The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-09-10
Americas Great Economic Resources

Americas Great Economic Resources
 Various departments of the unlteo States government are doing valuable work in collecting data showing thls country's wonderful resources and in publishing from time to time short treatese in popular bulletin form. A most instructive bulletin has just been published by the department of com merce entitled Economic Resources of the United States and Their Rela- tion to American Trade
 At this time when the thinking men of the world are discussing the re- sources of the nations now at war, everything pertaining to our own re- sources must be of practical interest The department of commerce states that "a partial inventory of the na- tional assets of the United States in area, population and the fundamental factors of economic life reveals the fact that it is not only practically self-sup- porting but that it possesses, in many lines, large surplus available for protection against famine and tenn porary diversity or for use in meet ing unusual demands from the outside world"
 The department has received re- gently hundreds of letters from pro ducers and American manufacturers containing inquiries regarding possi- ble markets abroad for their surplus products. The inquirers wish to know something of the ability of the Uni ted States to supply the raw materials necessary for certain industries. The department states that investigations in connection with the replies to these inquiries have developed the fact that in many instances materials now 'im- ported from abroad are of a class found in this country, the production of which, however, is still in the in- itial stages. This is particularly true of numerous basic materials used in the chemical industries, which were formerly wasted, but are now partially utilized"
 A survey of the varied products makes this country's fortunate position plain to the world, for the United states not only feeds and clothes it. self, but on large scale helps to feed and clothe many other countries. The area of this country is three and two thirds million square miles. It rep resents every variety of climate and is nearly equal in extent to all Europe, which has population five times that of this country. As the department of commerce says:
 Agriculture in the United States AoS ioe ySt iedSheu lHe stage or scientific development common to many countries of Europe, and pres ent domestic production may there fore be expected to increase greatly with more attention to improved methods of culture. Nevertheless our country already produces over two and one-half billion bushels of corn, or two-thirds of the world supply. This years wheat crop is estimated at the kigh record figure of 911 million bushels, about 20 per cent of the world harvest. The United States also pro- duces annually over one billion bushels of oats, or one-fourth of the inter- national yield, and 197 million gal Ions of cotton seed oil, representing most of the annual output of this article whose food value as substi- tute for olive oil is becoming more and more recognized. Fifteen per cent of the worlds cattle are on American farms, the number in this country be- ing 59 million, or twice as many as in Argentina or European Russia and half the number in India. Our coun- try also has 60 million swine, 50 mil lion sheep and "A million horses. We import, however, five billion pounds of sugar (chiefIy Cuban), or one and ons-half times the amount produced in