The capital value represented by agriculture in the United States for 1910 was estimated at $40,991,449,000, and the returns from agriculture for various periods are: 13.8 per cent in 1890; 16.3 per cent in 1900; 16.8 per cent in 1905. The farmer of the American Northwest has prospered as much as in any other section, and his property has increased largely in value, and presumably he has made as handsome a return on that value as for the average of the United States.
The capital, surplus, and undivided profits of all the banks of the United States for 1912 are given as $4,164,914,181. The net earnings in the same periods for national banks, and not including state and private banks, which are said to do as well, if not better than national banks, based on capital and surplus, were 6.66 per cent in 1880; 8.63 per cent in 1890; 8.20 per cent in 1900; 9.67 per cent in 1910. Or, if based upon capital alone, the net earnings were: 8.36 per cent in 1880; 11.48 per cent in 1890; 11.60 per cent in 1900; 16 per cent in 1910.
