The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-12-07
JAMES WILSON
 MAKES HIS LAST ANNUAL REPORT
Secretary of Agriculture Reviews Agricultural Ad- vance of Country in the
 Past Sixteen Years

Washington, December 6.-After l6 years, a record of service in the cabinet, Secretary of Agriculture Wilson submit ted today to President Taft the last an- nual report he will make as head of the United States department of agriculture. The report is more than review of the past years work; it contains summary of the agricultural advance of the country during the venerable Secretarys term of public service.
 The record of l6 years has been writ ten," he says. Tt begins with a yearly farm production of S4,0O0, ,000,000 and ends with g, ,532 Ooo,Oo0. Sixteen years ago the farmer was joke of the carieaturist; now he is like the stone that was re- jecied by the builder and has become the headstone of the corner" The tillers of the soil were burdened with debts, he adds, but prosperity followed and grew with unexampled speed. Beginnings have been made in a production per acre in- creasing faster than the natural increase of population. There has been an uplift of agriculture and of country life.
 Farmers Wealth Increases
 During the past Is years the farmer has steadily increased the wealth produc- ton year by year, with the exception of 1911. During the Is years the farmers wealth production increased Al per cent.
 Most productive of all agricultural years in the country has been 1912. The earth has produced its greatest annual dividend. The sun and the rain and the fertility of the soil needed not the human controversies. but kept on working in CO., operation with the farmers efforts to utilize them. The prices at the farm are generally profitable and will continue the prosperity that farmers have enjoyed in recent years. The total production of farm wealth is the highest yet reached by $500, ,Ooo.oo The grand total for 1912 Is es- timated to be ss,5S2, ,Ooo.Ooo This is more than twice the value of the farm wealth in l8s9"
 More than $105, 900, ,ooo, 900 Is the grand total of farm wealth production. the re- port says, during the past 16 years, an amount equal to about three-quarters of the present national wealth.
 The most effective move toward reduced cost of living is the production of greater crops, says the Secretary. and this move, he declares, Is due to the work of the department of agricultural colleges and experiment stations and to the help of the press in publishing every movement to help the farmers. The nation, he adds, forgot it's farmers in the general scheme of education of past years and few philanthropists thought of them when giv- ing for education, but they are waking up and thinking for themselves and Con- gress has been good to them.
 Takes Up Work of Bureaus
 The Secretary first takes up the work of the various bureaus of his depart ment in the past year. and then tells of the growth in some instances from their foundation of these bureaus during the time he has been head of the department. He praises highly the experts who have worked under him.
 The great and growing movement car ried on by the department for agricul- tural betterment," he declares. has not been sustained solely by one man nor by a few men. A choice corps of scholarly experts in their special lines of. endeavor has been growing in membership, in breadth of view and in the practical ap- plication of their efforts.
 ."The department Is prepared to continue