The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1914-12-25

m1SS1ve WarehouS1ng system TOT gralI
and cotton. He points out that the
warehouse facilities for cotton in the
south are not centralized.
1 eff the warehouses now in exist
ence," says the report, "were remodel
ed so as to comply with the underwrit
ers' requirements, and were bonded
and if adequate business methods
were adopted the financing of the cot.
ton crop would be materially improv-
ed. Such system would furnish re.
lief in times of emergency and would
form useful part of the normal dis
tributive system. 1t is probable that
federal law for permissive ware
housing system would stimulate this
desirable development"
While the production of grain gen.
orally shows a great increase in the
crop of 1914, the report points out,
the production of corn shows no adj
vance, and the meat production shows
the secretary points out "lamenta-
BILE neglect of live stock production
in the SOUTH" s-4
The secretary's report includes a
table giving the census figures for
1899 and 1909, showing that in all
products except corn and meat ami
mails there has been a marked in
crease in production during the ten
year period. Continuing, the report
says:
"We know that the wheat crop
of 1914, of approximately S92,O00,000
bushels, is the greatest ever produced
in our history, and that, the crops of
oats, barley, rye, potatoes, tobacco
and hay are unusually large. The cot
ton crop, forecast in October at 15,-
100000 bales, is the second largest.
The apple crop, estimated at 259,000.-
900 bushels, is the greatest ever har-
vested The total production of six
leading cereals is estimated to have
been nearly 5,000,000,000 bushels, or
about 428,000,000 bushels in excess of
the crop of 1913. For the country as
a whole the crop yields per acre were
l2.3 per cent. better than the average
for the past ten years. The average
yield per acre of all the staple crops
| was "a per cent. greater than 1913,
and, except for corn, oats, and flax
seed, greater than the ten-year aver
age.
| "But, after all, our efforts, while
there is an increased diversification
! of agriculture and both a relative and
absolute increase in important pro-
ducts, such as wheat, forage crops,
fruits, dairy products and poultry, we
still note not only relative but also
an absolute decrease in number OF
our important staple food products
such as corn and meats. In the for
mer in the last fifteen years there
has been no substantial advance. In
cattle, sheep and hogs there has been
an absolute decline-in cattle, from
the census year of 1899 to that OF
1909, of from 5o,000,000 head to 41,
100000; in sheep, of from 61,000,00C
to 52,O00,000; in hogs, of from $4,000,
900 to 5S,000,000. Since 1909 the ten
dency has been downward, and yet
during the period since 1899 the pop
ulation has increased over 20,000,000
| This situation exists not in a crowd
ed country but in one which is still
in measure being pioneered; in one
which, with 935.O00,O00 acres of ara
BILE land, has only 40O,O00,000, or AZ
per cent, under cultivation, and in
one in which the population pei
square mile does not exceed 81, and
ranges from OF persons in Nevada to
|50S in Rhode Island" h& ha9
In urging FARMERS generally to di
versify their products and especially
to produce beef, swine and poultry
at least for home consumption, the
isecretary says: ''. IS
i eff farmers in the south had here
tofore practiced diversifcation on 3
sufficiently large scale, producing
their own home supplies, that section
would not be in its present hard case
| The experts of this department are la
boring earnestly to bring about a bet
ter direction of the agricultural activ
titles of the SOUTH
The report reviewed the increased
: activity Of the departments informa