Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1912-03-14
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! KANSAS, THE GLORIOUS
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BIZ +. D. CObnrn
III.

III.
In the ten years ending with 1910,
Kansas raised more wheat, hard. SOFT,
winter and spring, than any other
state, or an aggregate Of 75O.150.00ol
bushels. This far exceeded the yield
OF her nearest competitor and was
worth at home s554.56s,Oo0. In the
past twelve years. as shown by the
government reports, Kansas has rails
ed more wheat than any other state
by $4,000, 900 bushels.
Kansas raised in this past year OF
admittedly general shortage. and in
many states almost failure. more
winter wheat than any other state,
and according to Uncle Sans fig
ures, no other, whatever her size,
pretentions or location, had so much
BY about 35 per cent.
The wheat grown in Kansas in
twenty years ending with 1911,
amounted to 1,222.5OO, 5000 bushels,
with a farm value Of S01,S39.OOO
dollars. An imaginative Chicago UNI
versity professor is said to have made
calculations showing that the Kan
sas wheat Of these two decades would
have made a biscuit bigger than the
state of Rhode Island and seven hum
dred feet high, or a doughnut with
a hole in 1t nine million miles In
diameter.
The significance Of the showing
for Kansas agriculture In 1911 is-all
the more apparent when taken in
connection with the United States
census report and comparisons with
the figures OF ten and twenty years
ago. The census credits Kansas with
an increase OF two per cent In the
number of farmers in the decade and
four per cent increase in total acre
age in farms, but the increase In the
value Of last years farm products
over those of ten years ago amounts
to "A per cent. In other words, two
per cent more farmers, on four per
cent greater acreage, raised crops
and marketed products worth A. per
cent more. The gross returns from
the farm in 1911 were 20 per cent
more than twenty years before.
Her spectacular crops have focused
the attention OF the world upon Kan
sas as the foremost wheat grower
Wheat is supposed by many to be
the states chief agricultural asset
| It might, however, appropriately be
termed but curtain-raiser to the
main performance, as corn Is the big
crop in Kansas and by far the great
est contributor to the states wealth.
Tour wheat has made us famous, but
1t is the corn that makes us rich.
orn not only is the greatest income
bfinger. to Kansas. but is the buttress
OF the states immense Matchmaking
industries, which represent over one
half OF the value Of the total manu-
features, or approximately $165,00O,-
loco annually. Sixty-three per cent
OF the total value Of all Kansas
soil products for twenty years was
contributed by corn alone.
1t Is the conversion OF her corns
on the farm into beef, pork. poultry,
dairy and similar products that
brings the surplus to provide the COM
Workable homes and build the school
houses. colleges and churches that
are such common objects on the Kan
sas farmers horizon and so largely
measure of his ambition.
Nv.
In the past ten years the value
OF Kansas corn crops has been $149,-
l415,SO2 more than that of the wheat
product in the same period, which
included eight of the states greatest
income-bringing wheat crops. In the
preceding ten years the corn was
worth $89,529,395 more than the
wheat. Kansas corn was worth over
SIS, 900, 900 more than all her other
products of the soil in 1902, and in
two preceding seasons, corn outvalued
all the other Kansas field products,
wheat included. In, 1905 Kansas
raised about an average crop of corn,
but the yield was more than that Of
all South America, which Of course
includes the much-advertised, Argen-
tina; was over S0,0OO,OOO bushels
greater than the combined crops Of
Canada and Mexico, and exceeded the