The Mena weekly star., 1913-01-16
ARKANSAS.

feed the world" So long as the surplus holds out, that sounds mighty big and fine. But have you noticed how that surplus has dl- unfinished lately, as population l as increased and as the propOrtiJl has changed between rural and urban population? Feed the world? Not on your life. It's just little prob lem in plain figures: If the ratios of change remain the same as Tor the last ten years between popula- tion and production in the United States, il is a matter of only four or five years until our own people will be consuming all the foodstulls produced on our own lands.
 And after that-What? Are you figuring on the possibility of find ing new unoccupied lands in the great foodstuff strip of the country of the north? You are not; you ] know it isn't here. We shall have i 10 find new lands.
 And where are they? Right here is where we are likely to start a disagreement. You aren't going to approve of some of my adjectiVes. These new lands are to be found in the most fertile part of the great Mississippi valley-in this Arkansas section
 The most fertile part, I said. l hope you got that. The part which has shown the very highest pro- ducing power per acre of any lands in the United States. Did you get that?
 Proof in the Figures. It is hard to believe, l know; but listen: These are the figures of the Census Bureau. 1 told you a while ago that Arkansas leads the whole list of state in the value of farm products per acre, and leads all the Mississippi valley states in per- centage of gain in all items relating to farm industry for the last ten year period. Let's go into the fig ures and see.
 For this period the average value of farm products per acre in Loul- siaua was Sl5I9; in Missouri, Sl35I; in Iowa, SlL52; in Indiana, Sl6.35; in Ohio, Sl162: Tn Illinois, SlI2i; in Arkansas S22.O4. This statement takes into account the list of staple products-the grains, potatoes, hay and forage crops; not the fruit or truck crops.
 In Iowa this value of products represented a gross return of i7.5 per cent on the average value of all farm lands in 1910; in Illinois the gross return was 1Sl per cent on the average value of farm lands; in ] Arkansas the gross return was 1574 per cent on the average value of farm lands.
 Increase in Land Values.
 Take another point: You know that your land values up here have been increasing enormously in the last ten years. In the years from 1900 to 1910 the gross value of farm lands in Ohio showed an increase of 574 per cent; in Indiana the in crease was 93.2 per cent; in Iowa, l23 per cent; in Illinois, l0l1 per cent; in Arkansas, l3lI per cent 1 greater than in any of those rich, strong, highly developed states of the north.
 In that same period the average value per acre of farm lands in Ohio increased 599 per cent; in In- diana, 96 per cent; in Illinois, l05.8 per cent; in Arkansas, 123.6 per cent.
 In this same ten-year period the value of all farm property per acre in Ohio increased 6l.3 per cent; in Indiana, S16 per cent; in Missouri 95.3 per cent; in Iowa, i08.1 per cent; in Illinois, 965 per cent; in Arkansas. 1i0.7 per cent.
 In this same ten-year period the value of farm buildings per acre Lin Ohio increased 70.5 per cent; ir Indiana, 75.2 per cent; in Iowa, 92.S per cent; in Missouri, 78.7 per cent in Illinois, 73.3 per cent; in Arkan- sas, l006 per cent.
 In this same ten-year period tho value of farm implements and ma chinery per acre in Ohio increased i3.2 per cent; in Indiana, 52.4 pei cent; in Iowa, 67.3 per cent; in Mis- sOuri, 75 per cent; in Illinois, 52.l per cent; in Arkansas, 83 per cent Tn this same ten-year period thc value of live stock per acre il Ohio increased 59.3 per cent; in In. diana, 60.9 per cent; in Iowa, 43.' per cent; in Missouri, 75 per cent in Illinois, COG per cent; in Arkan sas, 889 per cent.
 It is only fair to say that this re markable showing of developmen is comparatively new thing. Trained Immigrant Farmers. The mere increase in rural pop ulation partly explains that increas in land values, but not entirely. Tn ] character of the new population ha ; still more to do with it. The stat } is receiving immigrant farmer 7 trained to the advantages of tn l great principle of diversificatioT There is no denying that until yer f recently Arkansas has been essen ) italy "one-crop" state. He