Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1917-02-22
OUR FARM PRODUCTION
1916 Crops and Animal Products
Reached High Water Mark.
Estimat Total GsosA Value Was e1Sy.
4l1,OO0. OOO-Net Product Of Farm
wealth Has Never been
Determined.

BY far the largest gross value Of farm
production in this country was reached
In 1915. according to estimates made by
the United States department OF agricul-
ture The total of crops and animal prod
ucts was $13,449,0 0000O. an increase of 81
6i4,W0,OW over the total OF 1915. which
was Itself a highwater mark. The mere
increase Is greater than the census gross
value of farm production in 1889. and is
nearly as large as the census crop value
In 1899. The increase Of 1916 over 1914 was
1854 100000 The gross value Of farm
production Is the total Of crops and ami
NAL products. and takes no account Of
the use Of a product as a material for
other production: nor are any costs OF
production subtracted. Consequently. the
value Of gross production should be re-
garded as an index number. and not as
so many net dollars pat into the farmers
pocket.
The value OF the net product OF wealth
on farms has never been determined. and
can not now be estimated. The items
for the estimated years are expressed in
gross value and are made 10 conform 70
the census plan SO az to- be comparable
with those for the censns years.
II the gross value of the census farm
production Of 1899 is represented by 1W.
the value for 1879 was +9; for 1889, 81
for 1909. 1874 for 1914. oO9.S; for 1915, 2s.4;
and for 1916. 1851.
In the subdivision Of the value of gross
production into its two main elements,
crops and animal products. it appears
that the total estimated crop value in
| 1916 was s9.1l1. OD. 900, an amount greater
than the sum Of the estimated values OF
crops and of animal products for any year
previous to 1912. greater than the total
! estimated crop value Of 1915 by sa,O4,OoO
900. and 1914 by $2,sss, ooO,OoO.
| The total estimated value of animal
products in 1916 was 81 BIS. 100000. or more
than double the value for 1904. which was
the highest amount to that time. 1t was
greater than the estimated value OF ami
NAL products in 1915 by $470.000000, and of
1914 by $555,0OoOoo.
Compared with the value of farm crops
in 1899. represented by 100, the crop value
for 1909 was 1S3; for 1914. 20S.9; for 1915
zSo.3; and for 1916. $685. similar COM
parison for animal products results in
a percentage of 1857 for 1909. 22o.2 for
| 1914, Isl for 1915, and 1875 for 1916.
The crop value for 1916 increased over
that OF 1889 by 20as per cent, Of 1909 by
c. per cent. of 1914 by - per cent, and
of 1915 by 3i9 per cent. The value OF
animal products increased in 1916 over
1899 by 1925 per cent, over 1909 by f.;
per cent; over 1914 by 14.7 per cent. and
over 1915 by l22 per cent.
From 1908 to 1914 the total crop value
as a fraction OF the value of total gros.
farm production. declined from Gas to g.
per cent In 1915. on the contrary. thi.
tendency was not only arrested. but wa
sharply reversed. and the crop value ther
became CAL per cent. OF the total Of CROP
and animal products, followed by another
sharp advance to ST. per cent In 1916.
Four crops have each exceeded a bill
lion dollars in value at the farm in 1916
The estimate for corn is &, 296, 000 900; cot
ton lint. based on gross weight, 81, 900.
900; cotton crop, including lint and seed
81, 400. 600. 900; hay, tame and wild. $1,lS2.
10000; wheat, $1,0a6. 900. 900. Other crop
that each exceed a hundred million dol
lars are oats $a56. o0O, 00O; potatoes al. 900.
900: farm wood-lot products, $221, 900 900
apples, $1S6O00.000; tobacco, 1863, 900 900
barley. s16O.ooo,o00
The level of prices paid to producer
for the principal crops, December l. 1915
was about $50 per cent higher than
year previous. SEQ per cent. higher thai
two years before, and 52.S per cent. high
err than the average Of the previous eigh
years on December I. The year 1916 wa
one of comparatively low crop produc
ton. but the prices and values Of mos
OF the crops were extraordinarily high.