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Show IDAHO WEALTH IS flOW OIIREASE JOEL L. PRIEST PLACES VALUE OF STATE AT MORE THAN $225,000,000 Many Commodities Go To Make Up Enormous Wealth Of Gem State; Last Year Will Be The Banner Ban-ner Year Salt Lake City. The value -of Ida, ho's agricultural and horticultural crops, livestock, wool, lumber and mineral min-eral production for 1925 is placed at more than $225,000,000 by Joel L. Priest, general agent of the Union Pacific Pa-cific system in Idaho, in a special report re-port just announced from the general offices of the Union Pacific at Salt Lake. Generally improved conditions are cited in the authoritative and complete com-plete report by Mr. Priest, who concludes con-cludes that "the close of 1925 will see the state as a whole on a sound, satisfactory satis-factory financial basis." Idaho's estimated productivity valuation val-uation is divided as follows: Wheat, 27,975,000 bushels; $35,000,-000. $35,000,-000. Hay, 3,148,000 tons; $31,480,000. Potatoes 12,254,000 bushels; $14,-500,000. $14,-500,000. Beans, 1,512,000 bushels; $3,000,000. Beets, 438,000 tons, $4,3S0,000. Fruits, $12,000,000. Oats, 9,751,000 bushels; $5,000,000. Barley, 4,928,000 bushels; $3,500,000. Onions, 568,000 bushels, $850,000. Dairy products, $12,000,000. Wool, $8,000,000. Lambs, $15,000,000. Cattle and hogs, $6,000,000. Bees, $2,000,000. Mines, $40,000,000. Lumber, $35,000,000. "Total deposits of the 106 state banks in Idaho were $2,779,729.17 higher at the- close of business September Sep-tember 28 than they were on June 30, and approximately $4,500,000 higher than they were on September 28, 1924," the report continues. "Assets of the 106 banks showed a total of $40,428,366.54, an increase of $2,364,-152.05 $2,364,-152.05 over June 30, and $4,408,517.01 over assets listed a year ago. Since September 28 there has been, of course, an enormous increase due to returns from abundant high priced crops and the close of 1925 will see the state as a whole on a sound, satisfactory financial basis." Conditions in Idaho's lumber industry indus-try are much improved over those of a year ago, with hte Boise-Payette Lumber company estimating its 1925 business at 1000 cars larger than in 1924, according to the report. The Eccles Lumber company expects to ship a minimum of 100 cars per month mon-th as soon as the company's Cascade mill is able to operate on a normal basis. The spectacular advance in the price of potatoes is pointed to as the outstanding feature of Idaho's agricultural agri-cultural situation in October by Mr. Priest, who says: "At the beginning of the month farmers were getting an average of $1.25 per hundredweight, but during the closing days of October they were receiving from $3 to $3.50. While, of course, a considerable amount of the crop had been disposed of previous to the price advance, there yet remained re-mained a goodly portion to be sold at the regular figures. Idaho's production pro-duction this year is estimated at 12,-254,000 12,-254,000 bushels. "I do not recall any former years when the price has been so high so early in the season. Fortunes are being be-ing made by many growers. A case in point is that of the St. Anthony farmer who is reported to have harvested har-vested an average of 300 sacks per acre from 180 acres, for which he will receive a minimum of $100,000. His production and marketing cost is figured fig-ured not to exceed $25,000, which will leave him a net return of at least $75,000. The 1925 legislature authorized author-ized purchase of a quarter section of farm land for the industrial school at St. Anthony for $15,000. This year the school raised on twenty-eight acres sufficient potatoes to pay for the entire quarter section. The former for-mer owner of the tract planted sixty acres of pota oes on other ground and from the prcceeds of his crop he wants to buy the 160 acres back from the state and pay a bonus of $5000. With ,'i heavy acre yield and high prices, the Idaho potato grower is sitting on 'tie top of the world,' and Idaho Falls, familiarily known as 'Spud Alley,' has been dubbed the Farmers' Klondike. Shipments for the month totalled 23S6 carloads" |