Grand Forks daily herald., 1915-12-16
FARMCROPS WORTH
s9,S73,O)O,oOO.
-~-F-- -fsr- HvD >vvH HvH>yHtyvyAV
Valuation is an Increase o1
$s3, 600, 900 Over That of
1918.

Washington. Dec. 14.-Secretary
Houstons annual report made puDlc
today, places an estimate Of $9,s73,-
100000 on the value Of American
farm crops and animal products for
last year. a valuation without pre-.
cedent. This. however, probably VIII
be eclipsed by the present years
showing.
This valuation is an increase OF
about ss3,OO0,O00 over the value Of
1918, hitherto the highest ever re-
corded. The increase occurred In the
face of a decline in cotton from 12.5
cents pound for the 1913 crop to an
average of T.3 cents for 1914. The to-
tai value Of the 1913 cotton crop. es-
timated at sS46,000,000, was $685.
100000 more than the 1914 crop, al.
though the latter was fourteen per
cent greater in quantity.
OF the tremendous fiood Of exports
which began near the end of the fis-
cal year covered by the secretary's
report, many hundreds of millions
represent farm products. '. .g
"Between August 1, 1914, and Feb
ruary 1, 1916" the report says. Tex
ports were $1,157, 100000 and imports
$712,000,000, giving a favorable bal
ance Of $s86,0o0, 900. OF the total
value Of exports. $662,OOO,O0O repre-
0O0, 900 non-agricultural commodities,
chiefly manufactures. Il
1.-THE total agricultural exports in
the fiscal year ended June 80. 1915,
practically the first year Of the war.
were 1,470, 900, which Is an in
crease of $356,000,000, or 80 per cent
over those Of the preceding year and
of s433,OO0,000, or nearly AZ per cent
over the average OF the five years
1910-1914."
More Meat Animals Needed.
What is needed more, perhaps, than
anything else, the secretary says, is an
increase in meat animals. To that
end, the department has extended Its
activities as far as its funds would
permit Elimination of common live
stock diseases, from which losses are
said to be enormous, would result in
material increase of the meat sup.
ply.
1T has been conservatively estimat.
ed" the report continues, ION the
| basis Of data for thirty years. that tho
eases are approximately $212,000,000.
The indirect losses, which also are
great cannot be estimated at all. The
direct loss ascribed to each disease
is as follows:
fever and cattle ticks. $4,000, 900;
tuberculosis. $25,000,00O; contagious
abortion, $20.000,000; blackleg. &c.
100000: anthrax, $1,500.000; scabies
Of sheep an and cattle. s4,eoo.ooo; CLAN
ders, $5.O00,000; other livestock dis
eases. $22,OoO,O00 parasites, $5.o00,-
900; poultry diseases, $8,75O,00O."
The citrus fruit industry of the gulf
states. the report asserts, is seriously
threatened by citrus canker. a highly
infectious bacterial disease. While
the greater number Of infected GEN.
ters in Texas, Mississippi and Ala
bama have been eliminated. complete
eradication Of the disease from Lou.
isiana and Florida, the department be-
lieves, will require large expenditures
for at least two years. &
=, Potash Situation Serious.
The potash situation, the report
practically no potash available for
fertilizer and indications are that the
supply for that purpose will not be
increased materially next year.
accommodations for legislation
made by Secretary Houston to con.
gress include the following:
Legislation designed to promote
products and trading on the basis Of
fixed grades and standards, including
permissive warehouse act, q cotton
standards act, grain grades act and
provision for a market-news service
A land-mortgage banking act in.
tended to inject business methods into
handling farm finance and to place
farms securities upon the market in a
responsible way.
Assistance to communities near the
national forests in road building and
similar improvements through a plan
involving the advancement Of funds
for these purposes to be charged
against the states future share of re-.
ceipts from the forests.
Authority to grant water power
permits within the national forests
for fixed periods.
More effective control over the
production of hog cholera serum. A
plan involving the esta blishment by
the federal government of a station
for testing all serum intended fof
shirr'ent in interstate commerce, 10
outlined