12 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



Irish and sweet potatoes 13 per cent, and other vegetables 8 per cent. 

 It is notable that, notwithstanding the very rapid increase in popu- 

 lation, the production per capita of the commodities indicated, with 

 the exception of meats and dairy products, has remained approxi- 

 mately the same or has increased. 



Similar statistics are not available for vegetables, other than Irish 

 and sweet potatoes, but it is reasonable to assume that there has been 

 at least a proportionate increase in production. The figures for Irish 

 potatoes may be taken as a fair index of the normal increase of vege- 

 table products. The potato acreage increased from 2,938,778 in 1899 

 to 3,668,855 in 1909, or 24.8 per cent, while the value of the product 

 increased during the same period from approximately $98,400,000 

 to approximately $166,400,000, or 69.2 per cent. The value of all 

 other vegetables increased during the 10-year period from $120,- 

 000,000 to $216,000,000 and the acreage by over 600,000. The sta- 

 tistics regarding canned vegetables are significant. In 1899, 19,300,000 

 cases of canned vegetables, valued at approximately $28,700,000, were 

 packed in the United States. In 1909, 32,800,000 cases, having a 

 value of approximately $51,600,000, were packed. 



The area from which vegetables are drawn constantly is increas- 

 ing, and improved canning, marketing, and transportation facilities 

 have made it possible to supply our large markets with vegetables in 

 greater variety throughout the year. It is a well-known fact that 

 the consumption of fruits and vegetables has increased considerably 

 in recent years and that they constitute a larger and more important 

 part of the permanent diet of the people. 



With all the agencies now available for improving agriculture 

 there is ground for optimism as to the ability of the Nation not 

 only to supply itself with food, but increasingly to meet the needs of 

 the world. 



INCREASING THE MEAT OUTPUT. 



To increase the meat production of the United States has been one 

 of the principal aims of the department in recent years. This can not 

 be accomplished in a day, but requires steady constructive effort over 

 a period of years. Whatever may have been the influence of the de- 

 partment's work, it is gratifying to note that the decline in beef pro- 

 duction reached its lowest point in 1913, and that since that date there 

 has been a material increase, while there has been a marked advance 



