Chapter 18
OUGH. Section 18 of 1000 Things Worth Knowing This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org Recording by Pam Jameson
1000 Things Worth Knowing by Nathaniel C. Fowler Jr. Failures During 1912, 3781 manufacturers failed, with liabilities of nearly $88,500,000. During the same year, 10,918 businessmen or partnership concerns went into bankruptcy, with liabilities exceeding $90 million. 84 banking houses failed, with liabilities of over $23,500,000, and 600 brokers and transporters failed, with liabilities of nearly $24 million.
According to the commercial agencies, the causes of failures during the last two years may be tabulated as follows. Failures due to 1912, 1911 Incompetence, 4,176, 3,419 Inexperience, 641, 522
Lack of capital, 4,110, 3,970 Unwise credits, 281, 252 Extravagance, 91, 108 Neglect, 275, 277 Speculation, 112, 94
Fraud, 1,423, 1,341 Failures of others, 177, 171 Competition, 264, 360 Specific conditions, 2,262, 2,132 The year 1912 stands distinguished from some other years in that the excess in failures over the other years is credited to the increased amount of harm wrought by incompetence and inexperience, two essentially personal faults.
For the first time since records were compiled in the year 1890, the percentage ascribed to incompetence stands first in injuriousness with 30.2% of all failures, as against 29.7% attributed to lack of capital, hitherto the most hurtful source of trouble, but which fell from 31.4 in 1911 and 33.9 in 1910. Incompetency on the other hand moved up from 27% in 1911 and 26.6% in 1910 to the figure of 30.2 given above. Inexperience, without other incompetence, rose to 4.6% in 1912 from 4.1% in 1911 and these two causes together accounted for the increased failures, while fraud, the third most important personal cause, fell to 10.3% from 10.6% in 1911. Famous diamonds. The following is a list of the most famous diamonds of the world. 10. The pit or regent. 11. The Sanse. 12. The Shah. 13. The Star of the South.
Farm production. The figures are given in round numbers. Animals over 206 million valued at over $5 billion. Apples over 147 million bushels valued at over $83 million. Apricots over 4 million bushels valued at over $2,800,000. Beans dry over 11,200,000 bushels valued at about $22 million.
Bees over 3,445,000 swarms valued at over $10,300,000. Broom corn over 78,900,000 pounds valued at over $5,130,000. Butter over 531 million pounds valued at over $113 million. Cereals over 4,280,000,000 bushels valued at over $2,694,000,000. Cheese over 317 million pounds valued at over $28,600,000.
Chickery about 21,500,000 pounds valued at over $73,000. Cotton over 8 billion pounds valued at over $730 million. Cotton seed over 6,900,000 tons valued at over $127,400,000. Flax seed over 19,300,000 bushels valued at over $35 million. Flowers plants valued at over $18,700,000.
Forest products valued at over $109,800,000. Fruits small valued at over $29,900,000. Fruits subtropical valued at over $24,700,000. Grapes over 2,500,000,000 pounds valued at over $22 million. Hay about 55 million tons valued at over $784,900,000.
Hemp over 11,750,000 pounds valued at over $540,000. Honey over 62,800,000 pounds valued at over $6,600,000. Hops over 40,700,000 pounds valued at over $7,800,000. Milk over 7,265,000,000 gallons. Molasses over 6,300,000 gallons valued at over $788,000.
Nursery products valued at over $10,100,000. Nuts valued at over $4,400,000. Onions over 11,700,000 bushels valued at over $6,600,000. Orchard products over 216,000,000 bushels valued at over $140,800,000. Peaches over 35,400,000 bushels valued at over $28,700,000.
Peanuts over 19,400,000 bushels valued at over $18,200,000. Pears over 8,800,000 bushels valued at over $7,900,000. Peas dry over 7,500,000 bushels valued at over $11,100,000. Plums and prunes over 15,400,000 bushels valued at about $10,300,000. Potatoes, Irish, about 292,800,000 bushels valued at over $233,700,000.
Potatoes sweet over 59,200,000 bushels valued at over $35,300,000. Rice over 22,900,000 bushels valued at over $18,200,000. Seeds clover over 1,000,000 bushels valued at over $6,900,000. Seeds grass over 3,500,000 bushels valued at over $2,800,000. Sugar beet about 12,300,000,000 pounds valued at over $23,800,000.
Sugar cane over 1,100,000 tons valued at over $28,800,000. Sugar maple over 11,900,000 pounds valued at over $1,000,000. Syrup cane over 12,200,000 gallons valued at about $4,300,000. Syrup maple over 2,000,000 gallons valued at over $1,500,000. Syrup sawgum over 16,900,000 gallons valued at over $5,200,000.
Tobacco over 900,100,000 pounds valued at over $85,200,000. Vegetables miscellaneous valued at over $113,600,000. Sugar beaver over 318,500,000 pounds valued at over $66,500,000.
