PROSPERITY OF AMERICAN FARMERS

New Zealand Mail, 29 January 1902, Page 57

PROSPERITY OF AMERICAN FARMERS

Speaking of good times for farmers, the “American Agriculturist” notes tiiat their wheat crop this year is worth more than last year’s by 150,000,000 dollars. Other grains represent as large a total as this, the shortage in yield being made up by advance in price. Potatoes are so high that a short crop will probably return more money to the farmer than ever before. Live stock represents a value of nearly 250,000,000 dollars over last year. Apples and other fruits are extraordinarily high. The farm products of the United States this year are doubtless worth 400,000,000 dollars nmre than last year’s outturn. Tho cereals (wheat, corn, oats, rye, and barley) raised in the United States during the past five years represent a value to the farmer of 6,250,000,000 dollars, or an increase of nearly 1,000,000,000 dollars over the preceding five years. Taking 1896 as a fair basis of values during the late agricultural depression, nine staple crops for this year represent an increase in value of over 700,000,000 dollars-. Live stock is worth 1,000,000,000 dollars more than ever. During the past five years agricultural exports have been 038.000.000 dollars greater in value than for the preceding five years, a gain of 30 per cent.