Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-05-25
vEIN District Of Columbia has &C.
uuired such prestige - the seat OF

~VHH District Of Columbia na0 &C.
uuired such prestige - the seat OF
y theksderal government that Amer
leans are apt to forget that It may have
other claims to distinction as wells one
OF these being that It IL the home OF tins
American farmer de luxe. the ruralst
whose farm is worth nearly $4,000 and
whose receipts from sales of products
run ten times a. much per acre as the
average Tor the country.
Census experts are authority for the
statement that the average farm In the
District Of Columbia 10 worth the fortune
mentioned-&30.O 02. to be exact: and that
he gets 500 per improved acre for his
crops. Pity, then. the run OF farmers
in this country. whose holdings are worth
only $6,444. and who can't raise any
more than $11 worth Of stun on each
acre under cultivation-or. at least. can't
get any more than that for their output.
\
On the acreage basis the contrast be-
tween farm values in the District and
outside of it is even more startling, for
while the agricultural lands that nestle
about the big white dome are worth.
with their buildings, equipment and so
on, the big sum of 81 1858 an acre, the
horny-handed son Of toll in other sec
tions can get only some SIS an acre when
he comes on the market with his filth;
that is. little over l per cent as much.
Obviously. the reason for the great
value OF the District farm lands is
the fact that they are SO near the CAPT
tai. But 1t is mistake, as the census
- ~ ~ rrpkr rr1rn r.
ing over such a large area that agricui-
ture in the District Is a negligible guam
tity. OF the Districts 5000 acres some
5000, or more than 13 per cent, are being
actively cultivated right now. and under
the circumstances this doesn't make such
a bad comparison with the whole coun-
try, which can show only . per cent OF
its total area under cultivation.
Naturally. with land worth what it Is
in the District. the farmer has to hustle
in order to make it return him bank IN
terest and he does. He has improved
nearly S. per cent OF his holdings the
rest Of the land going into woodlands,
while the unthrifty agriculturist of other
parts has improved but 30 per cent OF his
land and put only about half OF the rest
into woodland, leaving the rest Of his
real estate to run around wild.
When 1t comes to getting ten times as
much for his crops as others can get. the
District farmer has some advantage by
reason of the fact that his market Is
within actual walking distance. while his
competitors have to haul their produce
in some cases thousands of miles. More
than this, however. the District farmer
cuItiyates his soil more intensively. He
puts only $50 acres of his lands into
cereals. and less than 600 into hay and
forage crops But he goes heavily into
potatoes and sweet potatoes. harvesting
annually about $4,000 bushels worth more
than 23OUO from only $50 acres. Another
thousand acres he puts into garden
truck, which yields him the nice little in
come of $4,000 Year. He realizes an
other $11T,D0 from dairy products.
But after all the backbone of his bust
ness comes from horticulture. While he
has only some 30 acres in flowers and
plants they bring him in more than
$500. 600 annually. All told, the District
farmers gross income foots up to some
$50 600, the balance of the receipts COM
ing from live stock and poultry products.
fruits etc Among the fruits. by the
way. appear figs. which are produced i'm
the District to the amount of 700 pounds
a year. the Yield being obtained from
sixty trees.
Some of the products that the District
farmer doesn't handle are interesting and
possibly significant. He doesn't raise a
blade of wheat nor a single bean or pea.
He sells no cream and buys his live stock
from outside instead of raising IT, There's
only one sheep in the whole District, and
that one is not on a farm.