Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 36, Number 136, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 December 1904 — Bas[?]s of American Prosperity. [ARTICLE]

Bas[?]s of American Prosperity.

Between the two oceans we raise one-fifth of the world’s wheat, fourfifths of its corn, one-fourth of its oats and four-fifths of its cotton. This harvest is the foundation of our prosperity. Agriculture this year will add about $4,090,000,000 to the country’s wealth, and foreign customers will pay us not far from $900,000,000 for our agricultural products, shipped to them over the sea. All the gold in America —the greatest hoard of the yellow metal ever gathered in any country—could not buy one year’s harvest of our corn and wheat. To buy one season’s wheat crop would take all tlie gold mined in this country in six years. In the past seven years all the gold mines have only produced enough to buy one year's yield of our six leading cereals.