The Greeley tribune., 1912-08-22

he IOldl value VI lHC SAOPo W
Continental United States in 1909
was, in round numbers. $5,4S7 ,OOO.-
600, as compared with S2.999, ,O00,-
900 in 1899. The increase was
thus S2,4SS,O0O. 900, or SO per cent,
according to a statement issued to-
day by E. Dana Durand, director of
the bureau of census, department OF
commerce and labor. The tabula-
tions showing these total results
were carried on in the agricultural
under the supervision of l.. G.
Powers, former chief statistician.
and j. L. Coulter, expert special
agent. A bulletin upon which this
advance statement is based, show
ing the details of acreage. produce
tion and value of all crops for the
United States, by states. will be
issued at an early date.
In the case of some crops (such
as maple sugar and syrup and forest
products of farms). it is impossible
to secure usable figure showing
acreage; in certain other cases
| (such as orchard fruits, grapes,
tropical fruits and nuts), the num-
her OF trees and vines of bearing
and not of bearing age is secured
in lieu of acreage. The value OF
the crops for which reports of acre
age were secured amounted in 1909
to $4,953 900. 900, or nearly nine
tenths of the value of all crops. AT
the census of 1900 the correspond
! Ing value was $2.721 100000. or
about the same per cent of the val
ue of all crops. The total acreage
of crops with acreage reports In
1909 was 311,293,0O0. In April
1910, the land in farms in the
United States was reported by the
census as S7S,79S,00O acres, OF
which 47S,452. 1000 acres were i'm
proved. The crops with acreage re-
ports. therefore. occupied 35.4 per
cent of the total land in farms and
65l per cent of the total improved
land. The same crops in 1899 oc-
cupied 2S3,21S,000 acres, which
was 1913 per cent OF all land in
farms and 6S.3 per cent of the I'M
proved land. While the total acre
age of farms increased AS per cent,
the acreage in these crops increased
90 per cent between 1899 and l9o9.
The improved land not occupied by
the crops specified consists chiefly
of land in improved pastures, land
occupied by fruit and nut trees ana
vines. for which acreage was not
reported. improved land lying raj
low. and land in house yards and
barnyards.
The total value of crops in 1908
was equal to S59.66 per capita OF
the population of the United States,
while the value per capita in ls9s
was s39.46 Chased on the popula-
tion of the United States on April
Is. 1910, and June l, 1900, respec-
tiyely). There were 6,361,5 SOP farms
in the United States in 1910, SO
that the value of crops of 1909 was
equal to an average OF SSoS pei
farm. while the average value Oh
crops per farm for 1899 was so-S'
The census has made no at
tempt to ascertain the total net val
ne of farm products for 1902 IN
ending both that of crops and an
limal products. Merely to add the
value of these two groups OF pro
duets together would involve eN-
Itensiye duplication, since iarSe
quantities of the crops reported are
fad TO the animals on the farms ana
reported later as livestock proouc's'
II is impossible to ascertain av'u
lrately the amount of such duplica-
,ion. and the attempt to 40 So
which was made at the tweltth cen
sus was not considered satisfactory
FOR this reason the relative impor-
Itance of crops as a factor IN tne
agricultural production OF the ohit,
cd states can not be deterhiileu
precisely.
large part of the eXtraordihars
increase in the total value OF tarnl
crops between 1899 and 1909 Is az
Itributed to higher prices lhls
might be inferred from the faet una,
while the acreage reports increases
only 9 per cent. the value or suon
crops increased 50 per cent. III aiso
annears by comparing the percent.
ares of increase in the quantity o.
the various individual crops WIN
the percentages of increase OF .ne
value. Thus, for all cereals taken
tocether. the production increased
oniv ~ per cent. while the value
increased 7s.s per cent; ior nay