BUREAU OF STATISTICS. 



717 



purchased by farmers throughout the United States in 1899 and 1909. 

 The required information was suppUed by many retail merchants 

 throughout the country, the average prices at which the goods were 

 sold during each of the two years beginning and ending the decade 

 being for goods of the same grade and description in each insta,nce. 



The data thus secured, used in connection with comparative yields 

 per acre of ten leading crops, the prices received for them by farmers, 

 and tlieir consequent average value per acre in each of the years men- 

 tioned, clearly show that the American farmer has suffered no loss 

 or curtailment of purchasing power. On the contrary, the farmers' 

 ability to buy has increased much more than the prices of the tilings 

 he has bought. 



The three following tabular presentations make this fact very clear. 

 They show, first, the average farm value per acre in 1899 and 1909 of 

 ten leading crops, separately, and their combined average value per 

 acre; second, the average retail prices at which eighty-five staple 

 manufactured products were sold to farmers by merchants through- 

 out the United States in 1899 and 1909; and, third, the buying power 

 possessed by three of the crops specified in the first table, namely, 

 corn, wheat, and cotton, as apphed to each of the commodities named 

 in the second table, with the average combined buying power per 

 acre of all ten of said crops. The tables are self-explanatory. 



Acreage, yield, f am -price, and farm value per acre of specified crops in 1899 and 1909. 



[The acreages and yields for 1899 are as reported bv the Bureau of the Census; those for 1909 are as estimated 

 by the Bureau of Statistics, U. S. Department of Agriculture. The farm prices for both years are as 

 reported by the Bureau of Statistics.) 



Crop. 



Corn bushels. 



Wheato do. . . 



Oats do. . . 



Barley do. . . 



Rye do... 



Buckwheat do... 



Potatoes do... 



Hay tons . 



Tobacco pounds. 



Cotton do. . . 



Acres 

 (OOO omitted). 



1899. 



94,914 

 52,589 

 29, 540 



4.470 



2,054 

 807 



2,939 

 61,691 



1,101 

 24,275 



1909. 



Total yield 

 (000 omitted). 



1899. 



108,771 

 46, 723 

 33,204 



7,011 



2,006 

 834 



3,525 

 45,744 



1,180 

 30,938 



2,666,324 



658, 534 



943,389 



119,635 



25, 509 



11,234 



273,318 



84,011 



808.113 



4,467,097 



1909. 



2,772 



737, 



1,007, 



170, 



32, 



17, 



376, 



64, 



949, 



4,783, 



376 

 189 

 353 

 284 

 239 

 438 

 537 

 938 

 357 

 220 



Yield per 

 acre. 



1899. 



28.1 



12.5 



31.9 



26.8 



12.4 



13.9 



93.0 



1.4 



788.2 



184.0 



1909. 



25.5 



15.8 



30.3 



24.3 



16.1 



20.9 



106.8 



1.42 



804.3 



154.6 



Crop. 



Farm price per unit 

 December 1— 



1899. 



Com bushels. . 



Wheat o do 



Oats do 



Barley v do 



Rye do 



Buckwheat do 



Potatoes do 



Hay tons. . 



Tobacco pounds . . 



' Cotton do 



Average 



1909. 



Farm value per acre 

 December 1 — 



1899. 



Dollars. 



8.51 



7.30 



7.94 



10.80 



6.32 



7.74 



36.27 



10.18 



52. 02 



613.32 



9.51 



1909. 



Dollars. 

 15.20 

 15.64 

 12.27 

 13.41 

 11.90 

 14.61 

 58.63 

 15.08 

 81.23 

 622.06 



1&42 



Per cent 

 increase in 

 value, 1909 

 over 1899. 



78.6 

 114.0 

 54.5 

 24.2 

 88.3 

 88.8 

 61.7 

 48.1 

 56.2 

 65.6 



72.7 



a Spring and winter wheat combined. 



6 Average value for season. 



