IMPORTS AND EXPORTS OF IMPORTANT AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS, 1904-1916 (Yearbook of the Department of Agriculture) (000 omitted) IMPORTS AND EXPORTS OF IMPORTANT AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS-Continued (Yearbook of the Department of Agriculture) Average farm prices Dec. 1. 2 Wholesale prices at Boston. 3 Wholesale prices at New York. Prices per head, Jan. 1. Wholesale prices of inferior to prime beef per 100 lb. at Chicago, for the year. Wholesale prices of extra creamery butter at New York. ' Wholesale prices of average best fresh eggs at New York. OTHER CATTLE: Num- Num- Num- Num- Num- 1,903,290,000 878,798,000 46.2 Illinois. Iowa.. Kansas Minnesota. Missouri Nebraska. Oklahoma. Wisconsin. HORSES: Illinois. Indiana. Iowa.... Total, U. S. 43,669 47,279 35,855 37,067 39,453 acres and over... California.. Total, U. S. 17,058 21,040 20,962 21,195 21,166 Value of all property 1,232 represented in Lands 478,452,000 54.5 190,866,000 21.7 209,481,000 23.8 6,361,502 138.1 75.2 13.2 44.8 39.2 2.8 $5,487,161,223 $40,991,450,000 200.5 $28,475,674,000 218.1 $6,325,452,000 177.8 $1,265,150,000 168.7 $4,925,173,000 160.1 69.5 of and bees 743 Average value per farm All property. Lands and buildings 12.0 $6,444 $5,471 315 Average value of land 292 272 FARM EXPENSES 768 Labor: Total, U. S. 45,170 57,216 49,719 49,956 49,162 Per cent. of all farms] 45.9 Idaho.. Michigan. Missouri. 816 1,020 1,601 1,761 2,180 2,372 2,551 2,500 1,458 1,729 1,668 1,751 2,978 4,248 2,981 3,041 1,759 2,151 2,118 2,033 770 1,849 Cash expended.. $521,727,000 2,450 1,839 Rent and board fur- $129,878,000 3,102 Feed: 957 1,568 1,490 Farms reporting. Per cent. of all farms Per cent. of all farms Number of farms oper Foreign white. Total, U. S. 47,321 47,782 58,933 64,618 68,047 among Native white.. 1,931 2,368,905 1,416 37.2 3,941 $299,839,000 3,440 Fertilizer: 3,067 Farms reporting.. 1,823,032 28.7 $114,884,000 ated by Native white. 4,771,063 669,556 other 920,883 66.3 XVIII. THE MINERAL INDUSTRIES MINING AND ORE DRESSING The Mining Industry.-The year 1916 will go down in history as one of great prosperity for the mining industry in the United States, due primarily to the demands of the European War. Prices have made new high records, and hence operating mines have been worked to full capacity, old mines have been reopened, and search for new mines has been stimulated. For example, copper has ranged between 25 and 33 cents per pound against a normal price of 12 cents; silver, 55 to 77 cents per ounce, normal, 55 cents; lead, 5.5 to 8 cents per pound, normal, 4 to 4.5 cents; zinc, 9 to 18 cents, normal, 5 cents; antimony, 12 to 45 cents, normal, 8 cents; quicksilver, $80 to $300 per 75 pounds, normal, $45; pig iron, $30 per ton, normal, $15; tin, 40 to 50 cents per pound, normal, 35 to 40 cents. Some metals, such as antimony, quicksilver and tungsten, reached their very high prices during the first half of the year and dropped back during the last half. (See also other articles in this department; and XIII, Economic Conditions.) activity is exampled by the production of 40,000 tons of ore per day by one mine, the Utah Copper. With operators straining to increase production under the stimulus of high prices, it still seemed impossible to meet the demands. Pig iron was scarce even though the production is at the rate of 40 million tons per year. The shortage of coal, especially anthracite, became somewhat serious toward the end of the year. Increased dividends have resulted and profits have been shared almost universally with the workmen, either in the form of increased wages or bonuses. The sliding wage scale, based on the selling price of the product, has been perhaps the most satisfactory arrangement. In spite of all this, labor has not been satisfied. Three serious strikes have occurred: in the Clifton-Morenci district of Arizona, in the Mesabi iron region of Minnesota, and at Youngstown, Ohio; other minor disturbances have taken place elsewhere. Practically all may be attributed to agitators, and have ended in partial or entire defeat for Lake Superior iron-ore shipments the strikers (see also XVI, Labor). to Oct. 1 were a record at 48,816,650 In spite of increased wages, there has tons, an increase of 14,147,084 tons been a shortage of labor in many disover the same period in 1915, indi- tricts. This, coupled with higher cating an estimated tonnage of 62,- costs of material and decreased effi000,000 for the entire year. Copper ciency of labor, has prevented profits reached the highest price in 40 years from keeping pace with increased and the fact that much copper has price of product. As an example of been sold ahead into 1917 assures a increased cost of supplies, dynamite continued high price. Lack of re- may be taken. There is a shortage of finery capacity has prevented any ac-glycerine and an increased demand for cumulation of a surplus of this metal. In the case of lead ores, the Utah smelters had to refuse some offerings of ore and thus reduced production. Old graphite and manganese mines in the South have received attention and have been started up again and worked profitably. The tremendous it for war use. The price of straight nitroglycerin and gelatin dynamites has made them almost prohibitive to the miner, who has had to be satisfied with the ammonia compounds. Considering developments in individual sections, the Oatman gold field in Arizona has progressed satisfacto rily and gives promise of being a big | alone. Stripping of overburden by low-grade camp. A new gold district hydraulicking instead of by the usual is reported at Gold Lake, Manitoba, steam shovel method has been used at but it is too early to decide regarding the Hillcrest iron mine in Minnesota. its value. Similarly, big nickel-plati- The Inspiration automatic hoist at num deposits are reported in north- Miami, Ariz., is reported to be a perwest Canada up toward the Arctic fect success. Hammer drills are findCircle. Butte, after many years as a ing a larger field, notably in sinking copper center, is developing a big large shafts at Ironwood, Mich. zinc industry. Lake Superior every (Woodbury shaft), and elsewhere. year develops new copper mines, and Compressed-air locomotives for unshows evidence that even after 50 derground haulage have replaced elecyears of work the ground has hardly tric trolley in one or two instances, been scratched. The Calumet and solely for reasons of safety. Hecla Co. had a big celebration of its semi-centenary during the year, and there appears to be no reason why it should not be working 50 years hence. The southeast Missouri lead district is expanding beyond the limits of St. François County into Washington County. Alaska may be said to be progressing slowly. In August the first train of coal from the Matanuska coal fields came out over the new government railroad. The Alaska Gold Mines Co. has not come up to the promise of its promoters, but it is expected that ultimately it will reach a profitable stage (see also VIII, Alaska). The Anaconda Copper Co. of Montana has followed the lead of other large interests in acquiring large copper deposits in Chile. In Mexico alone has there been no progress and most of the mines have been idle owing to unsettled conditions. The "safety-first" movement is to be credited with still further decrease in accidents and fatalities. Agitation for revision of the United States mining law still continues, but it is opposed by the slowness of Congress to take action. A bill to appoint a commission to report a revision of the law passed the Senate but died in the House Committee on Mines. Mining Methods.-Regarding improvements in mining it is always true that a boom period is not the time of greatest progress, since the operators are too busy making money to attend to all the economies of operation. Large steam shovels up to eight cubic yards capacity and lifting material up to a height of 65 ft. are used on coal mines, and under special conditions, in iron mines. The boom is as long as 90 ft. and the whole shovel revolves instead of the boom Ore Dressing. In ore-dressing, flotation still continues to be the sensation, although yet undergoing the difficulties of litigation. In the latter part of the year, the Minerals Separation Co. won their case against Miami in the District Court of Delaware, this being directly opposite to their previous defeat in the suit against Hyde in California (A. Y. B., 1914, p. 492). The U. S. Supreme Court, however, at the end of the year reversed the Hyde decision and gave a decision in favor of the Minerals Separation Co. Figures for 1916 without question will show a great increase over the 1915 total of over three million tons of ore treated by flotation. The process is still rule of thumb, although much investigation has been made during the year, seeking knowledge of the fundamental principles. Flotation has turned attention largely away from leaching for copper sulphide ores and has an advantage over cyaniding on silver sulphide ores, both in cost of plant and in cost of operation. On copper oxide ores it still has a rival in leaching, as evidenced by the new leaching plants of the Inspiration and New Cornelia companies in Arizona, and the Utah Copper Co. in Utah. On Lake Superior native-copper ores it seems destined to play a big rôle in increasing the saving. Broken Hill, Australia, may still be said to be the home of flotation and its modifications along the line of preferential flotation. There, the Bradford. Owens, Lyster, Palmer, Horwood, old DeBavay film, and various adaptations of the Minerals Separation process are in use at various properties. (See also other articles in this department.) |