The Idaho recorder. [volume] (Salmon City, Idaho) 1886-1927, 1919-12-12
IMPORTANCE OF
FARMING SHOWN
BY SECY WILSON

! washington, Dec. b.--The American
farmer leads the world in individual
production Of crops, Secretary Hous
ton OF the department OF agriculture
asserted in his annual report While
countries such as Belgium, under in
tensfye farming. get a higher acreage
he said, taking both the acreage and
the yield per acre into account, the
American agrieulturist produces two
and half times as much as his Bel
gian and German rivals, 2.3 times as
much as the British farmer, 81
times as much as the. French, and
more than six times as much as the
Italian.
The result of this and of the Amer
lean farmers war work is shown i'm
the 1919 American crop production,
placed al three times greater in value
than the average annual output dur
ing the I'VE year period preceding the
European war. The aggregate value
OF all crops this year Is placed at $15,-
l6fS.00O,0O0 compared TO y14 ,222, 000, :
0O0<in 1913 and an average of $5,s2g,-
100000 during the FIVE year period.
Live stock on farms this year was
figured at $3.50, 900 900 as against
S,2S4 900. 900 In 1913.
The average yield for all crops for
the decade ending in 1918 is about IG
per cent greater than for the average
rate OF Increase for the past 25 yeart
~ about one half OF one per cent a
year.
Estimates In the report put the 1918
wheat production at 918,471 900 bush
els and corn at 2,910,250.0 900 bushels
Cotton Is expected to reach 1886, 900
bales and tobacco 1865 900 lbs.
The farmers OF the nation in 1919
planted an acreage in leading cereals
greater by 33.000.000 than the prewar
annual average which, 1t is estimated
Will yield 635.000,00O more than pre-
war average" Mr.. Houston said of
war work on farms: They increased
the. number of milk cows over 1914 by
100000, of other cattle by $500, 900
OF swine by 100000 and Of horses
and mules by 100000, or a total of
"a, SOC, 900.
'"The planting operations of the
year began before the fighting ceased
and the call was still more wheat
The department suggested a maxi
mum fall acreage OF 47.2O6,000 acres,
an increase OF IL per cent over 1918.
There was actually planted 1926, 900
acres more than in 1918
The spring wheat acreage was o.
o930UO while the winter and spring
paintings combined amounted to II,
$4,000 acres or 100000 more than
the preceding record
1T Is estimated that the yield will,
exceed that OF 1918 by 1000, 900 bush
els and will be the nations second
record wheat crop. The estimated
corn crop OF 2,010.000,000 bushels will
De 3OO,000,O00 greater than that of
1918"
The nation can still further expand
It's output of commodities by cultivat-
Ing unused tillable land estimated at
more than so per cent OF the total,
the report states. Expansion is linn
tied. however, by the supply OF cap
ital and labor.
No step to promote farmers COOP
crative associations along the right
lines should be omitted, the secretary
said. II Is estimated that these organ.
izations market annually approx
mately $1,50O,000,OOO worth or com
modities.
Included in Mr.. Houston's recon-
We're the following:
The building up, primarily under
state law, a system of personal cred
IL unions. for farmers whose financial
status and operations make Il diff
cult to secure accommodations
through the ordinary channels; expan-
sion of facilities for aiding in market
ing. especially extension OF the mar
ket news and food products inspection
services: continuation of federal par
ticipation In road building through an
appropriation of s100,000,000 for each
OF the next four years; regulation
and control Of stock yards and pack
Ing houses; federal legislation to
protect consumers against adulterat-
ed feeds and fertilizers: increased
state support for rural schools anc
more definite instruction as to rural
problems and rural sanitary condl-
lions and provide hospital and medic,
inal facilities