Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 36, Number 136, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 December 1904 — CORN OUR GREATEST CROP. [ARTICLE]

CORN OUR GREATEST CROP.

Uast Year Its Direct Value Nearly Totalled $1,000,000,000. On corn the prosperity of the United States depends in a larger measure than it does upon any other single article. The State of llliuofs—the greatest cornproducing State in tlie Union —alone produced during 1902 a great deal more than half ns much corn as the whole of Liu rope —namely. 204,087.431 bushels as compared with 422,520,000 bushels. The total production of South America, Africa and Australasia was not much more than half of that of Illinois. The value of the 1903 crop was estimated by tiie Department of Agriculture at close on a billion dollars, but that was only tiie direct value of the crop when harvested and sold or awaiting sal* in the farmers' hands. It took no account of the many other uses to which corn is put. For example, tiie live stock industry of the United States, which, with all its countless ramifications, is by far the greatest industry of its kind in the world, is very largely dependent <>n the Corn crop. It lias been estimated that over 5,000,009 sheep nml 12,000,000 beef steers are fattened in the great corn belt which lias Springfield, 111., for its center. And then there are chickens, hogs and dairy cows iinr.iine" dde. Illinois’ corn last year ..as worth more then $95,090,000 —about one-tenth the t cos the crop, and about S2O for every man. woman and child in tiie State. lowa came next with a crop worth over $87,090,000. That is more timn the national revenue of either Austria. Hungary. Chinn. Canada. Belgium, or the whole British colonies, excluding Canada. India and Australia. Tho Htate of Illinois gets far more money for its corn crop than the combined revenue of all the Latin-American governments except the four most important ones —Mexieo, Chili. Argeutiuo and Brar.il. Take the sixteen sovereign republics of Hayti, Santo Domingo. Salvador, Costa Itica, Honduras. Guatemala, Nicaragua. Colombia, Vene/.ueln. Ecuador. Peru. Uruguay. Paraguay, Bolivia, Cuba aud Panama, ami you wil! a find that their national revenues do not exceed $70,000,000 annually. Illinois gets $25,000,000 more for her corn crop.