The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1915-12-15
RICHES OF FARM
ARE UNEQUALED
g
Secretary Houston Tells of Ire
mendOus Growth in Values.
Estimates Crops and Animals in
1914 Worth S9,S73,OOO,OOO.
THIS YEAR MORE BOUNTIFUL
Products Expected to Top High
Mark He Tells OF.
Cabinet Official Urges Laws to
Make Figures Fabulous.

Washington, Dec. 15.-Secretary
Houston's annual report, just made
public, places an estimate of $9,Sg3,-
O0O,O on the value of American
farm crops and animal products for
dent This, however, probably will
be eclipsed by the present years
showing.
This valuation is an increase of
about sS3,000,0O0 over the value of
1918, hitherto the highest ever re-
corded. The increase took place in
the face of a decline in cotton from
12-5 cents a pound for the 1913 crop
to an average Of 7.3 cents for 1914.
The total value of the 1913 cotton
crop. estimated at sS46.O00, 900, was
S2S3, 10000 more than the t914 crop,
although the latter was fourteen per
cent greater in quantity
of the tremendous flood OF exports
which began near the end of the fiscal
year covered by the secretary's re
port, many hundreds of millions rep
resent farm products.
Between August !, 1914, and teb-
ruary /, 1915" the report says, Eek
ports were s1,157, 100000 and imports
$771, 100000, giving a favorable bal
ance Of S3S6.000,O00. OF the total
value of exports, 1862, 900, Geo repre-
scented agricultural and only 1896, 00O,-
600 non-agricultural commodities,
chiefly manufactures.
Huge Increase in Farm Exports.
The total agricultural exports in
the fiscal year ended June so, 1915,
practically the first year of the war,
were sI,47O, 100000. which is an in
crease of 1886, 100000, or % per cent
over those of the preceding year and
of SASS, 100000, or nearly - per cent
over the average of the five years.
1910-1e14."
What is needed more. perhaps. than
anything else, the secretary says, is an
IN, mir n a
end. the department has extended its
activities as far as it's funds would
permit Elimination of common live
stock diseases, from which losses are
said to be enormous, would result in
sly mA'sr'A' increase 81 the meal
Animal Diseases Cost Dearly.
TT has been conservatively esti-
mated the report continues, ION the
basis of data for thirty years, that the
annual direct losses from animal dis
eases are approximately S212,OO, OOOO.
The indirect losses, which also are
great, cannot be estimated at all The
direct less ascribed to each disease is
Hog cholera. S75.OOO.Oo0. Texas
fever and cattle ticks. S40.OOG,o0O;
abortion. 2O.OoO.OOO; blackleg, &c.
100000; anthrax, s1,500,050; scabies
OF sheep and cattle, $4,000, 900; CLAN
ders. S5.00O.O00; other livestock dis
coo; poultry diseases, $3.50. 900"
= The citrus fruit industry of the Gulf
states. the report asserts, is seriously
threatened by citrus canker, a highly
infectious bacterial disease. While the
szreater number of infected centers in
Texas, Mississippi and Alabama nave
been eliminated, complete eradication
OF the disease from Louisiana and
Florida the department believes, will
require large expenditures for at least
two years
The potash situation, the report
states, continues serious. There is
pra ctically no potash available for FER
tilizer and indications are that the
supply for that purpose will not be in
creased materially next year
Secretary Suggests New Laws
Recommendation for legislation
made by Secretary Houston to con-
gress include the following:
Legislation designed to promote
better handling and storage of
farm products and trading on the
basis of fixed grades and STAN
dards, including a permissive
warehouse act, a cotton standards
act, a grain grades act, and pro-
vision for a market-news service.
A Iand-mortgage banking act
intended to inject business meth
DDS into handling farm finance
and to place farm securities upon
the market in a responsible way.
Assistance to communities near
the national forests in road build
ing and similar improvements
through a plan involving the ad-
vancement of funds for these pur-
poses to be charged against the
states future share of receipts
from the forests.
Authority to grant water-power
permits within the national for
ests for fixed periods.
More effective control over the pro-
euction of hog-chOlera serum also is
recommended plan involving the
esta blishment by the federal govern
rnent of a station for testing all serum
intended for shipment in interstate
commerce, is outlined.