Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1913-04-02
IOWA IS GREATEST
AGRICULTURAL STATE
Lead All Other States In Worlds
Greatest Industry.
MINING AND MANUFACTURING
ARE ALSO IMPORTANT
Her Farm Property Worth as Much
as All the New England and
Middle Atlantic States
Combined.

There are three sources of produc-
tion thro' which the worlds wealth
is obtained-agricultu manufacture
ing and mining. These industries
create wealth. From the raw mater
ial something of value is produced
and the output of any commonwealth
in these lines measure its contribu-
tion to the prosperity of the times.
In agriculture, which provides the
foodstuffs, Iowa is supreme. This
state is the hub of the greatest agri-
cultural region in the world. Last
year Iowa produced over 1S per cent
of the corn crop and about 10 per
cent of the oats crop of the United
States. Her field crops amounted to
more than $475, 100000. Add to
this the value of her live stock, poul-
try and bees, estimated at practical
ly $4OO, 900 900. and the total prod
ucts of Iowa farms is shown to
amount to the sum of $S75,000, 900.
Her annual contribution to the wealth
of the world thro' her agricultural
products has averaged around $780,
900 900 for several years. This. too.
from a population less than half that
OF the city Of New York.
This wealth is produced on indiyi-
dual farms, and is therefore distribu-
ted throughout the entire state. 1t is
not concentrated in the profits OF a
few corporations. such as is the case
ln - Wealth producing cities, but is
oSar1n Il " I'll Of the people Of the
'StAte. II i9i1; ;<i4Sf banks n lowe
reported 1886. 500. .2SS.Os in total de-
posits. The amount Of savings de-
posits per capita was $3.50. s
First in Corn and Oats.
Iowa leads all Of the states Of the
union in the amount Of corn produc-
ed last year. SURPRISING her old-time
rival, Illinois, by more than 5.OO0,-
900. bushels. Her lead in oats. pro-
duction was even more marked. pro-
'ducing 35,692,0 bushels more than
Illinois, her closest rival.
Iowa was first in the number and
value Of her horses in 1912. Hell
swine industry is far and away the
largest of any state In the union
This state has more swine than al
Of the North Atlantic, the South At
lantic, and the Western states com
tined, and there are twenty-eigh'
states in this combination.
Iowa's farm property in 1910 was
worth more than four times as much
as tho farm property Of all of thu
New England states combined, o.
practically as much as that of New
England and the Middle Atlanti
states. which include Maine. New
Hampshire. Vermont. Massachusetts
Rhode Island. Connecticut, New
York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania
Iae total value of farm property n
Iowa in 1910 was $S.745,S60.544
while that Of the nine states enumer
ated above was x3,S26,S29.479.
The cereal crops of these min
/, states in 1909 was only 199.923,07'
bushels, while those Of Iowa that yea
totaled 4S9.S0s.11S bushels.
It Il true that these eastern state
are not agricultural states, yet the
are consumers of agricultural prod
ucts-and this array Of facts shov
how far short they fall In agricultur
al production, or in producing In an.
degree what they consume New
York City alone annually consume
$50 900. 900 pounds Of beef and 9th
or meat products. or over 100000,
900 worth Of food products each year
Evidently, Iowa is called upon to fur
tnish from her surplus to these New
England and Middle Atlantic states
There is some indication in this al
Ito why Iowa land is' high.
Iowa Is not considered manufact
uring state. yet the manufacturing
industry is developing and factories
are prospering in this state. In 1911
there were 1919 factories in Iowa
with an annual output Of $335,000,
900. There were, twenty-nine man
ufacturing concerns which reported
an out put of more than $4,000
last year. or total output of sos,
5S5,S15, as compared to $41,0S9,2s4
five years before. Iowa factories pai(
out in wages in 1911 $ss.133.6s7.2s
In an address before the Iowa AS
lsociation OF Advertising Clubs In Wa
lterloo. recently. Herbert M. Harwood
! pointed out that In 1917 Iowa had th'