It is clear that the area of farming lands has been greatly extended,
that their fertility has been well maintained, and that their returns
have been increased, in the aggregate, more than 100 per cent within
twenty- five years. If this were all that is to be taken into the account
the verdict must be that the condition of agriculture is good, for the
farmers have been industrious and the earth has responded bounteously
to their toil. But it is not all, and now we proceed to consider what



remains.
PRICES AND DEPRESSION.
The second and third facts which the committee are charged to ascer-
tain and report are so intimately connected that it wiU save time by
considering together the evidence on which both facts rest. Whether
there has been any depression in prices can be ascertained only by
comparing present prices with those of preceding years.
We will first refer to the prices of such things as could be gathered
from assessors' returns in a few of the States, and for convenience we
will reproduce here some of the figures found among " State statis-
tics," beginning on page 16.
MISSOURI.
Land. — Average value per acre — assessed valuation in 1884, $6.25;
in 1892, $6.76; increase, 51 cents.
liive stock.
1885.
1802.
$38. 76

46.89

63.60

13.50

1.12

1.93


$34. 73




38.30




78.05




9.54




1.31


Hogs .'


1.59







Grains not assessed separately — they are^ included in "other i)er-
sonal property."

ILLINOIS.
Quantiti/ and valve of real estate assessed for taxation each year from 1S73 to 1S9S.
Average value per acre.
Year.
Average value per acre.
Year.
Improved
lands.
TJnimprov-
ed lauds.
Total
lands.
Improved
lauds.
Unimprov-
ed lauds.
Total
lauds.
