Omaha daily bee., 1915-12-16
FARMS OUTPUT
TEN BILLIONS
Secretary Houston Says This Years
Production Greater Than Last
Years Bumper Crops.
EXPORTS SHOW BIG GROWTH

WASHINGTON. Dec. 1L--Secretary
Houston's annual report made public to-
day places an estimate OF Se,s7S. 900. 900 on
the value Of American farm crops and
animal products for last year. vaiua-
ton without precedent. This, however,
probably will be eclipsed by the present
years showing.
This valuation is an increase Of about
ss2c00.0O0 over the value Of 1918, hitherto
the highest ever recorded. The increase
occurred In the face Of decline In
cotton from 12.5 cents a pound for the
1913 crop to an average OF rs cents for
1914 The total value Of the 1913 cotton
crop. estimated at Ss46ooo.OOo. was S2ss.-
Ooo.OOO more than the 1914 crop. although
the latter was "A per cent greater In
quantity.
OF the tremendous flood Of exports
which began near the end OF the fiscal
year covered by the secretarys report,
many hundreds Of millions represent
farm products.
between August 1, 1914. and February
1, 1885," the report says, exports were
81, Isl. 10000 and imports {7l,oo0,oJo. CIV
ing a favorable balance OF tSes, oOOO 900. OF
the total value OF exports, tes2. 10000 rep
resented agricultural and only ilSoooo.oo
non-asriculturai commodities, chiefly
manufactures.
Exports show Mig Increase.
THE total agricultural exports In the
fiscal year ended June 20. 1915. practi-
caliy the first year Of the war. were
81 ,f70OOo00o. which Il an increase OF tSOa.-
OoO.ooe. OF % per cent over those Of the
preceding year and of 1888 100000 or
nearly A. per cent over the average OF
the five years. 1olo-isiL"
What il needed more. perhaps, than
anything else. the secretary says. Is an
increase IN meat animals To that end
the department has extended It's activi-
ties as far a. It's funds would permit.
elimination of common live stock dis
eases, from which losses are said TO be
enormous, would result In material
increase OF the meat supply.
TT has been conservatively estimated.
the report continues. "on the basis OF
data for thirty years. that the annual
direct losses from animal diseases arc
approximately t212.oOo,OOo The indirec'
losses, which also are great. cannot be
estimated at all. The direct loss ascribec
70 each disease is as follows:
.'Hog cholera, S75.o00.00o; Texas fever
and cattle ticks, 100000; tuberculosis.
ssBOOo.OoO: contagious aboruon. t2Oooo.0Oo;
blackleg, 100000: anthrax, u.boo0oO;
scabIes OF sheep and cattle. 100000;
gianders, 100000: other live stock dis
eases, 81. 900: parasites. 100000; poui-
try diseases. ss.7bo,OOo"
citrus Trees I'm Danger.
The citrus fruit industry Of the gulf
states, the report asserts, is seriously
threatened by citrus canker. highly In
fectious bacterial disease. While the
greater number OF infected centers In
Texas. Mssissippi and Alabama have
been eliminated. complete eradication Of
the disease from louisiana and Florida
the department believes. win require
large expenditures for At least two years
The potash situation. the report states
continues serious. There n practically
no potash available for fertilizer and
indications are that the supply for that
purpose will not be increased materially
next year.