Qc1 1T
may be that in 1910 there was not
that national surplus of agricultural
products to export which the country
had offered to other nations OF the
earth in years preceding; but, how
ever this may be, it is a fact recog-
nized in the exporting trade that the
prices of farm products in the fiscal
year 1910 were high enough to pre-
vent that free export movement which
before existed
farmers Share Of Consumers Prices.
High prices receive considerable at
tention in this report. In the farmers
aspect of the matter he receives vari-
GUS percentages of the consumers
prices for farm products. In the case
of milk, in IS cities distributed
throughout the United States where
the subject was investigated by the
department, the farmer receives q
scant so per cent, or one-half of the
price paid by the consumer. The rail-
roads get about per cent, so that the
remaining 43 per cent. of the con-
siimer's price is received mostly by
the retailer.
THE milk wagon of the retailer has
a long route. 1t stops at a house or
two In one city block, perhaps passes
several blocks, without stopping, and
SO proceeds to serve customers thiniy
distributed along a route of miles. At
the same time the milk wagons Of
other retailers are covering various
portions OF the same route, and so
there is a great waste of effort and of
expense in the distribution"
The farmer receives hardly more
than half of the consumers price in
the case of poultry; 60 per cent. in the
case Of eggs: cabbage 4S per cent.
when bought by the head and 65 per
cent. when bought by the pound;
celery. 60 per cent. when bought by
the bunch.
The apple grower receives Sc per
cent. of the consumers price when the
purchase is by the bushel and sc per
cent when by the barrel; the straw
Berry grower gets 40 per cent. of the
consumers price In purchases by the
quart andif76 per cent. when by the
crate.e When the consumer buys a
peck Of onions at q time. the farmer