The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1915-12-15
All Records Broken in Spite
Of Dropin Price Of
4 Cotton.
NEEDM0RE meat BEASTS
Hog Cholera, Ticks and 9th
err Diseases Cost $212,-
00000Oa Year.
(By Associated Press

WASHINGTON Dec. 15.-secre.
tary Houston annual report made
public today, places an estimate of
Se.873, 000, 900 on the value OF Ame:i.
can farm crops and animal products
for last year, valuation without pre-.
cedent. This, however probably will
be eclipsed BY the present years
showing.
This valuation Is an increase OF
about $s3,000,0o0 over the value OF
1913, hitherto the highest ever record.
ed. The increase occurred in the face
Of q decline in cotton from 1875 cents
q pound for the 1918 crop to an av.
erage OF 7.3 cents for 1914. The to.
tai value Of the 1913 cotton crop, es.
umated at $s4s,00o,00O, was $685..
100000 more than the 1914 crop, al
though the latter was fourteen per
cent greater in quantity.
OF the tremendous food 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.
Between August 1, 1914, and Feb.
ruary j, 1915,sethe report says. Tex.
ports were 81, 1871 100000 and imports
$772,000, 600. giving favorable bal.
ance OF $3s6,000,00O. OF the total
value OF exports, $685., 100000 repre-.
sented agricultural and only $4,000.
600 9non:agricultural commodities,
chiefly. manufactures.
THE total agricultural exports in
the fiscal year ended June 80. 1915,
practically the first year OF the war,
were S1,470,000,000, which is an In.
crease OF 1856 100000, or 80 per cent
over those Of the preceding year and
Of $433,000, 900, or nearly ~ per cent
over the average of the five years
What sineeded 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
q material increase Of the meat sup
ply.
at has been gconservatively cstima.
ted the report continues, ION the
basis Of data for thirty years, that
the annual direct; losses from animal
diseases are approximately S212,000,.
000. The indirect losses, which also
are great, cannot be estimated at all.
The direct loss ascribed to each dis.
ease 10 as follows:
Hog cholera, SIT, 100000; Texas fe.
var and cattle ticks, $4,000, 900: tn.
barcil osis. s25,0Oo00O; contagious
abortion. s20,000,0O0; blackleg, &c..
opp.Q00;s anthrax, s1,500,0oO; scabies
oflshsep and cattle, s4,60o,oOO; gland.
ekf, $4,000 900; other livestock dis.
efses, s22,0o0,000; parasites, $4,000
opp: poultry diseases, sS,750.00O."
Tho citrus fruit industry OF the Gulf
States. the report asserts, Is serious
iythreate9ed by citrus canker, high.
~ infectious bacterial disease. While
the greater Number Of infected cente.s
In Texas, Mississippi and Alabama
have been eliminated, complete era
dicationt OF the disease from Louisiana
aud Florida, the Department believes.
will require large expenditure for at
least two years.
The potash situation, the report
states. continues. There is practical.
ly no potash available for fertilizer
AMI indications are that the supply
for that purpose will not be increas.
ed materially next years.
Recommendation for legislation
made BIZ Secretary Houston to Con.
gress include the following:
'Legislationi designed to promote bet.
ter handling and storage Of farm pro.
ducts and trading on the basis OF fixed
grades and standards, including per.