The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1910-06-14
Uncle Sans Year Book for 1909
Full Of Interesting Information

The Yearbook for 1909 just issued is
the sixteenth volume under that title
fro mthe U. S. department Of agricul-
ture. The current volume does not
differ materially from it's predecessors
except that its size has been reduced
this issue showing about 200 pages
less than the 1908 volume. This reduc-
ton was accomplished not by reducing
the number Of articles but by the great
est possible condensation of the matter
in those printed and the elimination
from the appendix of certain less i'm
portant features. The urgent necessity
of economy in expenses from the Drinc-
ing fund, the desire 10 have the publi-
cation appear at the earliest possible
day, and the convenience of handling
and transmitting through the mails
combined to emphasize the adva ltaSes
! of less bulky volume.
/ 1t is not believed that the value of
! the book is adversely affected by this
| change. The department. editor, in the
| preface summarizing the work shows
! that the statistics of production, values
and imports of agricultural products
are given with even greater fulness
| than usual; that the tables showing
domestic production Of crop and farm
animals by states have been improved
by grouping the state in conformity
with the methods Of the federal census;
and that tables for worlds production
of wheat, corn, oats, rye, barley and
f1axseed are this year for the first time
given in the acreage as we'll as yield.
The editor calls attention to the new
tables showing ocean freight rates on
grain and cotton from several leading
ports of the United States to Europe,
and showing the average receipts per
ton per mile for freight transportation
on ten groups Of the railroads of the |
! United States; to the two special tables |
Rice crops Of United States, 1712- ,
1909 and Hop crops of the United !
States, 1790-1909, giving data of great
value representing a large amount of
research; and also to the review of the |
weather conditions for the year 1909
which though greatly condensed con-
tains all the important usual features.
In compliance with the law requiring
that the yearbook shall contain a gen =,
eral report of the operations of the de-
partment," the secretary's annual re-
port for the fiscal year ended June 80,
1909 is given first place although it
has already been issued in separate
form and is followed by twenty three
papers treating of variety of topics.
All of these articles are new and are
here published for the first time. They
are illustrated by thirty-six full page
plates eleven colored) and thirty six
text figures. These articles occupy 263
of the $50 pages composing the volume
the first 1852 pages being devoted 10
the secretary's business report, and the
last 2S6 assigned to the appendix and
index.
Carrying the department to the far
mer is discussed in The Farmers Co
operative Demonstration Work, by the
originator and director of that phase
Of the departments efforts to improve
the rural conditions of the south. I'm
der the caption, Methods and Costs of
are described causes con-
tributing to the difference between the
received for a given product
by the farmer and the price paid by the
consumer for the same article. and such
interesting items as transportation and
charges, middlemen's prof