The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1917-07-19
Secretary clum OF Greater Iowa Asso-
citation Suggests That We Keep
History Straight In
These Matters.
GIVES FEW COMPARISONS
Products Of Hawkeye State Last Year
Averaged $14.5o Per Acre
According to
Statistician.

I'VE might just as well get our
agricultural statistics on straight"
said Secretary Clum of the Greater
Iowa association, in an address the
other day at Forest City. Texas
has been making some. hellabaloo
about leading the United States last
year in total crop values Occasion
ally we hear peep from Wisconsin
or Oklahoma, or some other state
that is jealous of Iowa's reputation
for productivity.
Now comes Georgia advertising
! in the public prints that while she
only ranks fifth amongst all OF the
states in agricultural production, she
is smaller than the great agricultural
commemorative and therefore should
have first place.
'The only permanent basis for
wealth is production from the soil
and inasmuch as we have been dlyld-
ed arbitrarily into states, let US get
at the figures by comparing the total
crop production for 1916 with the
total number of acres in these states
that are ambitious to lead.
First, let us figure on Texas with
her magnificent aggregate crop pro-
duction last year Of $684,850,000.
Texas has 167,s35,O0O acres. Conse-
quently, her production amounts to
l$420 per acre for every acre in the
state. Georgia is little better than
twice as good as Texas because while
her production amounted to $349, 000,-
! 900 she has only 37,600,000 acres,
giving her an average Of S9.05 per
acre.
Oklahoma gets the BOBBY prize.
With 44.425, 900 acres she produces
sos, All 900 worth Of products, or
1895 per acre.
"Nebraska's production was $3.50
per acre, while Kansas was content
with $500 per acre.
Minnesota, with 51,75O,OOO acres
within her borders, produced $780,
100000 worth of products, or $5.22
per acre. Missouri averaged $3.50
Il per acre. Michigan did little bet
ter with $3.50 per acre. wisconsin
showed $3.50 per acre for agricul-
tural products, while Pennsylvania
moved up the scale to $1,000 per
acre.
"The far-famed California with its
orange and figs, its rice and it's
lemons, and all of the other products
thst are included as coming from the
soil, runs Oklahoma mighty close
race for last place. With so, 617 900
acres California produces S271, 100000
worth of products, or an average
per acre OF $2S5.
Now, how about Iowa? Iowa has
35,575,000 acres and it produced
$516,700,000 worth of products in
1916, or s1450 per acre. The only
real competition Iowa has is just
across the Mississippi river in I'LL
nois, where the average production
last year was 1892 per acre.
"And, the best part of it is, not
withstanding our absolute domination
in the production of lifes necessi-
ties, there Is scarcely an acre in
Iowa that could not do better. When
we get some of Iowa's three and one
half million acres of tame hay into
alfalfa, and when we get most of her
one million five hundred thousand
dairy cows producing 5000 pounds Of
milk instead of 1000, we will be so
far ahead of our neighbors that we
will be in class by ourselves. This
is the sort of progress to which the
Greater Iowa, association has pledged
ITSELF"